Current Events in the Classroom Presented By: Brittany Schwartz Mike Thompson

“History doesn’t repeat itself but it does rhyme.” - Mark Twain

CURRENTEVENTSCURRENTEVENTS

SO WHAT? Foster individual and cultural identity Understand what holds society together Observation of and participation in school and community Address critical issues Prepare students to make decisions based on democratic principles Civic Participation (Schmidt 2007, 197)

Background Theory/Research: John Dewey Constructivism Student-centered learning Thomas N. Turner Active learning benefits students Student-centered Bloom’s Taxonomy Pyramid of achievement ending with creation Edward F. DeRoche Higher standardized test scores Improved reading skills Increased vocabulary Increase awareness of events and interest Development of Habits Lev Vygotsky Discovery learning Reference: Education World

Background Continued Current Events helps us to grapple with present day problems that relate to the past

HOW DO CURRENT EVENTS RELATE TO STANDARDS? The Iowa Core Curriculum History: Understand how and why people create, maintain, or change systems of power, authority, and governance Geography: Understand how human factors and the distribution of resources affect the development of society and the movement of populations Political Science/Civic Literacy: Understand the rights and responsibilities of each citizen and demonstrate the value of lifelong civic action Behavioral Sciences Understand how social status, social groups, social change, and social institutions influence individual and group behaviors Iowa Department of Education: Iowa Core Curriculum:

INTRODUCTION The Four Basic Questions to Ask: - How do we survive? - How do we thrive? - How do we evolve? - What makes us devolve? (Schmidt 2007, )

REFLECTION What did this exercise show you? How could you use this exercise in your classroom? Would you use this exercise in your classroom?

PHOTOGRAPHS: How are they related? 1)Find a partner 2)Collect 5 photographs in the paper related to the theme power struggle 3)Tape the photographs together 4)We will then regroup and discuss why the photographs relate

What did you think? Was this useful? What was beneficial about this exercise? How would you adapt this for your classroom?

CONNECTIONS ACTIVITY ARMS AGREEMENT SALT 1.HOW COULD YOU UTILIZE THIS EVENT IN YOUR CLASSROOM 2.BREAK UP INTO GROUPS OF 2 3.IN YOUR GROUPS COME UP WITH 3 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS THAT RELATE THE TWO EVENTS

Additional Ideas Portfolio Using photographs as representations of current events Scrapbook/Journal reflection (Schmidt 2007, ) Using computers as a tool in the classroom Take a piece of “Pop culture” and make it a current events research project Have students locate where “news” is happening

Addressing the Article Individually Reflect: How could you use this article in the classroom? What strategies could you implement? Group Discussion: What did you find?

Questions for Thought What makes the use of current events in the classroom valuable? What are the drawbacks of using certain current events materials/sources? How will you implement current events in your classroom?

Teacher Resources: Newspapers in Education: (NIE.org) Amnesty International: Asia Today: CNN: World News: New York Times Online: National Public Radio: Economist: TeachableMoment.org

References Education World. “Why Teach Current Events.” Google Images. Iowa Department of Education. Iowa Core Curriculum. : Real Clear World. the_russian-american_nuclear_agreement.html. the_russian-american_nuclear_agreement.html Schmidt, Laurel Social studies that sticks: How to bring content and concepts to life. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishing. You Tube.