Step into my classroom during our weekly Current Events segment, and you might see students standing in opposite corners debating whether or not colleges should base acceptance on kindness. You may find students using Play-Doh to sculpt their own ideas for testing the speed of snakes. There might be even students using their sweatshirts and a marble to mimic a “closed time-like curve.”
I first implemented Current Events five years ago. Back then, it was a pretty lackluster undertaking. Students would choose an article, often cutting it out of our local newspaper, which offered stories about road repair and sports victories – hardly fodder for meaningful conversation. They would summarize the article to the class and then ask two “discussion” questions. The entire process left the class withdrawn and bored.
So what has caused the huge shift from detached reading to relevant interaction?
First, I found Newsela. Here is a website that…
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Mrs. Jennifer Cimini, M.Ed. 