Current Events in the Classroom

Many times I use the articles as my Bell Ringer to start class or as my current event discussion for the week. Depending on what the articles are about determines how often we sit and discuss. (It happens more often than not!)
R.P. – AP U.S. History Teacher – Texas

We read, discuss the issues, then they have to present the pros/cons knowledge on an essay assessment. Then we vote and send in the votes and letters to our rep or senators.
T.J. – Government Teacher – Iowa

I use the Daily News Articles. They spark conversation and keep students informed. We tie in the news with what we are learning in class. I often refer back to the current events as examples of why we need to study history and the other social studies.
I always revise the questions and create a 20-question multiple choice, because my classes are grade-level.
S.H. – Teacher – Texas

Student News Daily is used as way to give conversation starters to students on a daily basis and keep them up to date with current events.
S.C. – Social Studies Teacher – Texas

I use the site regularly for my World Geography Studies class. We focus our weekly current events on the particular region of the world we are studying so students can engage in real world information.
L.S. – World Geography Studies Teacher – Texas

My students read the article after a short introduction, then answer the questions at the end. I don’t build a lesson plan around Student News articles. They are just one part of my Current Event lesson plan.
E.H. – Social Studies Teacher – Ohio

I have my students read the daily news article. Then they answer the accompanying questions in a journal, give their written opinion on the topic and following we discuss the article in class. Generates excellent class discussion.
T.S. – Government Teacher – Florida

I regularly incorporate the Daily News Article (articles & questions) in my classroom instruction (High School Social Studies and Homeland Security). Sometimes I search a topic and use old articles too.
I have used many of your articles as well as the questions in AVID strategies.
D.S. – Social Studies Teacher – Maryland

I use the Daily News Articles for my Journalism students’ Bell Work. They get to start the class off by reading a real article that has to do with real issues, plus the questions are great because they have to really read the article. I also use the quiz as a weekly quiz to make sure they are reading the articles in their entirety.
R.M. – Debate & Journalism Teacher – Florida

Each Monday, I assign a Student Daily News article to my sophomore English class. They do a close read of the article with annotations. Then, each day of the week, I post a different question about the article for a bell-ringer activity. Students turn in their annotated article and daily responses on Friday.
S.J. – English Teacher – Arkansas

English III is primarily American literature, and much of the course is focused on writings by our country’s founding fathers. It’s wonderful to have a source for current events that we can discuss and debate in relation to the Constitution and current laws. I use the Student News Daily Archives to find news items that connect to other articles and stories in the textbook in order to make required readings seem more relevant.
D.D. – English Teacher – Florida

I use mostly as a bell ringer activity to get my high school students used to reading about current events. The questions are helpful because so many struggle with reading comprehension. The shorter 1-2 page articles work best for me; we usually don’t have time to include the background, although sometimes I add that orally.
S.C. – English Teacher – Kentucky

I use your articles to teach in-depth informational reading and to teach the students argumentative writing. I create questions that force the students to pick a side and support their position with facts from the text.
I frequently view the videos with the class and always use the maps.
K.D. – 8th Grade English Language Arts – Michigan

I use articles for close/annotated reading exercises. The students get to read, think, and write and learn about what’s going on in the world at the same time. It’s also a good reference for my Model UN students.
D.G. –English Teacher – Illinois

I love the archives. I can either search or have the kids do research….on topics, places, etc, and we discuss and write about how that topic has changed or progressed over time.
J.S. – 8th Grade English Teacher – North Carolina

I use the articles to teach annotating and test-taking skills.
The question formats are GREAT!-some are “Right There” that are easy to find and then “Think and Search” which requires more effort to find and summarizing skills. Before each assignment I go over the questions with my students and we discuss clue words within the question. Students find the articles interesting.
S.L. – 10th Grade Reading Teacher – Florida

I use these articles weekly. It gives my students extra non-fiction readings, and it helps with their reading comprehension skills.
N.B. – Reading Teacher – Indiana

For my reading seminar class I often assign articles and/or have the students choose their own. (After we learn a reading strategy they apply it an article of their choice.)
A.W. – Reading Teacher – South Carolina

I work with ELL students (at the high school and the middle school) and have the same students for multiple years. Consequently, it would be difficult to use the same text year after year, so I use articles from your site and other sites and then teach Teaching English skills using the article.

For example I used the article about the Iwo Jima photo. At the Middle School, I taught some basic background info about WWII such as who was involved, how there were two theaters, etc. The high school students covered this in their history class. We looked at some interactive maps. Then we read the article. (Reading informative text) Some vocabulary words I focused on were: rumor, iconic and serendipity. Finally, I had students reflect on what they learned and write about it.

Along with the Daily News Article, I use the Human Interest stories too. For example the story about the rare blue lobster was a springboard to talk about genetics and mutations. Your human interest story about the Flow Hive generated much interest and we also talked about crowd funding too.
J.G. – ELL Teacher – Wisconsin

My students are ESL, so many times I have to read the Daily News Article to them. It is wonderful and up-to-date. It is great for history and political science.
L.M. – ESL & Social Studies Teacher – Kentucky

I have used SND this year for my class (Learning Disabled Sophomores) as homework assignments to promote independent reading. The topics are current and intriguing to my students. The question sets give my students an opportunity to practice their writing skills and to express themselves clearly.
L. B. – Teacher – New Jersey

The articles are interesting and are the perfect length. With the accompanying questions, they also satisfy the Common Core close reading standards. I also pull out 3-4 vocabulary words that the students have to define.
K. M. – Technology Teacher – New Jersey

I think what you do for students is very beneficial. It goes to what is happening in the present and is as current as possible. When I was in social studies, I used your material quite often but now I teach health and not as many articles qualify but those that do I will use. I copy the story and use it as a participation grade for the students and we openly discuss the material and the relevance to today’s world.
R. B. – Health Teacher – North Carolina

I have the students read the daily articles and answer the questions. The articles are used as warm-up/literacy strategies and cooperative learning tool.
S. Y. – Teacher – North Carolina