Exploring Current Events

 

Recently, my class was asked to explore several different resources regarding incorporating current events into classroom curriculum. I must admit, after reading about some of the activities that teachers use in the classroom, I can see that there are many fun and exciting ways for students to learn about current events. One of the activities that I read about seemed particularly interesting. In this activity, students would be asked to pick an ongoing story and keep track of that story while it develops. The students would share new information or bring in follow up articles and discuss how their thoughts and opinions have changed over time. I think this is a great way to keep students actively involved in their community and to encourage them to form opinions and take a stand on a particular topic.

When I was a student in elementary school, I can remember being asked to bring in a current event news article to share with the class. Each week the teacher would have us share our article with the class and she would ask us to explain why we chose the article. She would then put all of the articles on the bulletin board to display to the class. The reason that I remember this assignment so clearly is because I thoroughly enjoyed participating. I loved learning about what was going on around me and since I was never really able to watch the news, this was a great way for me to learn about the most important events that were happening. 

As a future teacher candidate, I am definitely going to incorporate current events into my classroom curriculum. I think it is extremely important to teach children about things that are happening in our country as well as other countries. It is important for students to understand what is going on around them because somehow, it will most likely impact their lives. I believe that children of all ages should be introduced to current events. Obviously, the activities would need to be adjusted based on the grade level but I believe that teaching students about current events is a great way to get them involved in their own learning. For example, if I was teaching a sixth grade class, I would give students a current news story and have them partake in a debate. The students would need to form an opinion and take a side. After carefully reading the story and understanding all of its components, the students would be able to take on certain roles and defend their position.