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Name: _____________________________

12th Grade Government & Economics Current Events Log

The Assignment:

• Every Tuesday and Thursday, we will have an in-class discussion on current events going on in the political world around us. Your task between those times will be to search national and international media outlets to find stories of political and global importance, complete a formal write-up of the article, and be prepared to present and discuss your article(s) with your peers in class. Video current events will also be discussed each week and will be posted online for study for a weekly current event quiz on Friday

At the end of the course, you will be turning in your Current Event Log with all articles and write-ups for a final grade with a one (1) page analysis paper that will sum the news stories and connection you have made with these events during the course of the semester.

What materials will I need to complete this assignment?

• Three (3) prong folder or binder • Local / national newspapers, magazines, or reliable Internet sites • Glue or other adhesives

What do I have to do for this assignment?

1. You must locate a current news story from a legitimate news source that has some kind of global impact.

• Try to focus on with an political theme (anything relating to government or economics) • Sorry…The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, or other TV sources do not count. • Try to avoid editorials, blogs, weather section, or sports pages / magazines

2. Read the article and get a feel for the story or issue it is talking about. 3. Complete a write-up of the article using the assigned format 4. Glue the article to the back of or staple the article to the write up neatly(typed or neatly hand-

written) 5. Participate in in-class discussions of current news stories both from peers and Mr. H and be

prepared for end of week pop quizzes. 6. Keep the article in your current events notebook or binder for class discussion / collection at the

end of the semester

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What is the format for the current events articles? • This template can be found on Mr. H’s website under the “Current Event Log” tab

Your Name: ________________________ Block / Period: ________________________

Current Events Log

1) Source Information:

Title of Article: _____________________________________ Author(s) name: _____________________________________ *Name of the Publication (Source): _____________________ Date of Publication: __________________________________ *If it was an Internet source, please include name of site & web address (www._____._____)

2) Theme of the Article (Can be more then one…):

-The Legislative Branch (Congress) - Foreign Policy / International - Political Parties - The Judicial Branch (The Courts) - Economy / Taxation - Local & State Government - Executive Branch (The President) - The Constitution / Civil Rights

3) Country -or- US State where the story is set: ____________________________ 4) Summarize the article, giving the reader the basic information of the problem,

discover, or conflict (Who, What, Where, When, Why, How)

(One [1] paragraph – 5-6 sentences minimal)

5) Give your own thoughts on the article’s major issues: Why do you think we as Americans should know about this? How it might connect to a topic we have talked about in class? Is there a solution you think would help the situation?

(One [1] paragraph – 4 sentences minimal)

(Each journal entry should be not longer than one [1] page in length)

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What goes into the final analysis paper for my Log?

• The final part of this assignment will be to select one (1) of the following two (2) as a wrap up to your Log, which will help to sum it up and make some more concrete connections to the material we have discussed in class.

Option #1: The formal, one (1) page, typed analysis paper. Formatting should be single-spaced, 12 point font, Times New Roman copy included with your finished Log. Specific formatting & guiding points are below: Name of Student Course Teacher Due Date (Please write out)

Title of Paper

• Paragraph #1 • (Introduction to the Assignment)

o Purpose of the Assignment o Requirements for the Assignment o News sources / other materials used

• Paragraph #2 • (Overview of the “big” news stories of the semester)

o Were there any themes or common characteristics between your news stories or were they a diverse mix of topics?

o What were the “top three” big news stories of the semester in your opinion? o Why were they so important or newsworthy, in your opinion? o How did these news stories affect the world around us or how did they affect your community directly?

• Paragraph #3 • (Drawing Conclusions)

o How would you sum up the news overall for the semester? (Positive, negative, etc.) Explain why. o Do you think the news is presented in an appropriate fashion, without bias or spin? Explain why or why

not? Explanations why or why not? o What trends or themes did you see developing in the news this semester? (Emphasis on particular themes

or issues like the environment, world hunger, terrorism, etc.) o Where there any connections you made between one of your news stories and the material we discussed

in class? If so, explain what and give an example. o How do you think this project has helped you to become a better student of world history? Why or why

not. Option #2: The creation of a five (5) to six (6) slide video mash-up from the Meograph site which meets the same requirements as Option #1, but in a digital formatting. Finished mash-up will have to be shared with Mr. H digitally prior to the Current Event Log’s final due date. You can learn and experiment more with the Meograph site via the links on Mr. H’s Current Event Log page.

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How will the end-of-week Current Event Quizzes work?

• At the end of each week, students will be asked to review and apply critical-thinking skills to an end-of-the-week quiz that covers the major news stories that we have discussed in class as a way to promote critical thinking and deeper understanding.

• All the current event stories we discuss in class are posted on Mr.

H’s website under “Video Current Events” and can be accessed throughout the week for review, along with guiding questions.

o If you miss a Current Event Quiz, you are responsible for making it up. All past video / news stories are archived on Mr. H’s YouTube page

• Student should think critically about the following criteria when studying for this quiz:

1) What is the basic plot of the news story (who, what, where, when, why, & how) 2) Why is the story newsworthy? Why should we as Americans be concerned with it? 3) Does the story relate to any past news events / materials we have discussed in class

What types of questions can I expect on these Current Event Quizzes?

• Questions will revolve around either open-ended response questions dealing with specific aspects of the news story or a deeper interpretation of the event. Examples are listed below:

• Questions may also revolve around an interpretation of a political cartoon and how it relates to a new story discussed in class. An example is listed below:

1) This week saw a number of big political party primaries across the state, including the Democratic mayoral primary in Harrisburg. Why are people unhappy with sitting Democratic mayor, Linda Thompson? Explain.

2) In the end, Eric Papenfuse won the Democratic primary. What is Papenfuse’s connection to the

city and what appeal does he bring to a future administration? Explain.

1) Based on the current events we discussed this week, please explain in your own words what story this cartoon depicting and why it is newsworthy?

2) Knowing what you know about this current event, what is the major concern being raised by the cartoonist by this image and is it justified? Why? Explain?

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How will my articles be graded?

• Your entries will also be checked for completion each week: o Current Event Log = 10 total points (5 points x 2 days) o Current Event Quiz (Fri.) = 10 points total

• At the end of the semester, your current events journals will be collected and graded according to the

following rubric. Those grades will then be added to the total points for the course. The rubric that will be used to grade your Log at the end of the semester is planned on looking like the rubric below:

Task Description

Points Received

Points Possible

Format – Writing:

• All format requirements are followed as listed above

• All entries are organized in the binding of a notebook or folder

30 points

Opinion / Original Thought:

• Original ideas are presented in thoughtful and intelligent manner with format requirements present

40 points

Neatness / Presentation: • Articles are included with

the write-up on the back • Neatly typed or handwritten

on white paper or with the assigned template.

• Analysis paper are typed with Time New Roman, 12 point font, single-spaced, one inch margins (1”)

• Devoid of spelling / grammatical mistakes

30 points

Totals:

100 points

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Legitimate Internet News Sources

The following websites are some of the acceptable Internet sources when it comes to finding current events:

News Agency

Website

The Associated Press Online *(Yahoo, Google, etc.)

BBC News Online

CNN.com

ABC News Online

CBS News Online

Reuters.com

World News.com

MSNBC

USA Today.com

Times Magazine Online

The New York Time

Fox News.com

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/fronts/ RSS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME

http://news.bbc.co.uk/

http://www.cnn.com/

http://abcnews.go.com/

http://www.cbsnews.com/

http://www.reuters.com/

http://www.worldnews.com/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

http://www.usatoday.com/

http://www.time.com/time/

http://www.nytimes.com/

http://www.foxnews.com/

*If you are a fan of Yahoo, Google, or AOL News, keep in mind that many of these stories are taken from other sites like the Associated Press, Reuters, BBC News, etc. Make sure that you cite the original news source the article is coming from, NOT YAHOO, GOOGLE, or AOL!!!