Current Events: News You Can Use
Objectives: To share with fellow students current information and insights about local, national, or international news which you believe will help them to:
1. List some significant political issues of today.
2. Comprehend the functions and political forces at work in all levels of government.
3. Make more informed political decisions.
4. Apply national and international issues to seniors at SHS.
Preparation:
1. Use two weekly magazines to find the weeks most pressing events related to the US Government. Please speak with the teacher in advance about the issues you plan to use.
a.)You and your group should purchase or borrow Time, Newsweek, or US. News and
World Report.
b.) Purchase or borrow the Economist (a British weekly)
2. You will be summarizing at least 2 minor news events and a major news event. These should be summary newsbriefs which focus on what is happening rather without much analysis or perspective yet applicable to what we are discussing in class.
3. Develop a feature story which is “unbiased yet information/entertaining.” Your summary should a) be clear, organized, and concise b) bring out the key points being made in the article c) suggest how this information might be applied or useful to your classmates and…
4. Dovetail your feature story in a perspectives piece. This should focus on content rather than production. In fact, I’d like you to sit in from of an IMAC and just record looking into the built in camera (you can edit it later). There is an example of content here: that is strictly audio. Yours should be just like that with video included.
5. Prepare 5-7 questions to lead the Socratic Seminar. The questions should be attached to your summary.
Presentation:
1. Put on your “Current Events News Report” and let it roll
2. Lead a 15-20 minute Socratic Seminar on your article. You and your group will serve as
the Seminar leaders. Make sure to should connect your issue with something that is being
studied in class and give the students in the class a response to respond to your perspective
piece.
To be turned in:
____1. Copy of the articles from Time,Newsweek, or U.S. News and World Report.
____2. Copy of the article from Economist.
____3. Visual Aid.
____4. 5 multiple choice questions on your article with an answer key.
***Important Reminder: You must be there on the day you are assigned to lead your Socratic Seminar or you will receive a zero for this assignment. Don't leave your group hanging!*****
(Use this rubric as a guide to help you prepare for the presentations. Also, please bring this sheet on the day of your presentation.)
Names:______Period:______Date:______
Exceptional (4) Acceptable (3) Poor (0-2)
1. Newsbriefs are clear and concise______
2. Newscast is clear, organized, and thorough.______
3. Newscast/Feature story brings out article’s key points.______
4. Newscast suggests how this info might be useful to us.______
5. Seminar leaders connect their issue with topics ______
taught/discussed in the classroom
6-8. Teachers subjective view of your newscast content and______
showmanship and your perspectives logic and analysis______
______
Questions for Socratic Seminar
9. Questions spark a lively discussion.______
Multiple Choice Questions
10. Five test-ready multiple choice questions derived from article.______
Making Connections
Your grade /40