770 current-events results | sort by:
return to subject listingYour Roadmap for Teaching Controversial Issues - iCivics
Grades
K to 1tag(s): difficult conversations (61), professional development (407)
In the Classroom
Use the materials provided by iCivics as part of your ongoing professional learning on discussing controversial topics in the classroom. Each teaching guide includes tips and information on choosing subjects, teaching strategies, and more. As you learn how to facilitate productive dialogue and gather additional resources, use Wakelet, reviewed here to curate and share resources. Find many additional resources on the TeachersFirst Special Topics Page - Resources Related to Difficult Conversations, located here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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The WORLD from A to Z - Carl Azuz
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): critical thinking (118), news (227)
In the Classroom
The WORLD from A to Z doesn't provide critical thinking and discussion questions; the video content is provided for students to learn about news worldwide and to develop their own body of understanding about the content provided. Provide opportunities for students to explore the information in the videos through individual research and discussion. Find many ideas to encourage critical thinking at Extra, Extra, Read All About It: Looking at Current Events with an Analytical Eye, reviewed here. For older students, consider using The WORLD from A to Z as a model for an ongoing podcast featuring students discussing current events that affect them and their community. Buzzsprout, reviewed here features many free tools for creating and sharing podcasts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Anitsemitism and Its Impacts - Facing History
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): bias (27), difficult conversations (61), holocaust (42), racism (79), social and emotional learning (96)
In the Classroom
Include this article with your other teaching resources when discussing prejudice, the holocaust, and cultural issues. Before beginning your lessons, ask students to respond briefly to what they think when hearing "antisemitism" using a word cloud creation tool such as AnswerGarden, reviewed here. Use this word cloud as a starting point to highlight and recognize ideas associated with the term and their impact on those around us. As you continue to teach about the information in the article, ask students to share personal or recent news stories to highlight the ongoing concerns about antisemitism. Curate and share stories using an organizational tool such as Milanote, reviewed here. Milanote is similar to an online whiteboard that allows you to collaborate and share information, including links, images, notes, and more. Extend learning by asking students to choose one of the reflection questions to discuss or research further, then share their understanding using a multimedia presentation tool. For example, some students may want to create poetry and share their work as a video presentation using Vmaker, reviewed here, while others can create visual story maps with StoryMap JS, reviewed here, which includes maps, images, and links to supporting media.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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C-Span Classroom - C-Span
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): branches of government (64), civil rights (200), constitution (89), declaration of independence (15), elections (82), electoral college (22), environment (246), journalism (72), nasa (30), STEM (279), supreme court (27), video (262)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site to access many video resources and lessons to teach social studies topics. Include lessons and activities as part of interactive lessons created with Microsoft PowerPoint Online, reviewed here. Include quizzes, videos, links to documents, and more to create flipped or blended learning lessons on Microsoft PowerPoint Online that differentiate student abilities and interests and a resource for students to complete lessons individually at their own pace. As a final learning activity and to enhance learning, ask students to share their understanding of the content by creating short video clips made with FlexClip, reviewed here. Modify templates provided by FlexClip to create a short but content-rich overview of the lesson that shares student understanding of the information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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RumorGuard - News Literacy Project
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): digital citizenship (89), evaluating sources (28), internet safety (113), journalism (72), media literacy (106), news (227), Online Learning (42), Research (84)
In the Classroom
Share RumorGuard with students during digital citizenship and online safety lessons to help students understand how misinformation is shared and provide them with tools for analyzing online information. Engage students in your lessons using RumorGuard by choosing different topics on this page and news stories, then ask students to determine if the information is real or fake. Next, use a simple polling tool such as Poll Maker, reviewed here, to create and share quick true/false polls. Extend and enhance learning by asking students to become fact-checkers of any online information using the model found on Rumor Guard. Create a template on Google Slides, reviewed here, or Microsoft PowerPoint Online, reviewed here, modeling the process used on RumorGuard to determine the authenticity of the information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Civics Connected - Reagan Foundation and Discovery Education
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): communication (138), democracy (20), politics (114)
In the Classroom
Engage students in class discussions throughout your lessons with tools such as Jamboard, reviewed here, or Padlet, reviewed here; these tools allow students to collaborate easily within small groups or class discussions. You can also enhance the provided graphic organizers by importing them into free tools such as Google Drawings, reviewed here, Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here. In addition, Civics Connected is regularly updated with news articles and resources related to current events, allowing your students to connect what they are learning and real-world events.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Citizen Science Month - Arizona State University and SciStarter
Grades
K to 12tag(s): citizen science (27), data (147), ecology (102), engineering (126), genetics (81), inquiry (24), medicine (56), psychology (67), statistics (120), STEM (279)
In the Classroom
Explore the many free projects Citizen Science offers to engage students in scientific exploration and inquiry that match your curriculum. Consider working together as a class to complete the Citizen Science Tutorial and earn the digital badge. As students work together to collect and analyze data, use Livegap Charts, reviewed here, to enter data and create customized charts. After working in groups or together as a class, to analyze the information learned, create a presentation to share with parents and peers during a Citizen Science night event. Use presentation tools such as Bulb, reviewed here, to create portfolios or Visme, reviewed here, to create and share audio slide presentations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Felt - Interactive Map Creator - felt.com
Grades
K to 12tag(s): map skills (56), maps (207)
In the Classroom
Visualizing data and creating maps just became easier for teachers and students. Help your students understand current events worldwide by creating a map and embedding it on your classroom website or learning management system. For example, use maps in science to track migration patterns, explore climates, or map weather events. Teachers of students aged 13+ years can have students create and edit maps in real-time from anywhere. Build upon your student's knowledge by adding layers to your maps to show new information. Teachers of younger students can create maps for student viewing to map a story or show animal habitats.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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iThrive Sim: Follow the Facts - ithrive games
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): bias (27), game based learning (181), journalism (72), media literacy (106), simulations (12), social and emotional learning (96)
In the Classroom
Engage your high school students with iThrive Sim: Follow the Facts. The game-based simulation includes teacher preparation, pre-simulation, and optional post-simulation activities. The entire simulation takes about two thirty-minute sessions total to play. Teachers should plan for the full simulation and activities to take at least five 45-minute class periods. A complete implementation guide is included. Civics topics include effective sourcing of information, SEL skills include understanding bias and collaboration.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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iThrive Sim: Leading Though Crisis - ithrive games
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): game based learning (181), simulations (12), social and emotional learning (96)
In the Classroom
Engage your high school students with iThrive Sim: Leading Through Crisis. The game-based simulation includes teacher preparation, pre-simulation, and optional post-simulation activities. The full simulation takes about two thirty-minute sessions total to play. Teachers should plan for the entire simulation and activities to take at least five 45-minute class periods. A complete implementation guide is included. Civics topics include the 25th Amendment and the Presidential Cabinet, SEL skills include decision-making.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Educational Podcasts for Students - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): podcasts (103)
In the Classroom
Share these podcasts with your students to use when learning related material. Share a link to this collection on your school web page and in your school newsletter (or email). Find podcasts to incorporate into your lessons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Resources related to Source Reliability/Checking Sources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): evaluating sources (28), media literacy (106), Research (84)
In the Classroom
We have included resources for all grades. Remember, our "In the Classroom" suggestions with each reviewed resource, give you ideas about using these tools in your classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Resources related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): climate (83), energy (132), recycling (45), sustainability (43), water (102)
In the Classroom
Help to deepen your students' understanding (and your own) of the Sustainable Development Goals. Share these resources with your colleagues and students by emailing the page or sharing the link from your school web page and in your school newsletter. Find resources to incorporate into your lessons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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History of Voting in America - Office of Secretary of State Washington
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): civil rights (200), constitution (89), elections (82), immigrants (34), womens suffrage (46)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this document for use with any lessons on voting and to provide context during American History units. The visuals included on the timeline are especially helpful for visual learners to give context and a deeper understanding of the progression from 1776. Engage students by introducing this information with a gamification app such as Blooket, reviewed here. Blooket works well with both in-person and remote learning and offers a variety of game options, including games for single players and groups. Additional Blooket options are offered as homework, meaning students participate at their leisure during the provided time frame. Enhance student learning by creating timelines that include information from this document and additional information from your lessons. Canva, reviewed here, offers many easy to use timeline templates that allow you to add links to outside sites, images, and more. Extend learning by asking students to interview local election officials or senior citizens to share their experience with voting rights and regulations. Ask students to create presentations sharing what they learned using Google Slides, reviewed here, or Microsoft PowerPoint Online, reviewed here. Include links to audio recordings of interviews, add images, supporting videos, and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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BackStory: Blackstory - Edsitement
Grades
10 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): black history (130), civil rights (200), martin luther king (45), podcasts (103)
In the Classroom
Due to the intense nature of some of the content shared in the podcast, consider listening to the podcast chapters one by one together as a class. Prepare for some of the difficult conversations by using resources found within the TeachersFirst Special Topics Page Resources for Difficult Conversations. Take advantage of the lesson plans shared on this site to extend student comprehension beyond the conversations shared in the podcast. Encourage students to enhance learning by researching areas of interest while creating a Padlet, reviewed here, with a variety of resources such as videos, primary sources, and books. Extend learning by offering students various options for sharing their learning about anti-Black violence. Ideas include using Adobe Creative Cloud Express Video Maker, reviewed here, to create video, or create a podcast using Buzzsprout, reviewed here, or build a website using Site123, reviewed here, or build an interactive story using maps created with Google My Maps, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Black History Milestones: Timeline - History.com
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): black history (130), civil rights (200), martin luther king (45), presidents (133), racism (79), rosa parks (9), slavery (78), women (140)
In the Classroom
Include this timeline with your Black history and civil rights resources. Share with students using Padlet, reviewed here, along with other resources including videos, weblinks, and reading suggestions. Other considerations for using Padlet are to use the column feature in Padlet to sort information by dates or use the timeline option to build a visual timeline of the events shared in this timeline and additional ones taught in class. Ask students to share their understanding by creating timelines using the templates found at Canva Edu, reviewed here or Knight Lab, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Freedom Riders - PBS
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): 1960s (26), black history (130), civil rights (200), congress (38), racism (79), social and emotional learning (96)
In the Classroom
This film is almost two hours long; however, it includes dividing points that break the video into several shorter chapters. Consider sharing this film with students for several days not only as a means for adapting to time constraints but also to allow time to process and discuss the information in shorter chunks. Consider including this video as part of a Symbaloo Learning Path, reviewed here. Include additional resources as part of the learning path for students to read and view, along with short quizzes or opportunities to share their reflections on the information. As an opportunity for reflection use PodcastGenerator, reviewed here, to encourage an ongoing conversation about the events shared in this film. Create a channel to discuss each chapter, including a prompt to initiate student discussions. For more ideas on facilitating difficult conversations in the classroom, visit the TeachersFirst Special Topics Page, located here, that is devoted to resources for difficult conversations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Do's and Don'ts of Teaching Black History - Learning for Justice
Grades
K to 12tag(s): black history (130), civil rights (200), cross cultural understanding (165), cultures (145), difficult conversations (61), martin luther king (45), politics (114), racism (79), rosa parks (9)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and use the information provided in the article as a guideline for teaching Black history, not just during Black History Month but throughout the year. Find many Black History resources at the TeachersFirst Black History Special Topics page, found here, or within many of the Reading Treks, found here. The Reading Treks share virtual field trips of resources based upon literature and include many Black history selections. Celebrate your students' learning throughout the year using digital tools to create virtual field trips using Google My Maps, reviewed here, or creating interactive infographics using Canva Infographic Templates, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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20th Century America (1945-2000) Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): 20th century (62), black history (130), civil rights (200), cold war (31), korea (20), martin luther king (45), middle east (43), rosa parks (9), segregation (18), vietnam (38)
In the Classroom
Use these resources as you prepare social studies lessons related to American History 1945-2000. Each review includes technology integration ideas. This list includes resources for elementary and secondary students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Oxfam's Education Resources - OXFAM
Grades
3 to 9tag(s): civil rights (200), climate change (93), environment (246), immigration (68), nutrition (137), sustainability (43), women (140)
In the Classroom
These units are very comprehensive! Choose a unit to complete as a class using your interactive whiteboard or projector to show students all activities, links, and other resources. Then go through some titles and descriptions of several units and ask the class which ones they would be interested in exploring. You may want to use a tool such as Padlet, reviewed here, to keep this organized and eventually form student groups. Students interested in the same topic can form small groups to explore their topics. For younger students, structure this in a very organized way in that all students will look at the links for their unit on a certain day and divide them up with their group to explore and share with other group members after a given time. For older students you could modify their technology use using a tool like Kumospace, reviewed here, to keep student groups organized and moving forward in their research. At the end of the research, enhance student learning by having student groups share with the class what they learned using a multimedia tool like Genially, reviewed here. With Genially, students can choose what type of presentation they want to use (interactive poster, infographic, videos, games, etc.).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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