Keeping Your Students Current on Current Events

I had sort of an "a ha" moment the other morning.  My students do not know about current events in our world.

A classroom discussion during snack lead me to the startling truth that:

• 75% of my students could not tell me one current event happening in the world right now.
• 40% do not have a favorite sports team.
• 100% of my students have never read a newspaper or could even tell me the different sections within the newspaper.

Oh. My. Goodness.

Now, those of you who follow my blog regularly know that I do teach a special needs population.  However, I truly believe that even my general education teachers can relate to this rapid decline of current event knowledge within their classrooms.

After some digging around, I came up with a short list of excellent resources to help our kids stay on top of current events and social topics happening in our world today.

These great resources can easily be added to your already jam-packed school day by discussing articles during snack, watching videos as part of your morning meeting.  Or, maybe adding a current event article as part of your ELA curriculum.  Take a peek:

DogoNews
I love this website because not only does it have engaging, up-to-date news articles for kids, but at the end of every article, there are comprehension questions for the students. Kids can scroll through book and movie reviews...written by other kids.  There is also a CCSS tab that gives teachers helpful suggestions for meeting academic standards.

TeachingKidsNews
News designed with the kids in mind.  Love it.  These articles are geared for students in grades 2-8.  At the end of the article, they have writing and discussion prompts at both junior and intermediate level.

Time for Kids
Sign up for a membership and receive extra access to videos and lesson ideas.  Time for Kids is available in both hard and digital copy.  I display these magazines in my library, and the kids really enjoy thumbing through them during free reading time.

CNN Student News
Geared toward middle and high school students, these quick, 10 minute videos cover major, daily news stories happening across the globe.  Great to play each morning or afternoon as the start or end to a day.

Smithsonian TweenTribune  
Interesting articles mainly covering scientific topics.  You have the ability to choose articles based on grade level interest and reading levels.

I made these little current event quick write slips to be used as exit tickets in my classroom.  Click on the image below to grab this free resource, and assess how your students are understanding and interacting with non-fiction text.