Current Events - Week 21

We're switching things up a little as we begin our first current events assignment of the 3rd marking period. You will have a choice of any of the articles below and will complete the same form you did last week.

The change is that this week we will be presenting our article to the class.

Each  member of the class will need to present their learning to the class in an engaging and informative way. The goal of the presentation is to inform your classmates of something new and interesting that you have learned. The goal is also to spark a discussion about issues and ideas the article raises.

You will get more details about your presentation shortly.

For now, let's start reading:

Step One: Log in to either Current Events 801 Q3 or Current Events 802 Q3.
Step Two: Click on the tab with your name.
Step Three: Click "Duplicate"
Step Four: Rename your  new tab with the same five letter code followed by "21" (e.g. Locke21)
Step Five: Choose one article from the list below and begin reading and analyzing.

In the U.S., an obesity gap between rich and poor

By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff

01.16.14  midnight

Kevin Huerta (left) and Lang Thao follow the moves of Gloria Lozaro as she leads a fitness class for students at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, Calif., on March 29, 2012. Photo: Paul Kitagaki Jr./ Sacramento Bee/MCT

World's 85 richest have wealth equal to half the world population

By McClatchy Foreign Staff, adapted by Newsela staff

01.22.14  midnight

A homeless man begs for food and money on an underground ramp to Tiananmen Square. Wealth in China is exploding, but the disparities between rich and poor are widening dangerously, and pockets of wretched poverty remain deeply entrenched. Photo: David Leeson/KRT

U.S. court: Gays can't be excluded from juries just because they're gay

By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff

01.23.14  midnight

Ken Pierce of Equality Action Now waves a rainbow flag outside the James R. Browning Courthouse where the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, Calif., is located.Photo: Robert Gauthier/ Los Angeles Times/MCT

The articles below are from The New York Times. You will not have the ability to adjust the Lexile Number. 

The Lexile of most New York Times articles is very high (1380L minus or plus depending on the article), so just write "New York Times" in the "Lexile" cell on your Google Spreadsheet.

City Unveils Campaign to Improve Girls’ Self-Esteem

New York City officials and experts in adolescent health said it was the first campaign aimed at female body image that they knew of to be carried out by a major city. (743 words / 10.3 Readability Score / 36% Difficult Words)

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

A Kind of Racism We’re Not Used To

I promised my children that America would feel different because, for the first time in their lives, they would not feel they were different. (794 words / 8.6 Readability Score / 26% Difficult Words)

CONTRIBUTING OP-ED WRITER

In the N.B.A., ZIP Code Matters

On average, black players are born in nicer neighborhoods than other black men. (1313 words / 9.7 Readability Score / 36% Difficult Words