What if I told you there’s something that can engage all of your students in any topic? You would probably doubt my claim, and rightly so! After over twenty years in education, I have found this “something” to be elusive – except for maybe those Liberty Mutual commercials that pop up during instructional Youtube videos. But seriously, what if I told you that there was something that comes close to engaging all students at all times?
There is – CURRENT EVENTS.
The thing about current events is that they’re always happening, and thanks to technology, I can access current events from all over the world with just a quick search of the internet. But how can I make such a bold claim – that current events almost always engage every student?
Why Current Events Matter
The world is huge, filled with diverse people and ecosystems, each experiencing countless events daily. No matter what our students’ interests are, we as teachers have the power to engage every one of them by tapping into the latest happenings. Also, as current events introduce new information, and students realize they are uncovering something fresh, they become excited to join in the exploration. Lastly, there’s just something about learning exciting, new information that naturally boosts a kid’s dopamine levels!
So, where to begin? How can we integrate current events into our lessons? I mean, after all, what teacher wants more work to do? Have no fear! As I mentioned before, finding current events that match your topics of study and engage your students’ interest is not difficult. You need to determine 1) how to search for current events, 2) how to blend them into your lesson, and 3) what current events to utilize that need to be taken into consideration to make the introduction of current events into lessons as seamless as possible.
How to Search for Current Events
- Internet Search – The internet can be both a beautiful and terrible thing. In terms of looking for current events that match your current subject being taught – it can be gorgeous! Type in concise language that matches what you are teaching (i.e. “current events on decimals”) and let the search engine do the searching! Make sure, however, that you don’t get sucked into the abyss of the internet…if the top ten searches don’t have what you’re looking for, then stop reading. Either try different words in your search, or be content with the fact that there might not be any recent, relevant information that matches your topic of study – today. But keep trying tomorrow!
- Newspapers – Newspapers may seem to be an outdated artifact of information, but it simply isn’t true! Plus, there’s the added upside of actually holding the new information in your hands and letting your kids hold the new discovery as well. Bonus: some local papers are free, so you can pick up multiple copies for you and your students! Downside: local and national newspapers don’t always have the potentially obscure current events you are looking for (i.e. current events on decimals), and it often takes longer to search for a current event you need.
- Word-of-Mouth – Simply asking a colleague, a friend, or the hairdresser, “What’s up?” can provide you with a bevy of information that might be useful in the classroom. Or engage others you know in the discussion of what you are teaching – except for your significant other who may be tired of your shop talk – and see what comes up! It is amazing the things I have learned just through discussion, which then often leads to internet or newspaper article investigations to find more specifics for my students and their classes.
How to Blend into Your Lesson
Once you have found that gold nuggets of current event information that ties so well into what you are teaching, now you are ready to easily add it into instruction. You can simply add it into a lesson by talking about it, sharing an article about it – digital or physical, sharing a video about it (watch out for those commercials), or by having students search for it themselves!
- Starter – There’s nothing like starting a lesson with a “Guess what I found out?” question to engage your learners. Don’t even tell them that it has anything to do with what they’re learning – they’ll more than likely figure it out on their own. Introducing a current event at the beginning of a lesson that matches your topic of study can be an excellent “hook”!
- Shocker – Drop a current event nugget into the middle of a lesson like you’re dropping the mic! A well-timed current event being placed into the middle of a lesson can bring added intrigue to a topic, and also “wake up” some students who started to drift off. For example, when teaching about ecology, ask a “Did you know” question about what type of invasive species is negatively affecting their specific region – I guarantee you an current event article is out there!
- Not as a Closer (usually) – When finishing up a lesson, it is important to review what students have learned, so a current event being brought up on the cusp of a transition usually ends up diminishing the value of the facts being presented. However, if you are able to provide some partial information of a current event at the closure of a lesson, it can definitely have the effects of an author’s cliffhanger at the end of a chapter, providing something for your students to look forward to at the beginning of the next lesson.
What Current Events to Utilize (and to avoid)
- Relevant – When adding current events to your lessons, make sure they are closely related to what you are teaching. If the connection you are trying to make is a stretch, then you might end up doing the opposite of what you intended by adding a current event to the lesson, and end up disengaging your students. The current event you choose to spice up your instruction needs to closely or exactly connect with your topic of study.
- Accurate – As you may already know, the biggest concern of reporting out on current events is the accuracy of the source. Be careful of what facts you are sharing regarding each current event. If you can verify that the source you are getting your information from is reliable, and can find the same information being conveyed via multiple reliable sources then you’re more than likely safe to share with your students. Remember, there is no Pacific Northwest tree octopus!
- Bite-Sized and Tasty – Do not share extremely long lectures, articles, videos, etc. on the current event you are introducing to students! Remember, current events added to your lessons are meant to engage students and boost your curriculum – not burden your students, or bore them. They should be exciting snippets that intrigue your students and get them psyched for the content being taught.
Conclusion
Let’s face it – students’ attention spans are decreasing, and probably at their lowest point in history. Why? Because people have invented so many ways for them to be engaged with “fast food” entertainment of all sorts, and this quick engagement produces quick satisfaction. It is difficult for teachers to compete with the manner in which our students are often engaged.
Implementing bite-sized anecdotes of current events into our lessons – that match our content – will definitely help! Let’s apply the power of current events to spark curiosity and ignite a passion for learning in our students today!
Current Examples of Implementing Current Events Into Instruction
History – My class is currently studying the United States Government and the United States Constitution. Need I say more? There is a plethora of information out there right now on both of these topics with upcoming elections on our country’s doorstep!
Science – My students are currently investigating the water cycle. With the recent hurricanes in the southern United States, as well as the devastating floods, there are a lot of news articles out there that connect directly to the water cycle – the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Language Arts – As my grade level delves into a novel study of My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George, we can explore various survival stories, including recent events like the 2018 rescue of the Thai soccer team. We can also discuss the classic story of 12-year-old Donn Fendler, who got lost on a Maine mountain, especially with a movie adaptation set to release on November 1st. These stories not only enhance the lessons’ intrigue, but they also facilitate educational activities like comparing and contrasting.
Writing – Writing personal narratives is not always easy for younger students, but as my fifth graders plan and draft their personal anecdotes, there are plenty of examples of personal narratives to share. Many actors, musicians, athletes and so on are often interviewed for feature stories in magazines, newspapers, blogs, podcasts, etc. Find a “gold nugget” of a personal story from a famous person students are interested in and you’ve got yourself a great current event to share for writing class!
Math – Perhaps the most difficult subject to find current event connections for is mathematics. As my class tries to figure out “the point” of decimals, I decided to search “current event on decimals” on the internet. Lo and behold, it was just discovered this year that the decimal point was used 150 years earlier than previously thought! This may not be a breaking news story, but it certainly might break the ice before a decimal lesson is begun!
