How to teach current events in the classroom with Nearpod
Teaching current events in the classroom is an effective strategy for bringing subject areas together while making real-world connections for your students. The longer I’m in education, the more I find myself using words like “infused” or “integrated” to describe how I teach. Because that’s exactly what good teaching does: it integrates information from a variety of areas in a meaningful way. This can span from incorporating math in a science experiment to using ELA to explore a historical event. Integrating gets you the biggest bang for your buck in the classroom. Resources like Nearpod are helpful for the busy teacher struggling to find current events activities. Once you start looking, you’ll find plenty of topics that can meet your needs.
Why are current events in the classroom important?
Too often, our curriculum leaves students asking “When am I going to use this in real life?” or “What does this have to do with me?” That’s why I love throwing in current events in the classroom that relate to our core content focus. I’ll pull from local news outlets, YouTube videos, and even social media posts, to help connect content to student’s lives beyond the classroom. Using these resources as hooks or extensions is a great way to answer those “Why” questions.
In our recent Science unit on pollution and human impact, I used sources on issues local to our Florida community. We learned about beach erosion, water pollution, and invasive species like the lionfish and the Burmese python. Student engagement was through the roof! In addition to being current and interesting, it was close enough to home that students felt they could actually make a difference. Watching my students not only invest in a topic but also want to take action is enough to move this teacher to tears!
In our globally connected community, information is traveling at an unprecedented pace. Information is at our fingertips thanks to the internet––and the struggle to sift through it to find credible, balanced information is all too real. It is more important than ever for our students to foster media literacy skills, such as listening to various viewpoints, synthesizing information, and forming their own opinions. It’s also important that they begin to see themselves as actors of change from a young age. Implementing current events for students is a strategy that will keep them aware of real-world problems and situations.
How to teach current events in the classroom with Nearpod
Nearpod’s current event lessons
Nearpod’s growing Current Events lesson library for elementary, middle school, and high school students is constantly being updated with new lessons and fresh topics. It’s nice to know that their current events lessons will be just that: current! Nearpod’s founder said it best when he asked: “When’s the last time your textbook got an update?”
Last week we published a lesson on #NotreDame , this week on the #BlackHolePicture – Q: did your textbooks get an update too? https://t.co/wRgCYO5PBS
— Guido Kovalskys (@GuidoNearpod) April 24, 2019
For me…at least 5 years ago! There’s no question that Nearpod is leading the charge with engaging, relevant, and impactful current events in the classroom––another indicator of a curriculum well worth the investment.
We must provide students with multiple perspectives and resources as they are bombarded with information and opinions daily. Students must learn to evaluate their sources. Each Nearpod current events lesson plan does this using various news sources and media forms, such as online news articles and informative videos. They encourage students to think for themselves about what they read or see. Throughout the entire lesson, students maintain a conversation about what is happening, what they hear, and how they feel about it.
Collaborate Board
The best way to start a current events class is to see what students already know, or think they know, about the issue or event. Nearpod’s lessons use the Collaborate Board to spark this conversation. Teachers and students can see in real time what their peers are saying and engage with each other’s responses. This tool is a great resource to use to guide classroom discussions and model effective communication.
Draw It
The lessons also include Draw It activities with a graphic organizer or blank background. When teaching through informational text, it’s important to help students understand how to use their critical thinking skills and simplify complex information or difficult topics. By encouraging students to visualize and interpret information, Draw It fosters critical thinking and a deeper understanding of the events. This approach helps students process information creatively, making it easier for teachers to assess their understanding.
Polls
Additionally, some of these lessons use the Poll feature to assess students’ skills in forming their opinions or making judgments after engaging with a source of information. For example, the question can say, “Based on the information you’ve just learned, do you believe [topic/issue] is something that should be addressed immediately?” You can provide students with three options: “Yes”, “No”, and “I need more information to decide.” This is powerful (and one of my favorite parts of the lessons) because we often make snap judgments on issues without understanding the full breadth of it. Each of these Nearpod lessons provides a wealth of information but reminds students to educate themselves fully before forming an opinion.
Wrap up
As the lesson wraps up, students revisit their initial thoughts on the issue to see if they have changed. I also like to encourage students to share what facts make them feel a certain way. They can continue to root their thinking in information, not blind opinion. Think-Pair-Share, Class Discussion, and Open-Ended Questions are all used for this purpose and serve as effective conclusions.
Start using Nearpod to teach current events
Incorporating a strong current events curriculum into schools is a powerful way to engage students with real-world issues. By integrating timely topics, such as local or global news stories, students not only gain a deeper understanding of the world around them but also develop essential skills like evaluating sources and forming educated opinions. With resources like Nearpod, teachers can seamlessly implement current events into their curriculum, ensuring that lessons are relevant, interactive, and impactful for today’s learners.
Kali is a tech-savvy elementary teacher whose passion for all things STEM fuels her innovation in the classroom and inspires other teachers to begin their own #edtech adventures.
