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News Discussion with a Focus on History Connections, Vocabulary, & Geography

Completed by 158 learners
Ages 12-14
Live Group Class
This ongoing course focuses on closing reading American and world news articles to gain a deeper understanding of geopolitics. Learners will be exposed to news content and discuss how historical events relate to present day situations.
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(247 reviews)

Live video meetings
1x per week
5-9 learners per class
55 min

What's included

1 live meeting
55 mins in-class hours per week
Mastery Evaluation
1 hour per week. Learners will be provided with articles and videos to better familiarize themselves with current and historical events. This is not required.

Class Experience

US Grade 6 - 9
This course meets weekly to discuss current events around the world. I provide at least one news update throughout the week of stories that relate to learner interest. I include regional news stories depending on where learners are attending from! I also provide learners with historical background concerning the news stories, for example passed conflicts a nation was involved in, political history, religious background, etc. 

I provide all the learners the opportunity to read an article out loud (if they wish to).  During the reading I will regularly check the class' comprehension on country capitals, political acronyms, political figures, legal terminology, and other vocabulary terms that often come up in nonfiction articles. Some of the terms that learners are often unfamiliar with include: Western, International Criminal Court, humanitarian, refugee/migrant, warrant, NATO, authoritarian, Sahel region, tariff, sanction, etc. 

Learners are encouraged to post current event news stories they want to discuss  to the classpage. There will be weekly content that exposes learners to geography, climate, and vocabulary terms related to politics, history, and government. This course is great for parents who worry their young learners aren't interested in watching the news. This course is also a fun way for learners to get involved with current event issues while engaging in meaningful discussions with their peers. Students are able to apply content they learn in Social Studies classes to current political alliances. I can provide additional history content for learners who are attending class for their Social Studies requirement.

Learning Goals

Connect present day news articles to historical events and concepts to improve learners' knowledge on social studies assessments.

Other Details

Parental Guidance
The course will utilize news sources such as BBC News, Business Insider, Forbes, The Hill, New York Times, and various sources that I will do my best to be sure are not biased to any political party. However, I will also try to provide students with articles from known bias media sources regarding the same influencer so students can cite differences of reporting regarding the same person and/or news story. I will utilize Fox News and CNN for this type of learning as they tend to be polar opposites regarding liberal vs. conservative views. I will use these opportunities to further learners' understanding of the political system in America and how it is perpetuated by the mainstream news media. I will also encourage learners to post their own news articles and/or videos found to discuss during live class meetings.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
I explore a variety of news websites with students and I regularly ask students if the article/video we are discussing is left, right, or centrist leaning. We will access articles from wide variety of international media outlets like The Guardian, First Post, DW, Aljazeera, Sky News, France 24, the South China Morning Post, BBC, Russian Times, Middle Eastern Eye, and Global Times in order to get a different perspective from American news media. I always remind students while reading an American news story to identify the bias and rating from Media Fact Check: The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, CNBC, Fox News, the New York Post, Vice News, China Uncensored, etc.

Offered by

4.9
247reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
New York Teaching Certificate in Special Education
Nicole Hess
New York Teaching Certificate in English/Language Arts
Nicole Hess
Master's Degree in Special Education from Grand Canyon University
Nicole Hess
Bachelor's Degree in English Language and Literature from State University of New York at Oswego
Nicole Hess
I have two New York State certifications in Special Education (Generalist) and English Language Arts for grades 7-12. I have been working in classrooms as a co teacher, resource teacher, and English teacher for over ten years. During that time, I have worked in Global History, United States History, and Government/Economics classrooms so I am familiar with teaching current events to high school learners. As an English Language Arts teacher, I am experienced in finding credible research and news articles for learners to accurately gain information as well as teaching learners how to find credible sources when conducting independent research. 

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