As educators, it is our job to make sure that students are armed with the tools necessary to distinguish between fact, fiction, and opinion; between research or evidence-based statements and empty rhetoric; between exaggeration and balanced journalism – not just information from Facebook, Twitter, or other social media feeds.

Studying current events offers our students a multitude of advantages:

• They cover a wide range of subjects and connect to all areas of the curriculum.

• They build language, vocabulary, reading comprehension, critical thinking, problem-solving, oral expression and listening skills.

• They develop into informed citizens and lifelong newsreaders. Studying current events helps students understand the importance of people, events, and issues in the news; it stimulates students to explore and learn more about the news, and to pay attention to the news they see and hear outside of school.

• They provide a “writing model.” Students can learn by imitating the clear, concise style of news writing.

• They can open up communication between students and parents. Students are often eager to emulate their parents’ news-citing behaviours, and talking about the news is one way for parents to engage children in adult conversation.

• They offer ideal opportunities for cooperative-group instruction, classroom discussions and debates, purposeful follow-up writing, and much more.

Of course, the next question becomes, “How can we make sure that students are informed about what is going on around the world?” Like most things in life, the best way to do that is through practice.

www.newsela.com is a website where students can not only practice reading nonfiction but also stay current with what is happening locally and globally. It contains a library of articles, with real-time assessments of student comprehension through multiple-choice quizzes and writing prompts. It is also a great resource for students wanting extra homework!