https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/teaching-learning\/opinion-seven-ways-to-bring-current-events-into-the-classroom\/2020\/01<\/p>\n
During class discussion this past Tuesday, we talked about the negative and inaccurate portrayal of American Indians in children\u2019s literature, both in writing and in illustration. It should be noted that Dr. Stohr provided us with an authentic connection between American Indian history and a current event occurring in Ukraine. Moreover, Dr. Stohr said (not in these exact words), regarding American Indians and colonists, \u201cHow would you feel or what would you do if someone tried taking something away that belonged to you? Then Dr. Stohr connected this question to the statement, “We\u2019ve been seeing this happening to the people of Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Our class discussion regarding current events continued as Aiden mentioned the topic of immigration status in the media. Further, how do we address this with students who may be exposed to the images and videos of \u201cmigrant children in cages\u201d at the United States southern border in an appropriate manner?<\/p>\n
With the goal of creating a positive and welcoming classroom climate, teachers must provide a safe space for their students to ask questions about current events. How can we best support students who are might be affected or knows of a friend\/family member that is directly affected by a current event? How can we effectively and appropriately connect current events to what we are teaching in the classroom? Which grade level, within the elementary school, do you believe teachers should start including current event topics into their teachings?<\/p>\n
As I thought about these questions, I came across an article titled \u201cSeven Ways to Bring Current Events into the Classroom\u201d (link posted at the top of the post). This article provides examples of different ways to get students engaged in their learning, so they make connections between academics and what is happening in the world around them. Although most of the examples of learning opportunities involve secondary level students, there are links within the article that could be useful for primary school teachers. One resource mentioned is \u201cProject Look Sharp,\u201d which provides K-12 resources for building media literacy. Another resource, that focuses on positive human interactions, is the \u201cGood News\u201d page in the Huffington Post.<\/p>\n
Did you find this article to be informative and helpful? Were there any Project-Based Learning experiences within this article that you might consider using in your classroom \u2013 and in which grade level would you provide these learning experiences? Are there other learning structures that you might use to introduce current events? Have you found any resources related to integrating current events into student learning within the elementary classroom? Have you come across resources that provided you with insightful information on what to avoid when introducing current events into the classroom?<\/p>\n
I look forward to reading your comments!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/teaching-learning\/opinion-seven-ways-to-bring-current-events-into-the-classroom\/2020\/01 During class discussion this past Tuesday, we talked about the negative and inaccurate portrayal of American Indians in children\u2019s literature, both in writing and in illustration. It should be noted that Dr. Stohr provided us with an authentic connection … Continue reading