Teaching with Current Events During the Pandemic

Image Source: Photos For Class

Teaching with current events is a great way to not only keep our content fresh and relevant, but it also helps to generate engaging class discussions. Moreover, bringing in news and stories that directly connect to our curricula is an easy way for educators to keep up with the latest trends. Think of it as a part teaching resource and part professional development-it's a win-win.  While it's a great fit in Career & Technical Education, it can work in any subject area, especially during this pandemic. Weekly current events were part of my Business Education classroom. Many of our CTE teachers have been including current events in their remote lessons and my son's 8th grade science lessons have also included current events on the virus using CDC updates and the latest news. 

With COVID-19 turning everyone's world upside down and every industry being impacted - some actually benefiting from the pandemic - you are sure to find a current event connection, regardless of the content you teach. 

Here are some of my favorite, free (or mostly free) student-friendly resources:

• Newsela - Updated daily, it has high-interest articles broken down by content area/industry related to the latest news. Articles are offered at five different Lexile levels and some are available in Spanish. The free version is very adequate, but the premium version is available for free until the end of the 2019-20 school year.
• Learning Network - A New York Times resource specifically produced for student readers and teachers. It includes lesson plans, writing prompts, contests and more. It has something for everyone and it's all free.
• Tween Tribune - Don't let the name mislead you, it's a K-12 resource, not just for tweens. It's offered by Smithsonian and is completely free. Although I would say it's more of an informational text site than a breaking news source, it's a great resource. The articles are leveled, age-appropriate, available in Spanish too  and come complete with quizzes and a critical thinking question to engage young minds. 
• CNN 10 - Ten-minute, commercial-free video clips that come with transcripts and quiz. It's free of charge and no sign-up or subscription is required.
• Listenwise - A collection of National Public Radio stories and podcasts on wide variety of topics. The free version is limited, however, they are offering the premium version to educators for 90 days, which offers interactive transcripts, standards-aligned lessons, assessments and more.

And while most of those sites have built-in assignments and quizzes to gauge understanding, you can also use a video response tool like Flipgrid to have students verbally share their responses, perspectives, or even questions related to the articles. First, they can't copy from a friend, but most importantly, they are honing their communication skills, so crucial is today's global marketplace. And that will benefit them long after the pandemic is over. Check out this post from Flipgrid's blog that will help you get started and get your students and their families engaged.

If current events are part of your remote lessons, I'd love for you to share how it's going. We are all learning from each other. 

Stay safe, stay well and stay current!