There’s so much going on in the world right now. We could spend entire class periods going over current events and relating news stories to students’ lives.
However, most upper elementary teachers don’t have a ton of time to discuss current events. So, I’ve created three awesome, quick sources to help you give students an overview of the big news stories around the world.
These sources are ones that I’ve used in my classroom at one time or another. I usually don’t stick with just one source because I like to bounce around and see which one offers the best current event coverage in the little time that I have available.
What’s the best news? All of these sites are free for teachers and students. I am not affiliated with these sites in any way. I am sharing them with you because I think they are all amazing and I’m sure your students will enjoy using these sites both with you and outside the classroom!
CNN10
CNN10 is a 10 minute recap of the most important recent news stories.
The site is updated daily but they are on summer break now. The new segments will start again on August 12.
A printable transcript of the broadcast is available if you want students to use it for research or ELA work.
Another cool feature of the site is that some of the broadcasts include a news quiz that help students to process what they’ve learned.
In my classroom, I display the 10 minute video on my technology board occasionally but not daily. I encourage students to watch the 10 minute broadcast daily, especially when they have their Chromebooks available.
If something significant is going on in the world, I show the daily video more often because topics and events are explained in student-friendly terms.
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National Geographic’s Photo of the Day
I recently discovered National Geographic’s Photo of the Day.
Each day, there is a new photo posted covering a current event, phenomenon, or an interesting place/person in our world.
This online resource features top-notch photos by professional photographers.
National Geographic Photo of the Day Site
If you don’t like the photo of the day, just scroll down a little bit and you’ll see the archive where you can pick from thousands of photos.
So, how do I use this resource in my classroom?
Two days a week, I use a photo as a class starter activity.
1. I display the photo on my technology board so that students can see it when they walk into class.
2. I read the short informational snippet below the photo.
3. I ask students to use a half-sheet of paper to respond to one of the following prompts for 5-10 minutes:
a. How can this photo teach you more about our world?
b. What does this photo remind you of?
c. How does this photo make you feel?
Smithsonian Tween Tribune
If it’s put out by the Smithsonian, it has to be good, right?!?
The Tween Tribune is an amazing resource for upper elementary teachers. Simply visit the site and choose your grade level band at the top.
You’ll notice that the articles cover current events but they also mix in some history-themed articles.
Each article has multiple Lexile options, so your higher readers and lower readers can read the same information but at comfortable reading levels.
There is a teacher log-in section that will allow you to create an account, assign articles, review progress, and assign students quizzes on the articles.
Another cool thing about this site is that you can assign articles to Google Classroom.
Thanks for reading this article!
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