English 12 Current Events

Purpose:

In order to more successfully contribute to community and society at large, one should be current on the world’s issues, updates, and changes. Being an informed citizen and discussing current events will give one a better perspective on different points of view and encourage a healthier lifestyle.

Directions:

You will, from now until the end of the course, read a current event article each week and respond to it. These will be due the first day of the school week, unless otherwise noted. The news source can be digital or print. All assignments must be turned in with a copy of the article. All students should be prepared to present every Monday, however, I will select students randomly for participation points to be earned.

Article Guidelines and Restrictions:

Article must be current—within approximately one month of due date

You must choose a weighty article that is relevant to current events and the world around us.

  • For example, an article about Katy Perry’s quick climb to the top of the music charts would not be acceptable, but an article about musicians putting on a benefit concert to help AIDS awareness in Africa would be fine;
  • An article about which soccer team has the best chance to win the World Cup would not work, but an article about the effect of the Olympics on London would be appropriate;
  • An article about the little old lady who won the lottery wouldn’t work, but an article on how the potential changes in social security will change the way we live in the future would be fine
  • When in doubt, pick a different article.

Article must be from an appropriate source—see suggestions below. (NO Wikipedia, about.com, any encyclopedia or textbook, a personal site, or a blog)

Often I will give you a general topic (education, business, civil rights, role of government) or a mode (hard news, opinion) that the article must address/use. Be sure that your article meets these criteria, if given.

Article Sources:

Use newspapers that have a large following across the U.S. and Ohio and are well-respected. You may choose from the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Christian-Science Monitor, and the Columbus Dispatch. For magazines, you may use sources such as The Economist, Time, Newsweek. When using opinion pieces (which the previously named sources all contain), you may also use The Nation (progressive bias, i.e. Democratic) and The National Review (conservative bias, i.e. Republican). This is by no means a complete list of legitimate sources; others may be used, just make sure whatever source you use is appropriate.

Responses:

All current events summaries must be at least one page typed. If this is not possible, please see me.

Follow all formatting requirements for typed assignments in English 12

  • Title the response “Current Event Article (date”
  • Type a citation for the article, using MLA Format (refer to the OWL at Purdue for assistance)
  • Paragraph one should summarize the article by answering the questions : Who? What? Where? When? Why? This paragraph should also contain what the article reveals to you about the topic or the writer’s opinion on the topic, if applicable.
  • Paragraph two should address information you are lacking, questions that remain, and your reaction.
  • A copy of the article should be printed or cut out and stapled to the response.

Discussion:

On Mondays, I will randomly ask people to present their article to the class. You should be able to summarize the content of the article and be able to explain your reaction to it as well as any questions the article left you with. We will follow this sharing with discussion of the articles – clarifying information, comparing articles to each other, identifying implications of the article, addressing the claims made, etc. This discussion period will last roughly half the class period. All students should be prepared to present every Monday, however, I will select students randomly for discussion points to be earned.

Article Rubric

Exemplary (4 points) / Proficient (3 points) / Unacceptable (2 or less points)
Summary—Paragraph One / Provides all necessary facts. Inaccuracies are nonexistent or do not take away from the understanding of the article. / Provides most of the facts, however, some key components are missing or inaccurate. / Summary is missing key components of the article; summary is inaccurate; summary is incomplete.
Opinion—Paragraph Two / Provides an in-depth understanding of the issues and the opinion. / General understanding of issues but not specifically supported by facts in the article. / Weak understanding of issues or mostly unsupported by facts in the article.
Formatting, Citation, and Conventions / Typed paper with appropriate formatting, no errors in spelling and grammar, clear and effective expression of ideas. / Two or less mistakes in regards to formatting, spelling, grammar; effective expression of ideas. / Numerous errors in regards to formatting, spelling, grammar; effective expression of ideas.

_____/12 Points

Discussion Rubric

Exemplary (4 points) / Proficient (3 points) / Unacceptable (2 or less points)
Summary / Student gives an accurate and detailed summary of the article. / Student gives an accurate summary of the article. / Student gives an inaccurate summary or is unable to summarize the main points of the article.
Understanding / Student presents an in-depth understanding of the article and the issues and opinions it contains. / Student presents the issues and opinions contained in the article. / Student is unable to express why the article in interesting or important.
Preparation / Student was prepared to present and it is obvious that he/she read the article carefully and reflected on it. / Student was prepared to present, but it is unclear if careful reading and reflecting were completed. / Student is unprepared to present the article.

_____/12 Points