songsparrow Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 My dh mentioned that he thinks our dd (going into 5th grade) should begin to have exposure to current events. I am open to the idea, but am wondering what resources to use. I do not watch the news on TV and read very little of it myself - not because I do not care, but because I have noticed its effect on me. Reading or watching the news quickly leads me to a more negative state of mind. My dh, on the other hand, is exposed to the news all day at work. Some ideas I had included: getting only the Sunday NY Times and reading the news in the Week in Review, watching the McNeil- Lehrer Newshour, or having dh select important topics to discuss as a family at the dinner table a couple times a week. So I am wondering what resources others use to discuss current events with their upper elementary and middle school students. Thanks for any ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 We use the Newsademic newspaper http://www.newsademic.com/. Published biweekly it covers a broad range of topics. We particularly like that it is international. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 We use God's World News and CNN Student News Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 We get a daily newspaper, and we start our homeschool day with the date and the weather for the littles. It goes from there. The older ones know the difference between local news and national news and world news. I ask for one article from either local, national or world to be read aloud on a given day and discussed. They pick the article. It IS depressing sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay3fer Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 I don't know if I'd let a 5th grader choose the topic, and I certainly wouldn't let a television decide what news my kids were exposed to. :-o I like the idea of prepared "digests" of student-oriented news, as long as it wasn't too depressing. I wouldn't worry about censoring the news since what you get in the mainstream media is so horribly, horribly skewed anyway. (and you can tell your dh I said so! :-P) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnrmom Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 I was literally JUST researching this for my 5th grader. I agree with your dh that they should have some exposure to current events, but like you, I don't watch the news, and I certainly don't want to let him loose to read headlines about murder and kidnappings. I just stumbled upon this http://www.studentnewsnet.com/index.php and think it looks promising. However, I have only spent about 5 minutes on the site so far, so I can't make any warranties about how graphic the content might be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Hi. After rereading TWTM last winter, I decided that we were going to add current events into the 9 yro's schedule. This lasted about 2 weeks. :glare: My daughter is really...um...conscientous? or...sensitive might be a better word. I stopped including current events. This is a kid who will sit in the minivan at the gas pump and try to calculate how much our gas is going to cost...and do we have enough money... Anyway, we ended up looking at the National Geographic website and they have science news. I just had her read that stuff. I know that's probably not a helpful answer. Wondering if there are any other kids like that out there... :confused: I think we will start current events in high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillysmom216 Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 We just signed on with https://www.weeklyreader.com/pubstore/pc-7-2-wr-news-senior-edition.aspx and http://www.timeforkids.com/news. We haven't received either yet. I am disappointed in National Geographic kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Hi. After rereading TWTM last winter, I decided that we were going to add current events into the 9 yro's schedule. This lasted about 2 weeks. :glare: My daughter is really...um...conscientous? or...sensitive might be a better word. I stopped including current events. This is a kid who will sit in the minivan at the gas pump and try to calculate how much our gas is going to cost...and do we have enough money... Anyway, we ended up looking at the National Geographic website and they have science news. I just had her read that stuff. I know that's probably not a helpful answer. Wondering if there are any other kids like that out there... :confused: I think we will start current events in high school. I've wondered about this, too. DS1 sobbed and sobbed when we found a dead mouse in the driveway. How am I going to introduce him to the horror of the actual world? I, of course, would start out with much simpler, gentler news stories, but I'm dreading having to introduce them to the news of the world. We don't watch TV, but we do get the newspaper on weekends. So far, they've only been interested in the Comics and Sports pages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 We use the Newsademic newspaper http://www.newsademic.com/. Published biweekly it covers a broad range of topics. We particularly like that it is international. Seconding this. It's geared toward students, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cschnee Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Another excellent resource is What in the World? Here's what the website says, "What in the World? / Le Monde en Marche (Level 1) is a photocopiable current events resource, published in English and French, for Canadian students in grades 5 through 7. Designed to enhance students' understanding of and interest in current Canadian and international events and issues, this publication addresses numerous curriculum outcomes while saving teachers valuable time." There is a also a second level for older kids and both come out 1x/month. We use it and love it. It includes working on a map of an area that is in the news and a map of Cdn, US and world capitals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.