8 th Grade Honors Current Event Assignments Name: In order to be a global citizen, you need to know what is happening in the world. Building your awareness of issues and events in our local, state, national, and international communities is a beginning to making a positive difference. Therefore, throughout the year, you will be required to read, summarize, and analyze many current events. You will also be sharing what you learned with your classmates. Every month Ms. Waller will choose a topic that your current event must focus around. First Topic: ____________________________ You will then: 1. Choose an article from an approved source (internet, magazine, or newspaper) 2. Write a summary and analysis of the article (requirements below) 3. Cite your source using MLA format and attach a copy of the article to the back of your write-up 1. Choosing an article: Reputable Sources Newspapers New York Times Times Herald Record Magazines The Week Newsday Time Magazine Middle School Media Center BBC- CNN- The Washington Post- USA Today- NY Times- A great search engine to find topics from these sites is: news.google.com

2. Summary and analysis of the article: Requirements: (Summary must be)  Typed in Times New Roman or Arial Font.  Size 12 font  1.5 line spacing  No less than 150 words  Each paragraph must have 5-7 sentences minimum Your summary and analysis of the article should be a minimum of three paragraphs: Paragraph 1- In your opening paragraph, tell the reader what your article is about. Summarize the news article in your OWN words. This means there should be no direct quotes in this paragraph. This paragraph focuses on the “Who, What, Where, When and Why?” of the article. You should also answer the question: How does this article relate to the topic? Paragraph 2+3- In these paragraphs, focus on your opinions or reactions to the article. Why is this an important story? Why did you choose this article? What might be some impact of this event or topic? What, if anything, do you think should be done about this issue? What is one or two points you liked about this article? What is something you learned from this article? 3. Citing your source using MLA (and attach a copy of the article to the back of your write-up) Underneath your last paragraph, list the citation for your article in MLA format. You may use the Citation Machine website ( Or the Easy Bib website ( ) to help with this. Or for simple directions on how to properly cite using the MLA format, visit: Richtel, Matt. "Driver Texting Now an Issue in Back Seat." New York Times 09 SEP 2009, late ed.: A1. Print. "Venezuela to Get Russian Missiles." BBC News. 12 SEP BBC News. 12 Sep 2009.

Tips/Steps for the Process 1.Select a newspaper article on a subject of local, state, national, or international concern. Your article may come from a printed newspaper, magazine or online news source. Make a concerted effort to select an article that is challenging for you and relates to the subject matter of this class. Unfortunately, many news sites now emphasize “fluff” articles, so you will need to sift through the news to find something of consequence. For example, avoid gossip about Hollywood celebrities or stories about random strange and gruesome acts. Instead, focus on stories that pertain to issues that affect our community, state, nation, or world. 2.Read the article you selected 2-3 times, and make sure that you have a good understanding of the material. Look up new terms, and find the locations of any cities, countries, or regions that are referenced in the article. 3. ***Put the article aside, and write a one-paragraph summary of the article. Do this without looking at the article. This will help you to put the information in your own words. Only look back at the article after you are finished with your one-paragraph summary, so you can make sure that your spelling is correct and double-check any facts that you are unclear about.