"The importance of news" lesson plan
Theme: The Importance of Current Event Awareness
Objectives:
- Students will be exposed to newspapers in order to increase their awareness and interest of news and current events.
- Students will be able to identify five reasons why it’s important to be aware of current events.
- Students will understand more about five current events.
Agenda:
Warm-up (15 min.)
Introduction (5 min.)
Examples of Relevance (10 min.)
Connection (15 min.)
Debrief/Reflection (5 min.)
Breakdown
Warm-up: What’s up with these pictures?
Hang up photos of current events and have the students look at them. Then have them go through again and put their thoughts about how the photos make them feel or what they think about them on Post-It Notes under the photos. Then have them go through again and read the notes. Get back together and ask if they know what the events are about.
Introduction:
Why do you think it’s important to know what’s going on in the world?
Why is current event awareness important?
Young Americans today know less and care less about what's going on in the world than young Americans of previous generations did. Those were the conclusions presented in a 1995 report from the Times Mirror Center for the People and the Press (now called the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press). "On average, only 20 percent of respondents aged 18 to 29 paid close attention to the stories covered in the News Interest Index [an index of top news stories]." Attentiveness rose to 23 percent among respondents 30 to 49 and to 29 percent among those 50 years and older.
· The world is becoming more and more interconnected
· It’s vital to defeating narrow-mindedness and promoting democracy and self-empowerment
· People need a well-rounded understanding of politics, the environment, social structures, the economy, and more in order to make important decisions in their lives
Examples of Relevance
· For instance, you might not be aware of the bombings and shootings in Mumbai, India in which 100 people have died and hundreds more were injured. It might seem like it doesn’t affect you because you are on the other side of the world, but Pakistani terrorists were searching for Americans in India when they went on a rampage. This can affect the way that you travel, the products you buy, and more. Also, according to a commission report released last Wednesday, a nuclear or biological attack by terrorists against the United States is very likely to occur before 2013, and the new presidential administration is already planning to boost efforts and prepare for germ warfare.
· Maybe you don’t shop at Mervyn’s, Linens N Things or Circuit City, but the state of the economy will affect everyone in some way this year. Even Starbucks is cutting back on dozens of its sites in the Bay Area. That means hundreds to thousands of lost jobs… your parents may be next! There are co-workers of mine whose family has lost jobs in this debacle. You can even affect this issue by deciding what you use and buy.
Connection
Break up everyone into five groups. Find news stories involving one or more of the following, if you can:
· A middle-school age person
· Your area or neighborhood
· A social issue that you care about
· Someone you know
Cut out, underline, or highlight the headlines so you can share them with the rest of the groups.
Discussion Questions:
· What is the significance of this exercise?
· Do these stories have anything in common? Themes?
Debrief/Reflection
Make a list of 5 reasons why it is important to be aware of current events
Current event lesson plans
- PBS Teachers Current Events Lesson Plan
A Lesson Plans Page lesson plan, lesson idea, thematic unit, or activity in Social Studies and called Current Events. - The New York Times Learning Network
- Education World ® Lesson Planning: Twenty-Five Great Ideas for Teaching Current Events!
Looking for ways to work news into your classroom curriculum? Check out these great ideas for connecting current events to all subjects! - Breaking News English Lessons: ESL Plans Teaching Current Events
English news lessons: Free EFL/ESL lesson plans, handouts and podcast for teaching current events and current affairs lessons, and business English. - Current Events Lesson Plans
Lesson Plans For Using Current Events! - Current Events