Seafarer Current Event Assignment
You will work at home on a current event of your choice: select, read, summarize, write an opinion, do a small project, and prepare to share with a small group. This increases critical thinking skills and helps prepare you to become a better citizen by being more aware of what’s happening in the world.
- Select an article from:
(You may visit other sites only with your parent’s permission), or use a magazine such as National Geographic, Time, or Newsweek. The topic must be school appropriate to share with other 5th graders.
Although sports are important factors in society and world cultures, we will not be using sports related articles as current events.
Hint #1: The article you select should be at least two paragraphs long with enough information for you to answer who did what and some details.
Hint #2: You will need to be able to form an opinion about the topic of the article.
Hint #3: articles cannot be older than one month from the day they are due unless I have approve it ahead of time. For example: an November 10th current event assignment due date may not have articles older than October 10th.
2. Print the article (or copy or cut it out).
3. Highlight or write down your source, including the following information:
Date of article
Name of magazine, newspaper, website, etc
Name of author
4. Write a summary paragraph about the article. The summary should begin with the main idea sentence: who did what and why it is important. Then include important details but leave out interesting details.
5. Write an opinion paragraph that is a minimum of 4-6 sentences long. To get started thinking about this paragraph, in your head you will ask yourself an opinion question. These types of questions should start with:
- Should…,?..
- Do you agree/disagree with . . .?
- Would it be better if . . .?
- Why was it better/worse that . . .?
- What choice would you have made?
- Which is the best/worst?
- What solution do you favor and why?
- Why is . . . important?
Your first sentence will answer the question you create about your article topic (without asking it).
Then write a sentence that tells the reason for your answer.
To support your reason for your opinion, find evidence in the article that supports your reason and write about that.
The paragraph should end with a sentence restating your opinion.
6. Create a project. See the back for ideas. Have fun!
7. Prepare to share your current event assignment with about 3-4 other students in the class on the due date. The first due date is ______(no opinion paragraph required). We will do about one a month. Along with keeping your SSIN up-to-date, this will be your homework for social studies