Current Events Week 23-24

This week we will be recording our responses on a paper form, which I will give you, and which is linked to here. We will put more focus on the presentation aspect this week.

Below are the article options:

Health

Reinventing the toilet to help the world's poor

By Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, adapted by Newsela staff

01.30.14  midnight

Indian children returning from school walk back to their homes in Dharavi, Asia's largest slum, in Mumbai, India. Most residents are squatting illegally and many have little access to basic sanitation. Photo: AP Photo/Gautam Singh, File

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Law

PRO/CON: Is Snowden a hero or traitor?

By Mark Weisbrot and James Jay Carafano, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

02.04.14  midnight

Demonstrators rally at the U.S. Capitol to protest spying on Americans by the National Security Agency, as revealed in leaked information by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, in Washington, D.C., Oct. 26, 2013. Photo: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

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Health

CVS becomes first national drugstore to stop selling cigarettes

By McClatchey-Tribune, adapted by Newsela staff

02.06.14  midnight

One of the nation's biggest pharmacy chains, CVS Caremark, announced Wednesday that it will clear its shelves of cigarettes and other tobacco products this year, giving up almost $2 billion in order to brand itself as a health care company rather than a convenience store. Photo: Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT

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Kids

4th-graders’ reading skills improve, still low

By Adrienne Lu, Stateline.org

02.07.14  midnight

Fourth-grade students Zack DiAmore, 10, (left) and Jose Berrios, 10, (right) read to kindergarten student Vinny DeFrancesco, 6, at Cooper Elementary School in Cherry Hill, N.J. Photo: David M. Warren/Philadelphia Inquirer/KRT

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New York Times Articles: Please note that you may only choose these articles if you have mastered the "Max" level of the NewsEla articles.

OPINIONATOR | THE GREAT DIVIDE

How Single Motherhood Hurts Kids

The link between poverty and absent dads in the U.S. can’t be denied.
[1,029 words / 35% difficult words / 10.2 Dale-Chall Readability]

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DISPATCH

Where Is My Family on TV?

Mixed-race families are absent from our screens.
[769 words / 34% difficult words / 10.1 Dale-Chall Readability]

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RIFF

Our Young-Adult Dystopia

In the bleak wasteland of 21st-century publishing, there is only one hope: The young-adult novel. That’s a problem.
[1,876 words / 32% difficult words / 9.5 Dale-Chall Readability]

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

Reading Ladders for First Semester

Please complete your reading ladder by making a Google Doc modeled after this one that Mr. Locker made. Below are guidelines to keep in mind.

• You may format / design your doc in any way you would like so that it is visually appealing. We will be hanging these up! However, I do have some rules:
• Keep your reading ladder to one page.
• Keep the title modeled after the one on Mr. Locker's example.
• Keep your "Why This Order?" also to one page. It should be on a separate page from the ladder, unless it fits on one page and you want it this way.
• Keep your "Top Five" Annotated List also to one page. This page must be separate from the Reading Ladder and "Why This Order?"

• You will have a maximum of three pages for this document and a minimum of two pages.

• This is due no later than Tuesday, January 21.

8th Grade (Senior) Trip Survey

Dear 8th graders,

Please take this survey regarding our senior trip this year. Student Council and the PTA are working hard to make sure we have a great end to our time at UNMS. Thanks!

-Mr. Locker and the Student Council

Current Events Week 19-20

Dear 801 and 802,

Below is the link to the WEEK 19 Current Events form. This form is due no later than 8am on Tuesday, January 21.

• Go to your NewsEla binder and choose from any article assigned on Monday, January 13. The articles are also linked to below.

• If you are attempting to score a "4" or would simply like to read and respond to more than one article, you will find options below the NewsEla article.

WEEK 19 CURRENT EVENTS FORM - 801

WEEK 19 CURRENT EVENTS FORM - 802

Mr. Locker

Schools should send students to the principal, not the police

By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff

01.13.14  midnight

Grade level: 7

Children's Defense Fund President and founder Marian Wright Edelman addresses zero-tolerance school discipline policies and their connection with student dropouts with educators in Jackson, Miss., Feb. 8, 2013. Edelman and others discussed some alternatives to the strict punishment that sometimes involves the courts and jail time. Photo:AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

Unlikely journalists tell stories from behind bars

By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff.

01.10.14  midnight

Grade level: 7

Inmates Charles David Henry (left) and Julian Glenn Padgett share a light moment in the newsroom of San Quentin State Prison's newspaper in San Quentin, Calif., on Dec. 10, 2013. Photo: Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times/MCT

Not many college recruiters visit low-income high schools

By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff

01.08.14  midnight

Grade level: 9

Students gather in the office of college counselor Teresa Carreto at Roosevelt High in Los Angeles on Dec. 13, 2013. Photo: Bob Chamberlin/Los Angeles Times/MCT

Discarded plastic forms an ecosystem at sea

By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff

01.13.14  midnight

Grade level: 7

Sea Education Association's brigantine Robert C. Seamans sails 10 miles offshore from Point Loma in San Diego to conduct research into a new ecosystem known as the plastisphere, which refers to the effect discarded plastic is having on the oceans, on Sept. 14, 2013. Photo: Bob Chamberlin/Los Angeles Times/MCT

LEVEL FOUR OPTIONS FOR THIS WEEK: IF CHOOSING AN ADDITIONAL LEVEL "4" ARTICLE, YOU DO NOT NEED TO FILL OUT THE SAME RESPONSE FORM. 

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT ACCOMPANY THE ARTICLE IN YOUR CURRENT EVENTS TAB.

YOU ARE EXPECTED TO READ THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE AND ANSWER ALL OF THE QUESTIONS THAT ACCOMPANY IT.

THERE ARE TWO LEVEL-FOUR CHOICES THIS WEEK:

6 Q’s About the News | The Challenges of Ending Poverty

By SHANNON DOYNE

The New York TimesGo to related interactive » | Go to related article »

6 Q’s About the News

Read the article and answer the news questions below.

• See all 6 Q’s About the News »

In “50 Years Later, War on Poverty Is a Mixed Bag,” Annie Lowrey writes about the poverty rate in the United States, and how it has changed over time.

WHO declared a war on poverty 50 years ago?

HOW, according to the article, has that war failed?
HOW has it succeeded?

WHAT percentage of households are living in poverty in your home county, according to the interactive map?
WHERE in your state are people experiencing the highest amount of poverty?

HOW much income earned by a family of four in 2012 was considered as meeting the poverty rate?

WHAT are the two sides of the “intense disagreement” between the political parties about how to solve this problem?

WHY do you think Ron Haskins of the Brookings Institution stated, “To mount an effective war against poverty, we need changes in the personal decisions of more young Americans”?

WHAT do you think would help alleviate the problem?

WHEN, according to this graph, did the United States experience spikes in the poverty rate?

WHAT years had the lowest poverty rates?

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For Higher-Order Thinking

The article states that the poverty rate among older Americans was 9 percent in 2012, but had been 35 percent in 1959.
HOW does this compare to the overall poverty rates for these years, as cited in the article?
WHAT are some reasons the poverty rate might be lower for older people than for younger people?

6 Q’s About the News | Christie Fires Aide in Bridge Scandal as U.S. Opens Inquiry

By MICHAEL GONCHAR

Mel Evans/Associated Press Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey before Thursday’s news conference in Trenton.

PLAY VIDEO

VIDEO|1:48:00

Richard Perry/The New York Times

Christie’s News Conference

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey said he took no part in the lane closings at the George Washington Bridge, but acknowledged the involvement of some of his close aides.Launch media viewe

6 Q’s About the News

Read the article and answer the news questions below.

• See all 6 Q’s About the News »

In “Christie Fires Aide in Bridge Scandal as U.S. Opens Inquiry,” Marc Santora and William K. Rashbaum report on a scandal engulfing the administration of Gov. Chris Christie.

WHO apologized to the people of New Jersey on Thursday?
WHY did he apologize?
WHAT did a series of emails reveal about his administration?

HOW did the governor say he responded when he first learned about the emails?

WHAT did the United States attorney’s office announce on Thursday as well?

WHO did the governor fire after the scandal broke?

WHAT role does Mr. Christie play in the national Republican Party?
WHAT does the scandal threaten for Mr. Christie?

WHY is the controversy unlikely to abate any time soon?

WHO else has resigned?

WHAT consequences did the closure of traffic lanes in Fort Lee cause?
WHEN were the traffic lanes closed?
WHERE is Fort Lee?

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For Higher-Order Thinking

WHAT is your reaction to the bridge scandal?

Current Events Week 18 Assignment

Dear 801 and 802,

Below is the link to the WEEK 18 Current Events form. This form is due no later than 8am on Monday, January 13.

• Go to your NewsEla binder and choose from any article assigned on Monday, January 6. The articles are also linked to below.

• If you are attempting to score a "4" or would simply like to read and respond to more than one article, find another article from ANYWHERE ON NEWSELA and submit another version of the Week 18 Survey.

WEEK 18 CURRENT EVENTS FORM

Mr. Locker

Children's brains can be stunted by harsh parenting, researchers say

By Philadelphia Inquirer, adapted by Newsela staff

Dec. 19, 2013  midnight

A child gets a spanking in Germany, 1935. Photo: Bundesarchiv, Bild/Wikimedia Commons

For young women, gender gap narrows for wages, report says

By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff

Dec. 20, 2013  midnight

Sheryl Sandberg (center), author of "Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead," leads a group on women in the workplace and how they are looked at by male co-workers, such as being called "too aggressive," in Minneapolis, Minn., on Oct. 2, 2013. Photo: Jeff Wheeler/Minneapolis Star Tribune/MCT

No marijuana on our lands, the Yakama vow

By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff

Jan. 3, 2014  midnight

Yakama tribal member Katrina Walsey visits the grave of her sister-in-law Virgilena Jeri Walsey, who lost control of her car on a night of drinking. The 26-year-old mother of two died instantly. Photo:Alan Berner, Seattle Times

In some schools, homework doesn't make the grade anymore

By St. Louis Post-Dispatch, adapted by Newsela staff

Jan. 6, 2014  midnight

Sixth-grader Kyle Stilwell, 12, (second from left) and his sisters, (from left) fifth-grader Danika, 11, and fourth-grader Natalie, 9, do their homework in Fenton, Mo. Their mom, Niki Stilwell, (left) works from home. Photo: Stephanie S. Cordle/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT

Summer 2013 Assignment for Incoming 8th Graders