CURRENT EVENTS ASSIGNMENT FOR MR. C’s CLASSES

The world around us is changing each and every day and those decisions greatly affect our lives. It is important for us to be aware of the events that are going on around us locally and nationally.  You are responsible this semester for completing 7 current event articles due on the dates listed below.   

****Honor Class Students are responsible for 2 current event articles.  You are restricted to articles that deal with events of politics, government, etc. related to the United States. You MAY NOT submit articles related to sports, entertainment, etc. To further develop your ability to verbally communicate historical information, you will be required to present an article to the class from time to time. When current event articles are due, random students will be selected that week to present their respective article.

For the article you choose, you should write or type your summary in the following format:

Article Title (5):  Write the title at the top of your page.

Summary(40):  Write a summary paragraph, in your own words, about the article.  It needs to be at least SIX to EIGHT SENTENCES LONG. You can’t copy verbatim from the article. Doing so will result in a grade of “0.” Only two quotes may be used in your summary.

Significance(40): Write at least 3-4 sentences discussing why you chose the article and how it is important to society. Think about who this event impacts and how. Explain why it is significant or provide your opinion about the topic.

Three Questions(10): You will need to write (3) relevant questions about the article (these are questions you would like answered or questions that you could ask students in the class. .

Reference(5):  Cite the article and include the following: Title article; author; source (where you got it from); date retrieved or published.

Attach a copy of the article with your summary. ( I only need the first page or a section of the article).

The article you choose must not have been published more than 1 month ago and be a minimum of five paragraphs (25-30 sentences.)  You may choose your article from a number of sources. They may come from Newspapers (News and Observer, USA Today, etc.), weekly newsmagazines such as Time, History Magazines or professional news sources located on the internet. If you have Internet access, I have listed a number of sites to assist you.

*  You may not use the same source that you used for the previous current event assignment.

ABC News

CBS News

CNN

Fox News

Los Angeles Times

National Geographic News

NBC News

American History

AP

Due Dates for Current Event Articles:

September 16---Article #1 Due

September 30---Article #2 Due

October 14---Article # 3 Due

November 4---Article #4 Due

November 18---Article #5 Due

December 2---Article #6 Due

December 16---Article #7 Due

(example of current events assignment)

“The Curse of Kicking, Sports Medicine: It’s bowlegs from balls”

Summary:

 Belgian researchers, in a study of 550 soccer players ages 13 to 18 have discovered that soccer develops bowlegs, and that the gap between the knees, when the feet are together, increases with the more years they have played.  The researchers believe that kicking the ball overdevelops the muscles on the inside of the knee joints which pulls the leg outward with the child’s growth.  Stretching these muscles and strengthening the knees outer muscles may keep bowlegs from developing.

Significance:

          My reason for choosing this article is because my soccer-playing son is very bowlegged and my husband and I have always wondered where his bowlegs came from.  Neither of us have bowlegged relatives.  He has played soccer since preschool.  This article may provide an explanation.  This article is important to society because so many young people play soccer and the problem can be more than just appearance, since bowleggedness can increase the risk of arthritis later in life.  The article suggests a solution to the problem may exist in special stretching exercises.

Vocabulary:

Bowleg –   a leg with outward curvature

Joint – in anatomy, a place or part where two bones or corresponding structures are joined, usually so that he can move.

Ligament - in anatomy, a band of tough tissue serving to connect one bone to another, or to hold an organ in position:  it is white, solid, inelastic, tendinous substance, softer than cartilage, but harder than membrane.

Reference:

Franzen, H. (2002). The Curse of Kicking, Sports Medicine: It’s bowlegs

from balls. Popular Science. September Issue, 2002.

Name: ____________________________

CURRENT EVENTS RUBRIC

	Proficient 16 pts	Developing 12 pts	Needs work 8 pt
Summary	Captures and communicates the main points of the article	Captures some of the main points or does not stick to the main points and includes too much supportive information	Reflects little understanding of the main points of the article
Significance	Aptly expresses why the article is of significance to society and why, personally, he/she chose the article	Expresses either why the article was chosen or how the article is significant to society but not both	Does not express why the article was chosen or how the article is significant to society.
Vocabulary	Three difficult words chosen and defined	Words of questionable difficulty defined	Fewer than three words defined
Format	Identifies the title, source, publication date, and attaches the article	One of the four listed is missing.	Two of the four listed are missing.
Writing	All statements are in students own words.	One phrase very similar to one in the original article	Two or three phrases very similar to ones in the original article
Length of article	Original article is at least 25 sentences long.	Article is 16 to 24 sentences in length.	Original article is 15 or less sentences.

TOTAL from rubric:  __________   4 points will be added for including your full name, date, class and article number. Rubric will be adjusted when student presents article in class to account for presentation.

FINAL TOTAL:  __________

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Are you SEARCHING for SOLUTION(S) of YOUR UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE assignment or COURSEWORK?

Our professional writers are available 24/7 we offer:

+ Lowest price then other online writing services.
+ Zero% plagiarism at all.
+ Free Harvard (APA) Style Referencing.
+ Free amendments in your work for unlimited number of times.
+ Payment charged only after your order is accepted by writer.
+ Secured payment methods (Credit/Debit Card).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Like Us on Facebook!