Writing current event reports is a tried and true instructional approach for getting students to connect with non-fiction text. There are a variety of formats that current event reports can take, but not all have the ability to align with Common Core Standards for reading informational text, which is why I rotate through the following five standards-based formats when assigning current event reports.
Main Idea & Details
Reading news articles is a great way for students to practice identifying the main idea and supporting details presented in a text. To find the main idea, have students combine the topic of the article with the author’s purpose (inform, persuade, entertain, instruct, describe, etc.). Once the main idea is identified, students can find details in the text to support it.
Text Connections
Use news articles to encourage students to make text connections when reading. Making text connections is an active reading strategy that promotes critical thinking, deepens understanding, and increases the probability of retention. Connecting the article to oneself, other texts, and the world helps reinforce understanding of the information presented in the article. First, students connect the text to something in their lives. Thoughts, experiences, family, friends, and school are common connections students can make when connecting the article to their own sphere of influence. Next, students connect the current event article to another familiar text. I like to encourage students to think about other books, characters, poems, articles, websites, and blogs that might relate to what they have chosen for their current event article. Connecting their current event to another text will reinforce understanding of both publications. Finally, students connect the text to their world. Television, movies, events, games, news, and pop-culture are all examples that contain worldly messages in which students can make connections.
Defining Academic Vocabulary
Use news articles to give students an opportunity to determine the meaning of unknown words using context clues. If that isn’t possible, students can practice referencing a dictionary to find word meanings. Identifying and defining unknown words when reading the news is great practice for figuring out unknown words when reading independently.
Fact vs. Opinion
Another Common Core Standard that can be addressed with a current event report is distinguishing between fact and opinion. The ability to distinguish between fact and opinion helps students develop their critical and analytical skills in both their reading and their listening. Beginning with the concrete evidence presented in the article, students record five different facts. Next, students are able to apply their knowledge of the facts to help them craft and share their own opinion. Requiring students to give their own opinion sets the foundation for being able to identify opinions presented in the text.
Summarizing
Summarizing is a skill that needs to be learned and practiced over time. Many students struggle with summary writing because they have a hard time determining importance. Locating and recording the 5Ws (who, what, when, where, and why) presented in a news article will help students find the important information that will shape their summary.
Incorporating current events into your curriculum is a powerful way to improve reading comprehension while making learning relevant and engaging for your students.
