Current Events Assignment
In an effort for students to have another opportunity to see the relevancy of what we study in class and read about, they will be, over the remainder of the semester, expected to complete a current event assignment and presentation every five weeks. Please see below for information and guidelines.
1. Find an article on a topic of interest to you. The article should address one of these categories: government (state or national), culture, legislation, presidential campaigns, environment, civil rights, international relations, conflict, etc.
2. Read the article at least twice.
3. Your write up should include the following elements:
a. The hard copy article itself.
b. The correctly recorded citation of the article you are using, written at the top of your current event write up.
c. A three to four paragraph write up about the article which must include:
i. Paragraph 1: summarize the article (the author’s thesis of the article and main ideas that support this thesis)
ii. Paragraph 2: Explain how your article connects in some way to what we are studying.
iii. Paragraph 3: How does this relate to you?
iv. Paragraph 4: Discuss any unanswered or lingering questions or curiosities you have after reading this article.
d. Draw a picture that illustrates the main idea of the article – create a political cartoon is an option
4. Presentation (1-2 minutes) In a presentation you want to share with the class what your article is about and how it connects to our class. I would also like to have you show the students your visual representation of the main idea of your article. Presentations will be done on Fridays.
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Areas of Assessment |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
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Ideas and Content |
Summary is complete and clear; 3 or more connections are made to class content, 3 or more reflective connections made to personal experiences, and 3 or more insights are made into interesting tangents or questions spurred by the article. Topic chosen is appropriate. |
Summary is complete and mostly clear; 1-2 connections are made to class content, 1-2 reflective connections made to personal experiences, and 1- 2 insights are made into interesting tangents or questions spurred by the article. Topic chosen is appropriate. |
Summary is mostly complete but lacks consistent clarity of ideas; 1 connection is made to class content, 1 reflective connection is made to a personal experience, and 1 insight is made into interesting tangents or questions spurred by the article. Topic chosen is appropriate. |
Incomplete summary. No connections are made to class content. No reflective connections are made to personal experiences. No questions are present. |
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Organization (writing) |
Write up is organized in paragraphs with topic sentences support details and concluding transition sentences. Paragraphs are organized in a logical sequence. |
Write up is organized in paragraphs following the suggested organization in the assignment sheet. Paragraphs have topic sentences, supporting details, and concluding transition sentences.
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Write up attempts to organize the paragraphs as instructed but lacks consistent organization. Paragraphs lack consistent structure and focus.
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Write up lacks any clear or intentional organization. |
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Style (word choice, sentence fluency, and voice) |
Words chosen are specific, descriptive, and accurate. Sentences read well and are varied in structure. Voice stays in third person for the write-up. |
Words chosen are accurate. Sentences read well and are varied in structure. Voice may shift sometimes from 3rd person to 1stperson. |
Words chosen are vague and sometimes inaccurate. Sentences are choppy and lack variety. Voice stays in first person. |
Words chosen are vague, ineffective, or inaccurate. Fragments are found in the writing. Voice is inappropriate. |
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Conventions (citation, format) |
Article is cited perfectly. Students use: appositives, accurate capitalization, appropriately punctuated dates, accurate end punctuation, non-restrictive phrases (clauses), no run-on sentences correctly. |
Article is mostly cited correctly with a few minor errors. Students use: appositives, accurate capitalization, appropriately punctuated dates, accurate end punctuation, non-restrictive phrases (clauses), no run-on sentences correctly. |
Article is cited with many errors. Students use: accurate capitalization, appropriately punctuated dates, accurate end punctuation correctly. |
Article is not cited at all. Students use: accurate capitalization, appropriately punctuated dates, accurate end punctuation correctly. |
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Presentation |
2-3 minutes Chose a topic that the student is passionate about. Summary is detailed and connections to course curriculum are interesting and insightful. Illustration is shared and clearly explained. Responds to questions well. |
1-2 minutes Chose a topic that interests the student. Summary is complete and connections made are relevant. Illustration is shared and clearly explained. Responds to questions well. |
55 seconds Student seems indifferent about topic. Summary is complete and connections made are either irrelevant or weak. No illustration provided. One word responses to questions.
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Less than 55 seconds. Student does not care about the topic. Summary is incomplete and no connections are made to the content in class. No illustration. No response to questions as all.
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