Happy News & Current Events- What Is Happening in Our World and Why It Matters
In this ongoing class we will discuss current events that our kids are interested in. Stories will be taken from reliable news sources fully cited and students will have the opportunity to bring their own.
Mara Simmons
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(4)
What's included
1 live meeting
55 mins in-class hours per weekHomework
1 hour per week. Students will be encouraged to bring a article to the session to share.Assessment
There are no formal assessments; only through practice of these basic skills will students show improvement.Class Experience
US Grade 8 - 11
News is everywhere and we see a lot of different sound bites on a daily basis. Understanding the news and the greater context of how one event impacts another in the world is sometimes not always so obvious. Also not all news is about despair and doom; it is important to elevate the good things that are happening in the world and the new discoveries. Each week we will review two or three different news stories. They will come from vetted publications including the New York Times, BBC, National Geographic, Wall Street Journal.... Learners will always have the full article as a reference. As a group we will read the article identifying the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How and analyze what was shared in the text and what questions we still have. This class will be highly interactive and students will be encouraged to bring their own current events to the group for review and analysis. The goal of this weekly session is to spark students' interests and help them see the world from different perspectives and considerations. Students younger than 13 may join depending on their interests in the world.
Learning Goals
Students will practice their summarizing skills and and their reading comprehension skills.
Students will also practice their geography skills (and use of Google Maps) along with building their vocabulary.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
We will be discussing current events and focus on ones that are more positive. That said students may bring up topics in the news that are not happy and it will be important to unpack these situations as well. In every instance we will stick to looking at the facts with objectivity and consider what future steps may look like.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
News Sites i.e. BBC, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Newsweek, ...
For Geography we will play: https://virtualvacation.us and use Google Maps in a screen sharing capacity. No subscriptions are needed. Virtual Vacation is a fun way to test one's ability to recognize a location based on street scenes.
Joined July, 2022
5.0
4reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
California Teaching Certificate in Mathematics
Doctoral Degree in Education from Claremont Graduate University
I have always loved bringing in current events to my classroom when I used to teach and as a mom it is something we as a family do every day. Looking at the news and being aware are important practices. Bringing this practice to OutSchool excites me. I love facilitating kids' discussions and empowering them with roles to take on challenging topics. When I taught in a traditional setting this practice of looking at the news was something we did weekly and students shared afterward how much they learned about the world. I am hoping to do the same with your children. I did this with students age 10 and above.Reviews
Live Group Class
$18
weekly1x per week
55 min
Completed by 2 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-17
3-12 learners per class
