Core –C2S2pg1-7 Keeping Current with Current Events

Purpose

This lesson will explain how to participate in discussions about current events including sources of information and the role that geography plays.

1. Define current events. 2. Identify sources of information on current

events. 3. Participate in a current events discussion.4. Relate events to their geographic locations.5. Describe the place geography holds in

current events discussions.

CPS Key Word Questions (1-5)

Current Events

Media

Editorials

____________ – newsworthy occurrences that happen in the present time.

______ – television, radio, newspapers, magazines and parts of the internet related to the news.

_____ – an article in a newspaper which gives

the opinion of the editor on a topic or item.

Propaganda

Bias

__________ – information, often inaccurate information, which a political organization publishes in order to influence people.

____ – a tendency to prefer one person or thing to another, or to influence others in favor of a certain choice.

CPS Lesson Questions (1-2)

What is the primary way you learn about current events?A. Reading – I read about current events in newspapers,

magazines or from the internet.B. Television – I watch news programs on TV. C. From other people – I hear about current events from

people around me.D. Other – I learn about current events from other sources.

Which of the following events occurred most recently?

A. The attack on the World Trade CenterB. The death of Senator Edward KennedyC. The fall of the Berlin WallD. The war in Iraq

List 2-3 important current events that occurred in the last year.

(Use CPS “Pick a Student” for this question.)

By following current events, you will be able to speak intelligently to a variety of people, including:

Teachers/Instructors Parents Friends Community members Employers

Every day, editors must make decisions about what stories they will publish. Stories make it into the news for many reasons.

Timeliness Relevance Magnitude Impact Oddity

Developing an awareness of current events will provide many advantages for you.

Expand your knowledge of the world Build vocabulary, reading comprehension and

problem solving skills Learn good models for writing Provide opportunities for __________ with your

parents and friendsdiscussions

CPS Lesson Question (3)

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were “news worthy” for which reason(s)?

A. ImpactB. MagnitudeC. EmotionsD. All of the above

You have a lot of information available to you from a variety of sources:

Newspapers Magazines Television Internet Radio Interviews

Advantages Disadvantages

Price

Availability

Delivery

Reading improves vocabulary

Variety of topics

Not up-to-the-minute due to printing and delivery time

Cannot be updated daily

Some papers are politically slanted

Information is not indexed

Advantages Disadvantages

Appeal to certain readers

Picture quality

News can be viewed with the benefit of elapsed time

Longer, in-depth articles

Not as frequent as newspapers or as timely as radio

Can be costly

Information is not indexed and can not be cross-referenced

Advantages Disadvantages

Timeliness

Makes you feel like you are there where news is happening

Programming can be interrupted to keep audience informed

Improve listening skills

Too many commercials

Emotionalism can be used for propaganda

Information can not be revisited unless you tape and replay

No written language skills are gained

Advantages Disadvantages

Timeliness

Vast amounts of information available

Information can be indexed and cross-referenced

Interactive involvement

Need to ensure the source is reliable

With so much information available, it is harder to weigh what “experts” think is important

Advantages Disadvantages

Can be used in a variety of locations

Frequent updates

Makes news available for visually impaired people

Can give headlines in five minutes

Cannot get reception in some areas

Not as in-depth as newspapers or magazines

Personalities with a specific slant get a lot of air time

Less diversity in opinion

Reporters typically include the following information in the first paragraph of a news story, called the “lead”:

Who? – The ______ in the story. What? – The facts about a particular story. When? – The ____ - related issues of the event. Where? – The geography of the event. Why? – The causes and reasons for the event. How? – What steps took place during the event?

people

time

CPS Lesson Question (4)

Mike wants to share his opinions about current events with others from around the world in real time. What media source should he use?

A. TelevisionB. RadioC. InternetD. None of the above allow for interaction

List the 2-3 most important things you learned in this lesson.

Why are they important to you?

(Use CPS “Pick a Student” for this question.)

Images in this lesson were taken from:

Microsoft© Clip Art GalleryMarine Corps Combat Camera