The New York Times Upfront Magazine: Current Events Discussion Group

To see examples of this amazing content and a calendar of 2021-2022 curricular topics for each edition of the magazine, visit:
https://upfront.scholastic.com/

*By the end of the class, students will have developed knowledge and enhanced skills in the following areas:

Current events
Media literacy
U.S. and world history 
Vocabulary related to current events, politics, and world affairs
Critical thinking
Evaluating arguments 
Organizing ideas
Reading charts, maps, and diagrams
Analyzing photos and political cartoons 

September
National - How the Pandemic Changed America - Privacy in the Social Media Age
International - Afghanistan After America - Russia and the New Cold War
History - Why World War I Still Matters
Debate - Is It Time for a Carbon Tax?  - Should Congress Have Term Limits?

October
National - Supreme court:  Key Cases this Term - Climate Change Youth Activism
International - Is Iran a Threat? -Teens in Mexico
History - The Great Depression - The Warsaw Uprising
Debate - Is Mideast peace possible?  Is the internet killing democracy?  

November
National - Gerrymandering and Why it Matters - Native Americans Today
International - Surveillance in China - The Amazon on the Brink
History - Teens and the Civil Rights Movement - The McCarthy Era
Debate - Should we raise the minimum wage?   - Does foreign aid work?

December
National - Fast Fashion - How Immigration has Changed America
International - Iraq 10 Years After U.S. Pullout - Climate Refugees
History - The Vietnam War - What You Need to Know About Apartheid
Debate - Are youth sports too intense. Should voting be mandatory?  


*Scope and sequence subject to change based on news events

My name is Carie Beth Russell.  I live in the Kansas City area with my husband, two daughters, two cats and new puppy.  I am a former public school teacher and gifted education specialist.  I have been “home” since my second daughter was born, but have remained active in the field of education by teaching educational summer camps, tutoring and teaching at a homeschool enrichment program. 

My professional priorities center around student-led learning.  It’s my strong conviction that supporting children as they learn, rather than dictating how and what they learn, is the way to encourage their inborn patterns of curiosity, wonder and problem-solving that will serve them well in all stages of being human.  

While my own children attend public school, we very much view education as something we own and must take personal responsibility for.  We work hard at educational advocacy within the public school context.  I teach my daughters to communicate with their teachers, ask for what they need and request amended or extended: depth, duration and scope of projects, units, skills and personal areas of interest.  

Gifted Education services often provide these things for students who have been identified as such, but these standards and the definition of “giftedness” vary from state to state, based generally on funding, and doesn’t allow for many students to qualify.  This leaves a significant group of students who have “need of different” but no access to a more open-ended and curiosity-led education.  

Out School, and other platforms like it, allow students who are enrolled in public schools to adapt their learning modalities and pursue interests and learning pathways that intrigue their own very unique minds.  Teaching students to participate in Student Led Learning, in its various formats, allows them to continue on in their own investigations of an amazing planet and human experience, studying past, present and future as they forge their own distinct path. 

*All class times are approximate. Class length varies based on student ability and number of enrolled learners. Classes are designed so that they will not run longer than the time allotted.*

*Late/Missed Class Policy* All courses will begin on time as long as one learner is in the classroom. In the event that no students are in the classroom at the assigned class time, the teacher will leave a message on the discussion board and exit after 10 min. Class recordings are available upon request.

*Documents shared by the teacher are only to be used within the context of the class for which the student is enrolled.  You do not own the rights to these documents.  Do not share or distribute, as this would be in violation of the copyright.  

Homework will consist of reading assigned articles and participating in engaging study to prepare for bi-monthly class discussion.  

Informal assessment available upon request.  

1 hour per week in class, and an estimated 0 - 1 hours per week outside of class.