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How to Write a Current Events Summary

Last Updated: February 12, 2023 Fact Checked

Choosing a News Article

Preparing to write, summary section, reflection section, final touches.

This article was co-authored by Richard Perkins . Richard Perkins is a Writing Coach, Academic English Coordinator, and the Founder of PLC Learning Center. With over 24 years of education experience, he gives teachers tools to teach writing to students and works with elementary to university level students to become proficient, confident writers. Richard is a fellow at the National Writing Project. As a teacher leader and consultant at California State University Long Beach's Global Education Project, Mr. Perkins creates and presents teacher workshops that integrate the U.N.'s 17 Sustainable Development Goals in the K-12 curriculum. He holds a BA in Communications and TV from The University of Southern California and an MEd from California State University Dominguez Hills. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 260,352 times.

A current events summary is a short description of an event that has recently happened or is going to happen. Current events summaries are often assigned by junior and senior high school educators for the purpose of teaching research, writing, and editing skills. The following steps will help you create a current events summary that is accurate, informative, and readable.

Step 1 Use a reputable news source.

  • Some possible news sources might include your local newspaper or larger newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and others.
  • Check with your teacher for suggestions. He may have specific news sources to use.

Step 2 Choose an article that is less than one week old.

  • Most major newspapers have sections on their websites dedicated to certain topics. For example, the Washington Post has a section dedicated to “Tech.”
  • Search online for an article on one of these topics. For example, try searching “healthcare news” to find new information.

Step 4 Make sure the article is a good length.

  • An article that is one to two paragraphs long is probably not going to be lengthy enough.

Step 1 Read the entire article.

  • Look up any words you don’t know.
  • Take notes on the article or highlight passages that you think are important.

Step 2 Recount the article.

  • The headline typically indicates the article’s main idea, but the article will likely include more information that is relevant to your summary.
  • Choose five main points from the article that you think are important.
  • Find some keywords to get the main idea across to the people. [1] X Research source

Step 3 Read the article again.

  • Who: This is the person or group involved in the story. For a story on a recent arson case, you might say, “The people involved are four teenage boys who were charged with arson, a police investigation team, and the community that lost its historic baseball stadium.”
  • What: This is the event or the action discussed in the story. In an arson case, it might be: “The oldest wooden baseball stadium in the country burned to the ground.”
  • When: This is the date and time when the event took place: “The stadium burned down at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 29.”
  • Where: This is where the event took place: “The baseball stadium was in the middle of the city, surrounded by residences.”
  • Why: This is the cause or reason for the event: “The summer has been unusually dry and hot. The stadium had been sitting empty for five years and was not patrolled by security.”
  • How: This point explains the ways in which the events took place and the connections between them: “The teenagers walked into the stadium and began playing with lighters and loose debris. Once the fire was set, they ran off.”

Step 5 Write a sentence that gives the impact of the story.

  • Think about the story’s connection to your community, the nation, or the world, for example.

Step 1 Set aside the article.

  • When you recounted the article to someone else, you highlighted the most important parts of the article. These things will go in your outline. Now your job is to put them in an order that makes sense.

Step 3 Write your topic sentence.

  • Depending on your assignment, this might be three or four sentences, or it might be seven to nine sentences. Check your assignment for your length requirement.

Step 5 Write a closing sentence.

  • Even though the reflection is short (usually just a paragraph), you should still aim to make an argument , at least to some degree. Determine the main point that you want to make and think about how you will support that main point.

Step 2 Write a topic sentence.

  • Some teachers don’t allow the use of “I” (first person) in these reflections. Check with your teacher to determine if you can write in first person or not.

Step 3 Follow up with supporting sentences.

  • Don’t just string together random thoughts about why the news story is important.

Step 4 Wrap up with a concluding sentence.

  • Take a look at your verbs. If you use boring or the same verbs, your audience will get bored. See if you can make efficient choices of great action verbs.
  • If you are handwriting your summary, you may need to write it out again as a clean copy after you’ve corrected any errors. For this reason, it may be preferable to type out the summary. Some teachers may require a typed paper.

Step 2 Follow guidelines for the assignment.

  • If you have a grading rubric for the assignment, review this before turning in the assignment. Make sure you have met all the requirements to ensure a good grade.

Step 3 Include a citation for the article.

  • Lee, Morgan. “California Regulators Approve Higher Electricity Rates for Most Residents.” The Los Angeles Times. The Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2015. Web. 4 July 2015.

Step 4 Include the article with your summary.

Community Q&A

Community Answer

  • Every teacher’s assignment is going to be a little bit different. Make sure you follow your assignment exactly. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

current events summary assignment

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  • ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/how-to-write-summary-example
  • ↑ https://k12.thoughtfullearning.com/minilesson/asking-and-answering-5-ws-and-h-questions
  • ↑ http://coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/5w1h.html
  • ↑ www.acisd.org/getFile.cfm?serverFileName=3D7039FC7A-D973-59AD-3C95BCBCFDC1039D.pdf
  • ↑ http://alt-resource.teams.leedsmet.ac.uk/how-to-write-a-reflection
  • ↑ https://owlcation.com/academia/How-to-Write-a-Summary

About This Article

Richard Perkins

A current events summary is a short review of a recent news story. To write your own, start by finding an interesting story from a reputable source, like a popular newspaper or news website. Read the full article and look up any words or phrases you don’t understand. Then, read the article again and take note of the most important facts, like who was involved, where and when the story took place, why it happened, and how it happened. Use these notes to write your summary. In your first sentence or 2, give a brief summary of what happened. Then, write a few more sentences to give your readers the extra details they need to know. For more tips from our Education co-author, including how to write a reflection on your current events summary, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Write a Current Event Summary

To write a current event summary, you should first understand what a current event summary is. A current event summary is an overview or brief statement that presents the most important developments or newest information about a current topic. With this in mind, it is easy to understand why you should not just summarize events in your own words.

The Preparation Process for Writing a Current Event Summary

Identify a news article.

Remember, it does not have to be an event that recently happened, but it should be a current topic. However, an event that occurred less than a week ago is more suitable for a news article than one that happened months ago.

When choosing a news article, you should pick one that is relatively short. A short article is easy to grasp, but it’s still okay if you need to read it more than once.

Read the news article

Start by reading through the entire article once or twice to get a general idea of what the essay addresses. After reading as many times as necessary, go back and highlight the critical parts of the article. This step will be easier if you have written a list of questions to answer beforehand.

Make a list of questions

current events summary assignment

For this step, you should ask yourself questions about the article. Remember that the question format is not important. However, make sure that you are prepared to answer the specific question.

A good current events summary should answer the questions who, what, where, when, why, and how. For example, if the article is about climate change, you can ask yourself these questions:

  • Who are the stakeholders in climate change?
  • What are some specific issues that are caused by climate change?
  • Where is this happening the most?
  • When did this start happening?
  • Why is it important that we are concerned about climate change?
  • How can we solve some of these issues that are caused by climate change?

Choose a perfect topic

Choosing the correct topic is the first step to writing an essay, including a current events essay. The topic should be of interest to you but should also be significant enough for people to want to read through.

Gather information about the event topic

The information included in a current event essay should be factual news and not your thoughts or opinions. Gathering information allows you to present a clear, well-understood argument.

As you research, remember to use a reputable news source. Try to avoid personal websites since most of them present biased personal views. Also, note the important details first since they validate your whole article.

Organize your research and writing

After carefully researching the event topic, organize the information to keep it clear and sensible.

The format for writing a current event summary varies according to the type of assignment that is given. But generally, a current event summary is one paragraph long and includes the thesis statement.

Thesis statements for current event essays

A thesis statement in a current event essay may be written in the following ways:

One sentence – A thesis statement can be one simple, concise sentence. For example, “The Cold War ended in 1989 after the Berlin Wall fell.”

Two sentences – A thesis statement that is two sentences long includes a topic sentence, followed by a second sentence that clarifies the topic sentence. For example, “The fall of the Berlin Wall symbolized the end of the Cold War. It also marked the end of communism in Eastern Europe.”

Sentence fragment – A thesis statement that is one sentence may be made up of multiple clauses. For example, “The Berlin Wall fell. As a result, the Cold War ended.”

Multiple sentences – A thesis statement made up of multiple sentences comes after a topic sentence and a transition. For example, “The Berlin Wall had been a symbol of the Cold War for more than 20 years. The fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 was significant. The conflict between the two superpowers ended after the wall fell.”

Concluding sentence – A thesis statement can be the last sentence in a current events summary. This type of thesis statement is used to wrap up the information but needs to be more specific than other types. For example, “The Cold War was a conflict between two nations with different political and economic systems, causing a tension between East and West.”

Write the summary

Writing the actual current event summary is the last step in the process of writing one. Current events summaries should create an appetite for the reader and satisfy the appetite adequately. Follow the steps below to create a top-notch current events paper summary.

Characteristics of a Quality Current Events Summary

A great current events essay summary should:

  • Be interesting and relevant to readers of all ages.
  • Have no grammatical or spelling errors. Apply your editing skills exhaustively.
  • Be concise and without unnecessary details that would bore readers or confuse them.
  • Include a thesis statement that clearly presents the main idea of the summary.
  • Provide a brief conclusion that wraps up the information presented in the paper.

Examples of a Current Event Essay

Here are examples of a current events essay written with all the steps outlined above:

“The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was a serious nuclear accident that occurred on March 11, 2011, in the Tohoku region of Japan. It is the largest nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

The accident occurred following a 9.0 magnitude earthquake. Then there was an equally devastating tsunami. These events caused the failure of three nuclear reactors on the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant.

After being struck by these disasters, the power plant began to lose the ability to control the internal temperatures of the reactors. This led to a meltdown in three of the plant’s six nuclear reactors, causing the release of radioactive materials to the surrounding area. Radiation was released into the air and water, putting people along the coast in danger.

This disaster caused the Japanese government to rethink its plans for the future of its energy sources. Japan has currently halted all nuclear power plants that were up and running before the disaster.”

“The fall of the Berlin Wall was a momentous event that marked the end of communism in Eastern Europe. It also contributed to the eventual demise of the Soviet Union.

For decades, the border between East and West Berlin was a symbol of the Cold War. On November 9, 1989, that symbol came down. A growing number of East Germans were fleeing to West Berlin and trying to cross the border wall that separated them from their western counterparts. Under orders from their superiors not to let anyone leave the eastern side, East German guards found themselves unable to stop the wave of refugees.

The guards, and other East German authorities caught at the wall, were hesitant to use lethal force against unarmed civilians. They opened the gates and allowed thousands of people into West Berlin. The people, celebrating their newfound freedom, dismantled the wall entirely only a few weeks later.”

“The missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 has garnered much attention from the international community. The plane was a Boeing 777-200ER with 239 passengers on board when it went missing in March 2014.

This plane was last seen on radar traveling west over the South China Sea. The search has now focused on the Indian Ocean. There are still no clues as to what happened to the plane or where it might be. Investigating the passengers and crew found no evidence of a terrorist attack or foul play. This left the experts stumped on what could have caused the plane to disappear.

Experts continue their search in hopes of finding some insight into the fate of this seemingly unsinkable aircraft.”

A high-quality current event summary is focused and relevant. This assignment requires well-researched news so that you can write a summary that represents the actual news story.

To write an informative summary, gather enough information from legit sources. Also, follow the correct format for writing an article summary. After getting all your facts right, Introduce the topic, and provide details about it using descriptive language. Finally, conclude with your thesis statement.

current events summary assignment

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Classroom Q&A

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In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to [email protected]. Read more from this blog.

Seven Ways to Bring Current Events Into the Classroom

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The news always seems to be moving a thousand miles an hour, with much of it impacting our students’ lives—either now or in the future.

This two-part series will explore ways we connect those current events to what we’re teaching in the classroom.

Today, Suzie Boss, Kristen Koppers, Sarah Cooper, Mike Kaechele, Jessica Torres, and Renee Hobbs share their ideas. You can listen to a 10-minute conversation I had with Suzie and Kristen on my BAM! Radio Show . You can also find a list of, and links to, previous shows here.

You might also find addiitonal useful resources at The Best Resources & Ideas For Teaching About Current Events.

Project-Based Learning

Suzie Boss is a PBL (Project-Based Learning) advocate, author, and member of the PBLWorks National Faculty. Her latest books are Project Based Teaching and Reinventing Project-Based Learning, 3 rd Ed :

One of the best ways to amplify the authenticity of school is to connect the curriculum to current events. I call this “ripped-from-the-headlines” teaching. For many students, the invitation to focus on timely topics—from pop culture to political controversies—is a surefire way to increase engagement.

Current events can inform lesson plans in small ways. For example, English teachers can make free-writes more relevant by using hashtags from social media as writing prompts. Elementary teachers might focus morning meetings on events that are in the news—and, likely, on students’ minds. Science teachers might connect a lesson to a health-related headline.

To maximize the learning potential, however, I encourage teachers to look to the headlines as inspiration for more extended, project-based learning. Well-designed projects invite students to go deeper and make their own connections between academics and the world beyond the classroom. In the process, they will likely need to think critically about everything from the reliability and biases of news sources to the echoes of history in events unfolding today.

Let’s consider a few examples.

Chemistry teacher Ray Ahmed leveraged the Flint, Mich., water crisis to launch his students in Brooklyn, N.Y., on an investigation of how to prevent lead from leaching into drinking water. They had to think as chemists to design experiments about corrosive inhibitors, analyze data, propose solutions, and explain their results in a scientific journal article. Although they live hundreds of miles from Flint, Brooklyn students made personal connections to the larger issue of environmental racism, which has affected the quality of life in their own community. (Ahmed was one of the inspiring teachers I interviewed for a recent book, Project Based Teaching: How to Create Rigorous and Engaging Learning Experiences . This video from PBLWorks documents the Water Quality Project from start to finish.)

Immigration issues not only dominate headlines, they also reflect the life experiences of many of our students and their families. Connecting today’s immigration stories with academic content about human migration is a way to bring human geography to life. For example, Texas teacher Ryan Sprott is co-founder of a collaboration between educators and artists called the Borderland Collective , which invites students to take part in storytelling, photography, and art making.

Election cycles offer social studies teachers real-time connections to their content. Projects might culminate in debates, with students basing arguments on evidence; candidate fairs that students host, with a focus on issues they care about; or public-service campaigns to increase turnout of first-time voters.

If you overhear students buzzing about pop culture, listen closely for connections to learning goals. For Delaware English teacher Dara Laws Savage, it was the #oscarssowhite controversy a couple years back—when few actors of color were nominated for Academy Awards—that generated the idea for an annual awards event honoring African American icons. It’s become an annual event during Black History Month. Students develop criteria for excellence in different categories, make nominations, and persuade voters to share their opinions. Listen to an interview about the project here .

If you’re looking for timely connections for your next PBL unit, ask yourself:

  • Is there a topic or event that could provide an entry event for your next project?
  • Do you see natural connections between the topic and your upcoming content goals?
  • Does the topic involve a problem or challenge that your students could attempt to solve or debate through an extended inquiry project?

As you design your next project, take advantage of resources that will help your students think critically about current events. For example, Project Look Sharp is a K-12 resource for building media literacy. Pro/Con challenges readers to consider both sides of controversial issues.

Don’t be surprised if your students wind up making headlines themselves as a result of their projects.

Connecting George Orwell & Harper Lee to current events

Kristen Koppers is a national-board-certified teacher. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in English from Western Michigan University, a master of arts in English and a master of arts in educational administration from Governors State University. She is a public high school public English teacher. Her book Differentiated Instruction in the Teaching Profession was released in July, 2019:

Connecting current events with lessons in the classroom isn’t as difficult as it seems. Practically every lesson that’s taught from kindergarten through high school, and even postsecondary, can connect to a news article worldwide. It’s difficult to get students to watch the news or even listen to it. Because what they see on social media is the extent of their knowledge. Social-media news, at least from what I can see, is not all accurate. How can we as teachers make sure students are aware of credible information to information that is missing important facts?

The problem isn’t that many don’t take the time to read, listen, or even watch current events. The problem is that it’s not researched. As an ELA secondary education teacher, I not only connect current events to almost every lesson but I make it as authentic as possible. When I teach 1984 , by George Orwell, we focus on the aspect of the First Amendment. Even as an English teacher, I bring in the other subjects, such as history, social sciences, math, and even fine arts to connect with my students. For this particular lesson, I mainly focus on history and political science.

In the novel 1984 , privacy both public and private did not exist. Orwell’s slogan: ‘Ignorance is Strength’ is truer than we know. The less one knows the better. Before beginning the novel, I play a small video clip of Orwell, himself, just before he died warning about the future. Since Orwell wrote the novel in 1948, no one believed what he said was true. Many even thought that he was delusional during his last year. (I mean the title of the novel was just switching the last two digits of the year 48 to 84). However, whether it was coincidence or not, the Apple computer came out in 1984. After showing the short video clip of George Orwell’s warning, I showed the original 1984 commercial of the Macintosh computer. This got the students to talk.

I collected various articles beginning in 1984 through 2018. In their groups, the students read over them one by one where they started to make connections between what was similar about how technology evolved. I then pull out my iPhone to open the app “find my iPhone” to locate my husband. Now, normally, I do not have my phone in class. But for this particular lesson, I wanted to show how easily technology has not only evolved but our privacy has diminished.

I locate my husband and start pinging his phone for location. He knows what I’m going to do in class so he calls me (I have him on speaker) and asks me why I’m tracking him. Now before he calls, I tell the students where he is located. When he calls, I ask him his location. The reason he was on speaker was for the students to hear where he was located. Prior to the call, I told my students that he was located off Route 6 next to the gas station. When asked his location, he confirmed it. The phone conversation ends, and the class conversation begins.

This all connects to current events. This activity takes about two days because I want them to go home and think before the next lesson. Many actually went home to research “invasion of privacy” on their school computers. Because, after all, I can track what they research outside of my classroom. When they find this out, they say I violated their First Amendment rights. So, I have them look up First Amendment rights and I asked them what I exactly infringed upon. What they didn’t realize is that it’s the Fourth Amendment rights they were thinking about not the First. They were speechless.

With this one activity, my students are becoming more aware of current events. However, it wasn’t this one lesson that we connected to current events. Every day was a new lesson; whether we were reading the novel or not, I was able to relate to what was happening in the news.

Even studying short stories and past news about events, such as the lynching of Emmett Till, students were appalled at what happened. We studied a brief overview of the Civil Rights Movement and connected it to To Kill A Mockingbird , by Harper Lee. In 2017, evidence came out that the woman, Carolyn Bryant, Till “whistled” at wasn’t telling the truth. This encouraged them to find other articles about those wrongly accused no matter of race, gender, or religion.

It’s not just lessons that we teach based on the curriculum. If we can connect those lessons to skills students need to succeed, then we are doing our job.

current events summary assignment

Discussing currect events across subject areas

Sarah Cooper teaches 8th grade U.S. history and is dean of studies at Flintridge Preparatory School in La Canada, Calif. She is the author of two books, Creating Citizens (Routledge, 2018) and Making History Mine (Stenhouse, 2009). Sarah speaks at conferences and writes for MiddleWeb’s Future of History blog, and she lives just outside Los Angeles with her husband and two sons:

We can link current events to what we teach in the classroom in at least two ways—through content and through character.

With content, teachers sometimes wonder how they can justify adding current events to their lessons if they’re not teaching contemporary history or politics.

A surefire way to make such connections is through themes, layering relevant pieces over the planks of an existing curriculum.

For instance, a science teacher can bring in articles all year about scientific ethics, and an English teacher can discuss pieces about group identity or the perils and promises of technology. A teacher of ancient world history can talk about the thrills of modern archaeology. World-language teachers can find pieces about contemporary cultures and politics, and arts teachers can check out the arts section of their local newspaper or alternative weekly.

With character, the relevance of current events expands even more. Many classroom teachers, from math to P.E., build norms with their students as school starts. Later in the year, if you see an article or video that reinforces one of these expectations, you can bring it in to discuss.

In my experience, students especially love stories that focus on positive human interactions, to lighten the daily news litany they scroll through online. One excellent resource for such stories is the Huffington Post’s Good News page . Such stories also generally avoid political partisanship, which even veteran social studies teachers can find hard to navigate.

Finally, don’t feel you have to do a lot! Even five minutes each day, or each week, can open up conversations you never would have had otherwise. And, if you bring in articles frequently enough, your students may start sending you what they find, creating a dialogue that can last far beyond a year in your classroom.

Don’t avoid controversial topics

Mike Kaechele is a history teacher in Grand Rapids, Mich., and National Faculty for PBLWorks. He believes in student-centered learning by giving kids authentic opportunities to do real work with local community partners:

Current events are a great way to engage students in the classroom. Project-Based Learning is an excellent structure to introduce current events. One of the key components of PBL is “authenticity,” and current events make content relevant. I use current events as “entry events” to get kids fired up about the launch of a project. My final products often ask kids to apply lessons from history to propose solutions to current issues that they present to community partners.

In social studies, current events can be used as an entry point to have students trace the causes of current problems to their source. The past can give both warnings and solutions to current problems that need to be addressed. I always use current contexts to launch history projects to give students motivation to learn about the past. For example the Driving Question, “Why do terrorists hate the United States?” requires students to do an in-depth study of American foreign policy of the last century to understand why certain countries do not see the United States as the “hero” on the world stage.

Current events engage students by shedding light on the tensions between American ideals and realities. They force students to be critical thinkers, considering multiple perspectives throughout history. Oftentimes, content is centered around sterile textbooks that do not address current realities. Embracing the controversy of current events engages students in critical thinking. For example, current arguments about immigration could lead to an exploration of our complex history of both welcoming some groups of immigrants while simultaneously discriminating against others with quotas and unjust laws. Students should be shown that current events do not happen in a vacuum but often are seated in a long history of controversy in our country.

Ideally. current events lead students to be proactive in coming up with solutions to the complex, connected society that they are inheriting. If we want students to awaken to the importance of our core content, then current events can be the hook for engagement by addressing real-world issues that their generation will be forced to solve. So instead of avoiding controversy, embrace it and teach students to consider all sides of current issues before taking up a strong position.

Articles & Podcasts

Jessica Torres serves as an educational specialist for ESC Region 12 in the heart of Texas. Formerly an assistant principal and Montessori teacher, Mrs. Torres is passionate about developing educators to provide innovative approaches and experiences for all learners as they pursue their unique interests and learning passions:

Our world has become a very small global community. Social media has allowed our news to become instantaneous in our society, allowing us to “know” what is happening before all of the facts have been clarified and the details are drawn out. For anyone living in today’s media-driven world, it is imperative that they be able to decipher between the facts and the rest, including propaganda, bias, disinformation, and click-bait. With this in mind, discussing current events in the classroom has become more than a fleeting idea—it has become an integral part of ensuring that our students are informed and prepared to face tough topics head-on with a background of knowledge and facts to support their opinions. Here are a few ideas and resources that I use to easily weave current events into the classroom each day and help students decipher between the muck and the news.

  • Newsela - The article archive provides access to the world’s news in a student-friendly format that allows the teacher to differentiate for Lexile level or reading ability. Teachers can create assignments from the articles on Google Classroom or share them with the whole group. Each article comes with its own comprehension questions and writing prompt that can be used to engage students in conversation. Allowing students time to discuss their thoughts and emotions in a safe space, such as the classroom, encourages them to listen and think about other perspectives.
  • Fact vs. Fiction book by Jennifer LaGarde and Darren Hudgins - Everyone needs help determining what’s real and what’s been spun lately. This book, written by two engaging educators, helps us develop strategies to use with ourselves and our students to safeguard our hearts and minds from inaccurate news and sources. Developing strong critical-thinking skills are the focus of this book, and a variety of resources are provided to help teachers as they share news items in their classrooms.
  • Podcasts - Either listening to podcasts or having students create their own podcasts based on what they have learned from news stories can be extremely powerful and clarifying. Many students thoroughly enjoy listening to someone “talk” about the news rather than read about it. For other students, having the opportunity to express their own thoughts or perspective on an event feels personal and encourages ownership. Additionally, podcasts are known to be brief and completely scalable to fit the needs of the classroom.

“The worst ways to bring current events into the classroom”

Renee Hobbs is professor of communication studies and director of the Media Education Lab at the University of Rhode Island’s Harrington School of Communication and Media. An expert on digital and media literacy, Hobbs is the author of the forthcoming book Mind Over Media: Propaganda Education for a Digital Age . Hobbs provides media-literacy curriculum resources for K-12 and college faculty and has offered professional-development programs on four continents:

Let’s start with identifying two of the worst ways to bring current events into the classroom: require students to maintain a current events journal or stage a debate about ongoing news and current events topic. The current events journal is a too-common assignment in middle school and high school where students must write short summaries of news, following a particular format. It’s an assignment that makes paying attention to news and current events a chore, a form of homework, and something to be dreaded. Assignments like this are not likely to inspire students to want to be informed on current events or encourage their intellectual curiosity about the news.

Classroom debate activities are well-meaning efforts intended to promote understanding of controversial public issues. But when students are positioned to take opposing sides and encouraged to gather evidence, argue their side and “win,” this legalistic practice actually leads adolescents in the wrong direction. As an instructional practice, debate can work against the development of genuine understanding and knowledge. Because debates promote competition, it does not model the deliberative and reflective practice of activating intellectual curiosity and modeling humility. When it comes to learning, the goal is not winning—it’s understanding.

Learning Civil Discourse

Instead of debate, students need to practice the art of perspective-taking on news and current events. In a five-minute daily discussion, start with a question to the whole group: “What are all the things you have heard about this topic, regardless of whether you believe them or not?” This invites general sharing and gathering of ideas, and it frees students up to offer ideas without being associated with or having to defend them.

In this kind of activity, students can share information without isolating themselves from their group. Plus, this method does not alienate the students who aren’t familiar with the news event or controversy under discussion. There’s no penalty for not knowing. Students can learn about current events from their peers.

Some teachers maintain a classroom rule for current events discussions: “You only have a right to an opinion if you have evidence or experience to back it up. If you don’t, then ask questions and listen and learn.” When students hear this, they feel a sense of relief. Students can show that they are participating by asking questions and taking notes. High school social studies teacher Emily Glankler explains it this way: “I’m trying to address a social problem we have in society today. Part of the problem is that people think they are entitled to an opinion on everything.” The everyday ritual of talking about current events for five minutes a day all year long models the practice of becoming a lifelong learner and an engaged citizen.

(This is the first post in a two-part series. You can see Part 2 here. )

The question of the week is:

What are the best ways to connect current events to what we’re teaching in the classroom?

Thanks to Suzie, Kristen, Sarah, Mike, Jessica, and Renee for their contributions.

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at [email protected] . When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo .

Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog, along with new material, in an e-book form. It’s titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching .

Just a reminder; you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email or RSS Reader.

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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The Civic Educator

Carl Azuz introducing the September 21 episode of CNN10's video news podcast.

Teaching Methods and Assessments to Use with CNN10 Current Events

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Teaching current events is an important part of civics education. Students need to know what’s going on around the world to be engaged citizens.

If you want to teach current events in class, CNN10 is a free online resource for doing so. If you’re unfamiliar with CNN10, you can read more about why it’s a great tool to use with your students here .

Five Suggested Methods for Teaching Current Events with CNN10

But if you’ve already checked out CNN10, you know it’s a daily 10 minute video podcast that covers three to four important news stories. At this point, you’re probably wondering how best to incorporate it into your class. On that note, here are five suggestions to get you started.

Once Weekly Current Events and Summaries

Set aside one day a week and devote it to current events. On that day, start by asking students to share any news stories they’ve heard about during the week. Then, watch one to two of the CNN10 videos from the week. I suggest always using Friday’s video, because it includes the cool montage at the end of the episode. For the second one, you might want to skim the topics for the week to see what is most relevant to your students.

Have the students jot down notes while they are watching the video, and after each one take a few minutes to debrief. As a group, identify each story, emphasize the key details, and answer any questions that the students had. If there’s a particularly interesting or relevant story, you can extend this into a brief class discussion, but try to avoid it consuming the entire period.

Once you’ve finished both videos, have the students write one of two things. Either write a paragraph that summarizes the key events of the week, citing at least three news stories as examples. Or write a paragraph that identifies the most important story of the week, summarizes that story, and explains why it is important. They’re slightly different writing skills, so you may choose to assign one or the other to target those skills. You could also leave the choice up to the students.

One final adjustment would be to assign the writing for homework. This would increase the amount of class time available for discussion of the news as a class. You could always play this by ear, assigning the writing for classwork if the discussion peters out and assigning it for homework if there’s enough interest to carry it through the end of the class.

Daily Current Events and Summaries

A second option is to watch each day’s CNN10 video as an introductory activity for the day. It’s short enough that you can settle in, watch the video, and quickly debrief in 15 minutes. Afterwards, you’ll still have time for another main activity in class. This is best suited for block periods, but you can do this with a traditional class as well if you instill the routines in your students and eliminate time wasting.

If you watch these current events on a daily basis, I would suggest that you have the students write a paragraph each day as per the assignment above. However, it’s simplest to have them hold on to those summaries until the end of the week and hand them each Monday. Students who are absent can watch the videos on their own time and make them up. If you miss a day, you can also assign that video for homework. Collecting it weekly also cuts down on the amount of paper you collect and read, as you can quickly check an entire week’s worth of work instead of five pages per student per week.

Flipped Classroom Videos and Weekly Quizzes

A third option is to flip the classroom and assign each day’s video for homework. If you use a learning management system, you can upload the videos there for students to access, or they can go directly to the CNN10 website. Similar to the suggestion above, students can write a daily summary or reflection on what they’ve watched and you can collect that each Monday. The Monday due date gives students the entire weekend to catch up on any videos they missed, and it allows busy students like athletes to make adjustments to accommodate their weeknight schedules.

As an added incentive to make sure that students watch the videos and write thorough summaries, I would give a quick quiz each Monday morning. CNN provides a series of multiple choice questions with each video, so you could borrow some of these and combine them into a quiz. You could also write your own. Either way, let the students use their notebooks on the quiz and ask a few questions about the major details of the news stories. This will ensure that students aren’t just skimming the headline and writing their summary by paraphrasing the summary CNN10 provides.

Monthly or Quarterly Reflections

Once you get students in the habit of regularly consuming the news, you should incorporate regular longterm reflections. On a monthly or quarterly basis, assign students an essay that asks them to reflect on the major themes in the news. For example, some recent recurrent themes are have been the conflict with North Korea, natural disasters, and the debate over the Affordable Care Act. Writing the essay is a good opportunity for students to look back through their writing for the period in question and think about the bigger picture. On a daily basis, it’s easy to lose the forest for the trees and focus too much on the individual events and news of the day.

Have Students Produce Their Own CNN Student News

A fun summative project for a semester or for the year would be to have students produce their own CNN Student News show. After a few months, they’ll understand the format and routines of the show. Depending on the technical capabilities of your students and the available technology in your school, you could set higher or lower standards for production value.

If you set the bar high, you could require students to incorporate some actual news footage into their broadcast, share a viral video clip, and close out with a photo montage from the week. You could also require them to film a “CNN Hero” type segment where they interview and feature a student or staff member from the school community.

You could set the bar a bit lower by simply having them write up a script, putting two news anchors behind a desk, and filming it on a cell phone.

Either way, this steps it up a notch from just watching and summarizing the news to making editorial decisions about what to include and what not to cut. As part of the assignment, you should ask students for a written reflection on their production process as a group.

If your kids are into video production, you should also think about using StudentCam in your class . It’s an awesome project that challenges kids to think deeply about the Constitution… and they can win a cash prize for participating.

Have You Used CNN10 In Your Class?

If you’ve never used CNN10, take one of these ideas and try it out. But if you have, why don’t you share your routine in the comments? The five suggestions above are just the beginning. I’m sure there are plenty of other ways that teachers incorporate this into their routine.

Also, don’t forget that using current events is one of the six research based methods for improving civics education . Read more about the other five.

Finally, CNN10 is also a great way to liven things up a bit. Here’s a list of six ways to teach government in a fun way , if you’re looking for more ideas.

9 comments on “Teaching Methods and Assessments to Use with CNN10 Current Events”

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  • January 25, 2018

I have used CNN 10 in all of those ways mentioned.

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  • January 10, 2019

I teach 6th grade. While watching the show, students take notes. After the show, they sit in their teams and I ask 10 trivia questions. They compete for points and we keep running tallies as the year progresses. After each unit of study, we award a winner and switch around the teams.

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  • Jennifer Samborski
  • May 22, 2019

I teach ancient world history. I have students connect something they have learned in class to stories they see on CNN 10. An example would be to connect a geographic location (the Kushan empire to a story about India) or an important concept (trade and it’s impact on people today as well as people in ancient empires). This helps students to make real world connections that make what we learn in class more relevant for them.

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  • August 28, 2019

Does CNN10 still provide questions? I can’t seem to find them if they do

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  • September 4, 2019

They don’t provide daily questions, but they do still provide weekly questions. They’re posted along with the Friday episode. For example, if you look at the August 30 episode, you’ll see the “Weekly News Quiz” with 10 questions (and a printable PDF).

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  • January 21, 2020

I’ve also used Google My Maps to create and interactive map. We create a class map that’s been shared to everyone, and at the end of every episode we add the stories to the map with short summaries.

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  • Julie Gentzen
  • July 21, 2020

Now that’s an awesome idea!

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  • Patricia Lowe
  • May 19, 2020

I teach a Special Needs class at Lyons Creek Middle School in Coconut Creek, Florida. We watch CNN10 everyday. I ask my students to give me 1 or 2 details about an event that they remember. They are able to come up with some pretty good feedback. With this pandemic going on in our society, I am still showing them the daily digital videos to keep them up to date during virtual teaching. It is sort of different than being in the classroom. I just want Carl Azuz to know that my students look forwards to watching his 10 minute news show. Would it be possible to mention our school, when we finally return to our real classroom in the fall. I would like for this to be a school wide event and our students would be thrilled. A couple years ago, you mentioned my high school in Smith’s Station Alabama, I was thrilled! Thank you, Ms. Lowe, Special Needs teacher

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  • September 19, 2020

There is a fantastic cnn10 daily quiz resource on teacherspayteachers.com I highly recommend!

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How to write a current events essay.

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Current events essays are common assignments given by English professors which means learning to write them is a key to passing and succeeding in English class. Writing an essay may seem like a simple assignment, but when it is due tomorrow, a blank word document and piles of books can seem paralyzing.

This post will cover everything you need to know about how to write a well-organized current events essay including where to find trustworthy help from an online resource like an essay writing service.

Because successful writing depends on how you research and organize an outline to guide your writing, this post will spend a lot of time talking about how to set yourself up for success using research and outlining tools.

We will cover:

  • What a current events essay is

How to choose your topic

How to research efficiently.

  • How to organize your research
  • How to create an outline
  • The writing process

Keys to successful proofreading

  • Where to find assistance when you need it and how resources such as an essay writing service can help

What is a current events essay?

Woman with laptop and coffee

A current events essay is a written description of a recent situation, issue, or happening. Current events essays area often assigned by English professors as a way to teach students about the research, writing, and editing process.

Current events essays generally:

  • Are written in standard essay format
  • Include in-text citations and follow a specific citation format
  • Summarize a recent or upcoming event known to the public

Sometimes a current events essay assignment will provide specific instructions about what topic to write about. Other times, students will have more flexibility with choosing a topic. Be sure to carefully review your assignment’s rubric and instructions. If you will be choosing your own topic, make note of the following before you narrow down topic choices:

  • 1. Do the instructions place any time constraints on your topic? In other words, does your current event have to be something that happened within the last year or can it be something that happened five years ago?
  • 2. Does your topic need to relate to a specific industry or genre such as politics, sports, or business?
  • 3. Are there any analytical components that are supposed to be addressed by your essay or is it purely descriptive?

Behind stack of books

After you are clear on these three things, choose a topic you think will be most interesting to write about and easy to research. If you are not sure, try using Google Scholar to do some exploratory searches.

Choose a topic that is easy to find information about. If you are still not sure where to start, consider reaching out to an essay writing service for thought-joggers and topic inspiration. An essay writing service will generally be able to provide an example paper that can be helpful in generating topic ideas.

Tackling the research process can, no doubt, feel a bit intimidating. Here are some basic steps for getting started:

  • 1. Know how many sources you will need so that you can allow enough time to research.
  • 2. Choose credible sources. This will depend on the instructions you are given. some professors allow business or media articles while others will only want scholarly sources.
  • 3. Know exactly what you are looking for before you start your research . Jot down three or four main bullet points of what you will be looking for while you are researching.

Think of these points like a road map. They will guide your reading so you know what passages will be relevant to your paper. Usually, you will be looking for information that relates to the What, Where, When, Who, Why, and How aspects of your topic.

Here is an example:

Election of Donald Trump as President of the United States

  • What happened?
  • U.S. presidential election
  • Where did it happen?
  • The United States, specifically Washington D.C.
  • When did it happen?
  • Who was involved?
  • Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, their respective running mates, and electors
  • Why did it happen?
  • This section may include subjective elements or a discussion with multiple perspectives, unlike the others that are mostly objective facts.
  • How did it happen?
  • A majority of electoral votes were cast in favor of Donald Trump

The research process can be one of the most challenging and time-consuming parts of essay writing. Some high-quality essay writing services are able to provide assistance identifying and recommending credible sources. Generally, an essay writing service will do this by providing an annotated bibliography .

How to choose sources

Using computer with headphones

Again, be sure to review your assignment’s instructions about what types of sources your professor is letting you use. Wikipedia is almost always not allowed. If you are allowed to use business and media sources, some relevant sites may include:

  • The Harvard Business Review
  • Investopedia
  • TIME magazine

However, if you are asked to only use scholarly, peer-reviewed sources, you will want to use search engines such as Google Scholar, the Cochrane Database, JSTOR, or your school’s library database. Make sure that the sources you choose:

  • Are empirical journal articles or
  • Are scholarly books or government documents and
  • Are peer reviewed

If you are having difficulty determining whether or not a source is scholarly, try reaching out to a professional researcher and editor who works with high quality essay writing service such as Ultius. Ensure the essay writing service you choose only hires professional writers .

Differences between primary and secondary sources.

Use the above criteria as a filter when choosing sources to read. Next, choose the sources you will read based on how relevant they are to your topic. Use the title or meta-description to inform you, skim the first couple paragraphs, or read the abstract if one is available.

Look for the most relevant passages

Follow these simple steps to stay organized while you are reading your research:

  • 1. Pause and refresh. Remember that handy bullet point list you created in step #3? (You can also use a What, Where, When, Who, Why, and How list instead of bullets). That list is going to be your reading road map. Take a moment to review it. What information will you want to be looking for while you read?
  • 2. Read with clear intention. Begin skimming and reading your documents with these bullet points in mind. When you get to a section that tells you something you will need to know, read it more thoroughly.
  • 3. Use organizing tools. Use a highlighter tool or copy-paste excerpts to a separate document for later reference. Do not forget to include a citation if you copy-paste, so that you know where each excerpt came from. If highlighting, consider using a different color highlighter for each of the What, Where, When, Who, Why, and How subtopics.

Organize your research

Here are three basic methods of organizing your research:

Using hotkeys on laptop

  • 1. If you are a visual learner , use a different color highlighter or text for research that relates to each of your What, Where, When, Who, Why, and How subtopics. Then you will know exactly what passages to use for each part of the outline you will create next.
  • 2. If you like to compartmentalize, open a different Word document for each What, Where, When, Who, Why, and How subtopic. Copy-paste the most relevant research excerpts onto each document. Include citations.
  • 3. Combine methods 1 and 2 above for compartmentalized color-coded research. That way, if you move research around in your outline, you will still know what aspect or subtopic each item relates to most.

Create your outline

A current events essay outline will follow this general format:

  • Introduction

The body section will include additional subheadings. An easy way to start outlining these subheadings is to make them correspond to the What, Where, When, Who, Why, and How subtopics. For example, if writing a current events essay on the recent election of Trump, an outline might look like this:

  • 1. Introduction. (1 page)
  • a. A brief description of Donald Trump and Presidential elections. ( What )(0.5 pages)
  • b. The political context leading up to and surround the 2016 election. ( Where and When )(0.5 pages)
  • i. Candidates. (0.5 pages)
  • ii. Senate. (0.5 pages)
  • iii. House. (0.5 pages)
  • iv. Campaign initiatives. (0.5 pages)
  • v. State electors and public voters. (0.5 pages)
  • d. Polarized political views and primary political issues surrounding the election. ( Why )(0.5 pages)
  • i. Why Trump one the election over Hillary. (0.5 pages)
  • ii. Conspiracy speculations and opposing opinions (0.5 pages)
  • 3. Conclusion. Re-summarize the introduction and make note of any key takeaways. (1 page)

Notice the page count notes next to each subheading. Making note of page length per subtopic will also help you to write more efficiently and be sure to hit your assignment’s requirements.

Plug your research into your outline

Working at laptop from handwritten notes

Once you organize your research and create your outline, fitting the two together is like putting together a simple puzzle. Simply select the most important passages of research based on your organized subtopic documents or color-coded notes and place them under the outline heading each passage relates to. Also:

  • Be sure to include the citations after each. Do not worry if your citations are not perfectly formatted; you can go back and correct them later. (An essay writing service can also help you correctly format your citations ).
  • Do not try to paraphrase information yet. You will write everything in your own words later. Right now, the idea is simply to create a writing map for yourself so that you do not feel lost or stuck once you begin writing. Also, make notes to yourself on your outline. Jot down writing prompt ideas using keywords or simple phrases.

Remember, this process can be challenging the first couple times you try it. That is completely ok. It takes practice. Creating an outline or understanding what research passages relate to what subtopics are things a high-quality essay writing service can help with. But, be sure to find an essay writing service that can create customized research outlines rather than just providing example papers.

Once you are ready to write, begin by following these steps. Remember, your outline is your road map.

  • 1. Copy-paste your outline to a new document. Save an original version of your outline in case you need to reference it. You will do your writing in the new version.
  • 2. Start writing. As you write, follow your prompts, research, and subheadings. Erase the outline’s subheadings and prompt information as you write about it. Analyze and implement your research as you go, using the notes you wrote to yourself.
  • 3. Keep your writing rough. Avoid the temptation to edit as you write. Just keep writing!
  • 4. Start by writing a summary introduction about the entire current event. Keep your summary brief, about one paragraph. This will be the introduction. Do not worry about getting it perfect; you can revise it later. The goal is simply to write an overview.
  • 5. Write the body of your essay following your outline. Use connecting phrases between paragraphs that explain how thoughts and ideas are related.
  • Finally, write your conclusion. Your conclusion will be a re-cap of the entire essay. It will be similar to the introduction, but will re-state important points the research demonstrated.

Writer’s block can be a stressful obstacle for many students. If you are finding it difficult to get the words to flow, consider reading an example essay—which a professional essay writing service can provide —to inspire your writing.

Now it is time to go back and edit. During the proofreading process, try these 3 steps:

  • 1. Edit your essay for flow and sentence structure. Fix any awkward phrasing or elements that don’t make sense.
  • 2. Next, proofread your essay again for spelling and grammar errors.
  • 3. Finally, ensure all your sources are cited correctly. If you are not sure how to follow a specific citation format, ask your professor for help or reach out to an essay writing service for examples of how a particular citation style should look.

Ask for help when you need it

Writing group working at table

Asking for help is completely ok, and actually recommended . When we have help, we often learn more productively and retain information better.

Despite the many types of essay writing services available online today, high quality essay writing services can be an excellent source of help. Instead of choosing just any paper writing service, the key is to choose the best essay writing service to fit your needs.

Here are some tips for choosing a high quality essay writing service to help with your current events essay:

  • Read reviews.
  • Ask for examples of the essay writing service’s writing and editing to make sure the quality is up to par.
  • Make sure the service provides outlining, researching, and editing services in addition to writing.
  • Steer clear of free services (they sometimes plagiarize content)!
  • Make sure the essay writing service allows you to message your writer directly.

Follow the steps we covered in this post and choose a reliable essay writing service , and you will be on the road to writing an A+ current events essay.

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130 + best current event essay topics & current event essay example, bob cardens.

  • July 29, 2022

This article covers a list over 130 Current Event Essay Topics and a Current Event Essay Example. It also discusses the ho to choose a Current Event Essay Topic that best fits your interests.

Current events essays are common assignments given by English professors which means learning to write them is a key to passing and succeeding in English class. Writing an essay may seem like a simple assignment, but when it is due tomorrow, a blank word document and piles of books can seem paralyzing.

What You'll Learn

Current Event Essay

A current events essay is a written description of a recent situation, issue, or happening. Current events essays are often assigned by English professors as a way to teach students about the research, writing, and editing process.

Properties of Current Events Essays

  • Are written in standard essay format
  • Include in-text citations and follow a specific citation format
  • Summarize a recent or upcoming event known to the public

You may also be interested to read about Argumentative business essay topics

How to choose your topic

Sometimes a current events essay assignment will provide specific instructions about what topic to write about.

Other times, students will have more flexibility in choosing a topic. Be sure to carefully review your assignment’s rubric and instructions.

If you will be choosing your own topic, make note of the following before you narrow down topic choices:

1. Do the instructions place any time constraints on your topic? In other words, does your current event have to be something that happened within the last year or can it be something that happened five years ago?

2. Does your topic need to relate to a specific industry or genre such as politics, sports, or business?

3. Are there any analytical components that are supposed to be addressed by your essay or are it purely descriptive?

How to Research Efficiently

Tackling the research process can, no doubt, feel a bit intimidating. Here are some basic steps for getting started:

1. Know how many sources you will need  so that you can allow enough time to research.

2. Choose credible sources.  This will depend on the instructions you are given. some professors allow business or media articles while others will only want scholarly sources.

3. Know exactly what you are looking for  before you start your research. Jot down three or four main bullet points of what you will be looking for while you are researching.

Think of these points like a road map. They will guide your reading so you know what passages will be relevant to your paper.

Usually, you will be looking for information that relates to the  What, Where, When, Who, Why,  and  How  aspects of your topic.

Best Current Event Essay Topics

Politics current event essay topics.

  • How will Black Lives Matter affect the 2020 elections?
  • Should the police be defunded?
  • How is the Trump presidency changing international relationships?
  • How should the U.S. respond to cyber hacking by Russia, China, and other countries?
  • Should the United States raise the minimum wage for workers?
  • How can cities in the U.S. be better designed to create a safer and more economically productive community?
  • Is the U.S. economy becoming stronger or weaker?
  • How will COVID-19 change working in America? Around the world?
  • Getting “off the grid” is a current trend. What is the benefit of becoming self-sufficient? Is it worth the cost?
  • Does better health care for everyone make a better and stronger economy in the U.S.?
  • Does it make sense to give U.S. citizenship to all babies born in the United States?
  • Gallup polls show that Americans view Unemployment and the economy as the top problem in the United States. Does evidence suggest they are right?
  • What are the different sides of the current debate over immigration reform in the U.S.?
  • Does the United States have a good or a poor educational system compared to the rest of the world?
  • How important is it to reduce the Federal budget deficit?
  • What will be the most important issues in the next Presidential election cycle?
  • What is causing the increasingly high cost of healthcare in the United States?
  • Should the U.S. continue using drone strikes against terrorists?
  • How is the current U.S. drought going to affect the fire season and food supply?
  • Should the death penalty be outlawed throughout the U.S.?
  • Should the U.S. aggressively work to change towards alternative energies like solar and wind power?
  • What is the best way to create new jobs in the United States to get people back to work?
  • Is the United States responsible for keeping peace around the world? What role should the U.S. play in preventing or intervening in wars and abusive governments?
  • Should the United States fund college education more for people? What should be the rules for the repayment of loans?
  • Should the United States make it easier for educated people or people with valuable skills to immigrate to the United States?
  • How can the Borders of the United States be made more secure? How important is border security?
  • Should it be easier for people to become United States citizens?
  • What infrastructure projects should be the top domestic priority in the United States?
  • How has the high incarceration rate in the United States affected the economy? What Federal and State policies have driven up this incarceration rate?
  • How has the Black Lives Matter movement affected the debate about racism in the United States?

You may also be interested to read about Argumentative Essay Topics about Social Media

Sports Current Event Essay Topics

  • Should sports teams play to empty stands rather than not play at all?
  • How will COVID-19 affect sports in the future?
  • Should college football players receive a salary or other compensation for their playing?
  • Should the owner of a professional team be held accountable for the comments he makes in a private conversation?
  • Is it worth it for a city to invest in building a bigger and better stadium for its professional sports team?
  • What is the value of a college sports team for a college? How does this help the college in terms of getting financial support from alumni? Attracting students? Supporting the economy of their community?
  • What is the difference between sports and entertainment?
  • How have new technologies made by watching sports different? Is the experience of watching sports better or worse than it was before?
  • Which is more interesting to watch, college or professional sports?
  • What sports should be taken out or added to the Olympic games?
  • Should performance-enhancing drugs be allowed in sports? What should be the rules about these drugs? Should athletes who used them in the past before they were outlawed be prevented from being entered into Hall of Fame?
  • Is racism in sports a problem?
  • Should athletes protest racism in America by not participating in the National Anthem or Pledge of Allegiance?
  • Is participating in organized sports a good or bad idea for young people?
  • Is it better for young people to specialize in one sport from a young age? Or should they try a variety of sports?
  • Choose your favorite sport. What is the best way for coaches to identify the best talent in their specific sport? Are there better ways to pick a team?
  • How much of a role do parents play in developing top talent in their children? What is the best way parents can help develop their children’s sports career? What are the worst mistakes parents make?
  • Can fan-owned teams solve sports problems?

World Issues Current Event Essay Topics

  • How will COVID-19 change the world economy?
  • Is WHO and organization that provides the information we can trust?
  • Is the International Space Station a good way to bridge differences between nations, or is it vulnerable to become a political tool?
  • Are we heading towards a 3rd World War?
  • Is N.A.T.O. and an effective organization?
  • How can the International Community prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons? How important is it that Iran not be allowed nuclear weaponry?
  • What is the effect on Africa on the fact that many children have been forced to be soldiers?
  • Is the EU going to survive the current economic problems countries have been having? Should the EU nations separate their economies?
  • Is violence along the border of Mexico getting better?
  • How can ethnic killings be stopped in Sudan?
  • Is China easing up in restrictions for Religion or not? Are human rights better or worse in China than in the past?
  • Should women’s issues be more important in international affairs?
  • Is China about to overtake the United States economically?
  • What is the effect of piracy on the stability of world commerce? How important is it to stop African pirates?
  • Is there a better way to fight the war against drugs internationally?
  • Is China starting to deal with their pollution problem?
  • How has social media helped positively influence the world?
  • Is India a poor nation or an emerging superpower?
  • How can we stop the world population from reaching 9 billion in 2050? Is it important to work to limit world population growth?
  • Should the world follow Bhutan’s development model?
  • How healthy is the Indian Judicial System?
  • Why do African nations have so many civil wars?
  • Has foreign aid hurt Africa more than helping it?
  • How has the influence of western media hurt underdeveloped nations?
  • Does Colonialism still affect the nations that were colonized? Pick a nation and explain the continuing problems in that nation due to the history of being colonized.

Health and Medicine Current Event EssayTopics

  • What can we do to better prepare ourselves for pandemics in the future?
  • What are the lessons the medical community will learn from COVID-19?
  • Are E-Cigarettes less harmful than smoking?
  • Why do people oppose the Affordable Care Act?
  • Does spending time on media cause children to have mental health problems?
  • How is the job of frontline health workers like pharmacists, nurses, and doctors going to change?
  • Is it possible to get AIDS infection rates to zero?
  • What is preventing the world from eradicating polio?
  • How are new technologies changing health care?
  • What are the current trends in research about helping people break out of addictive behaviors?
  • Traditional Chinese Medicine birth practices like eating the placenta (which in Western countries is usually encapsulated by being steamed dried and ground into pills) are becoming popular among some celebrities. What is the benefit of this practice? Is there any scientific evidence it works?
  • Does making a city a “no smoking zone” really benefit health? Does it stop people from smoking, or help them quit? Does it result in fewer smokers in that city?
  • What is the best diet for people with heart disease in their family history?
  • The length of the average life continues to increase. What does current research say about the best lifestyle for someone who wants to live to be 100?
  • Research is finding that what we think a medicine or food will do sometimes affects the way our body reacts. What is the evidence that our mind controls our body?
  • Current health food trends include eating “superfoods” or going “gluten-free.” Take a current food trend and investigate the scientific evidence that this helps people have better health.
  • What is the benefit of taking a daily low dose of Aspirin for older people?

As you continue, thestudycorp.com has the top and most qualified writers to help with any of your assignments. All you need to do is  place an order  with us. (Current Event Essay Topics )

Current event essay topics

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Media and Entertainment Current Event Essay Topics

  • How has Twitter changed Entertainment news? What are the most recent scandals made bigger because of Tweets?
  • Is it inevitable that teenage stars eventually turn to drugs, alcohol, or other destructive behavior?
  • Are female stars fighting back effectively against being judged by their looks, and especially by their weight?
  • Which celebrity does the best job of seeming to be authentic? Is there a celebrity who seems to be as nice as they appear? How can fans know?
  • How have shows like “Project Runway” influenced fashion? Have they motivated people to become more creative and personal in what they wear?
  • In what way does the attention of the media on religious figures like The Pope affect the way they behave?
  • Are the recent Christian movies helping win the culture wars?
  • Why are cooking shows like “Chopped” popular?
  • What is the best recent film adapted from a novel?
  • What are the best movies in the current year? Do the Academy Awards winners reflect the very best movies?
  • Is recap culture hurting television?
  • Recently, scripts from pro-wrestling have been released showing that the storyline is written even though the wrestling is improved. Analyze how pro-wrestling is similar to other forms of live or taped entertainment.
  • Which current actors from Bollywood or other film industry outside of the U.S. seem most likely to make it big in Hollywood?
  • Does getting involved in a scandal hurt or help a celebrity’s career?
  • Does being on American Idol, The Voice or other singing contest help an artist’s career? Do winners do better than other contestants?
  • Pick one of the current Reality T.V. shows to investigate. How “Real” are these shows? What is done for entertainment value more than for depicting real life? Do these shows hurt or help the people on them?

Controversial Issues Current Event Essay Topics

  • Affirmative Action
  • Alternative medicine
  • America’s global influence
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Assisted suicide
  • Bilingual education
  • Capital punishment
  • Charter schools
  • Childhood obesity
  • Civil rights
  • Climate change
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Cyber bullying
  • Drug legalization
  • Eating disorders
  • Factory farming
  • Foreign aid
  • Freedom of speech
  • Genetic engineering
  • Health insurance
  • Immigration
  • Labor unions
  • Minimum wage
  • Nuclear energy
  • Organic food
  • Offshore drilling
  • Outsourcing
  • Racial profiling
  • Reparations
  • Screen addiction
  • Self-driving cars
  • Sex education
  • Smart speakers
  • Social security
  • Standardized testing
  • Urban agriculture
  • Violence in the media
  • Women’s rights
  • Zero tolerance policies

Current Event Essay Example

The negative social impacts of “tomorrowland music festival” essay.

“Tomorrowland” is among the biggest global music events that were first launched in 2005. Despite the benefits of this festival for the local community, such as increased economic activity and employment, “Tomorrowland” has also been criticized for the presence of drugs on-site, the issues with cleaning up the location after the festival, local community’s quality of life, and noise pollution.

According to Turner (2017), during events such as Tomorrowland, “police generally occupy a low-key role at festivals with a focus on the seizure of drugs, rather than arrests” (241). Hence, the youth attending this event is exposed to drugs and seeing people around them be under the influence.

Another issue with Tomorrowland is the effect that this festival has on the local community. According to Pavluković et al. (2018), the governments and organizers of festivals usually cite the economic benefits of these events but fail to acknowledge the discomfort the locals feel. An obvious environmental impact is trash left behind by the visitors, which requires the administration of the festival to invest in clearing the site after “Tomorrowland” is over.

Adbulredha et al. (2017) argue that major music festivals generate substantial quantities of solid waste, an estimated “0.89 kg per guest” (p. 388). This problem affects the environment negatively since this waste includes non-recyclable objects or items that need to be collected and send for recycling.

Finally, noise pollution due to the powerful sound systems used by “Tomorrowland’s” performers, which can affect the hearing of the people attending the festival and cause discomfort to the community members, is also a problem.

Overall, although “Tomorrowland” is an important cultural event that has multiple benefits, it also endangers the youth and the environment and causes discomfort for the locals.

Abdulredha, M., Al Khaddar, R., Jordan, D., Kot, P., Abdulridha, A., & Hashim, K. (2018). Estimating solid waste generation by hospitality industry during major festivals: A quantification model based on multiple regression.  Waste Management, 77 , 388-400. Web.

Pavluković V., Armenski T., Alcántara-Pilar J.M. (2019) The impact of music festivals on local communities and their quality of life: Comparation of Serbia and Hungary. In A. Campón-Cerro A., J. Hernández-Mogollón, & J. Folgado-Fernández (Eds.), Best practices in hospitality and tourism marketing and management. Applying quality of life research (pp. 217-237). Springer.

Turner, T. (2017). Space, drugs and Disneyfication. An Ethnography of British youth in Ibiza. [Doctoral dissertation, Coventry University]. CURVE.

You can also check out Best Classification Essay Topics 

Related FAQs

1. what are the components of a current events essay.

A well-written, “current events essay” has four main components: Research: Make sure that you’re getting your news from a reputable source. Online news sources like Google News and any national news syndication Web site are good, convenient sources from which to gather reputable information and compile research data.

2. How to write a narrative discussion analysis article about current events?

The eply a narrative discussion analysis article, Current Event, include: (1)’s significance, relevance, relationship PUBLIC ADMINISTATION, (2) student’s opinion article’s public administration issue / problem, (3) supported (4) -text reference citations pages text 300 words.

3. How to write an essay about a recent event?

Select a recent article. Your task is to write about a current event; therefore, you have to choose the material that is one or two days old, maximum, one week old. The topic must be appropriate.

4. How to write a summary for a current event assignment?

Choose an article that is fresh since the assignment is to write about a current event. In addition, choose an article on the correct topic and make sure that the article gives enough information. Prepare to write the summary by reading the entire article.

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  • SUNY Adirondack
  • SUNY Adirondack Library

SOC101: Principles of Sociology

  • Current Events Assignment

Step 1: Choose a Current Event Article

Browse through these news sites to choose an article: 

  • NPR (National Public Radio)
  • New York Times
  • Washington Post
  • Wall Street Journal
  • Reuters News Service
  • The Week Magazine

For More Help on Conducting Research

  • Do a search then limit to e-books, articles (limit to scholarly if wanted), or videos. 
  • Click  Advanced Search  to overlap another subject. 
  • To borrow a print book, contact a librarian ([email protected]) to arrange to pick it up. 
  • Depending on your subject and research needs, you can also search individual databases below.   
  • How Do I... Offers video tutorials for various library databases.
  • Starting Your Research
  • Ask a Librarian! Reference librarians are available to help you with your research, by chat, email, text or Zoom.

Step 2: Choose a Journal Article

A. Search for the accepted sociology journals listed to the right below. 

  • "Annual Review of Sociology" OR "American Sociological Review" OR "American Journal of Sociology" OR "Sociological Methodology" OR "Sociological Theory" OR "Sociology of Education" OR "Social Networks" OR "Gender & Society" OR "Journal of Marriage and Family" OR "Population and Development Review" OR "Social Forces" OR "European Sociological Review"
  • Add a subject on the second line.
  • Limit to the last 10 years.  
  • Click the Search Criteria to add a second or third subject.
  • This search is limited to last 10 years (2012-2023). 
  • Library databases search for sociology journal titles

B. To find more, click the JSTOR link below and follow these tips:

  • Click  Advanced Search .
  • Enter a subject.
  • Choose these limits:   - Click  Articles   -  Limit the search to the   last 10 years -  Under Return results for , click Sociology (145 titles) then   Search. 
  • Make sure to choose top sociology journals! See the list to the right. 

C. For more, search these databases: 

  • Gale Academic OneFile
  • ProQuest Central
  • ScienceDirect
  • Google Scholar Go to Settings > Library Links > add SUNY Adirondack to the search. Use Advanced Search. more... less... Indexes selected scholarly journals; open access as well as articles in SUNY Adirondack subscription databases. Search with non-technical keywords, but it's harder to narrow the search to the most relevant articles.

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  • SUNY Adirondack Technology

Recommended Sociology Journals

Look for articles from these journals when you search the databases: 

  • Annual Review of Sociology
  • American Sociological Review
  • American Journal of Sociology 
  • Sociological Methodology
  • Sociological Theory  
  • Sociology of Education  
  • Social Networks  
  • Gender & Society 
  • Journal of Marriage and Family 
  • Population and Development Review 
  • Social Forces  
  • European Sociological Review 
  • Last Updated: Oct 4, 2022 10:37 AM
  • URL: https://library.sunyacc.edu/soc101

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COMMENTS

  1. How to Write a Current Events Summary

    Current events summaries are often assigned by junior and senior high school educators for the purpose of teaching research, writing, and editing skills. The following steps will help you create a current events summary that is accurate, informative, and readable. Part 1 Choosing a News Article Download Article 1 Use a reputable news source.

  2. Free Current Events Worksheets for Your Classroom

    When giving current events assignments, give students the option to use one of two article summary worksheets to get started. Choose from a graphic organizer-style worksheet or a traditional fill-in worksheet to evaluate an article. News Accuracy Worksheets WeAreTeachers Begin a lesson on news literacy.

  3. PDF Teaching Current Events in the Classroom

    • If you assign a weekly current events assignment, give students the option to use one of our two article summary worksheets to get started. • Begin a lesson on news literacy. Use our tips to get started and have students complete the corresponding worksheet to evaluate an article's credibility.

  4. How to Write a Current Events Summary (docx)

    2. 2 Choose an article that is less than one week old. Since the assignment is to write about a current event, select an article that is fresh. The article should only be one to two days old when you write the summary. It should definitely be less than one week old by the time you turn it in. 3. 3 Choose an article on the correct topic.

  5. 5 Different Common Core Current Event Templates

    Current event assignments are a great alternative for reinforcing summary writing skills, especially when it comes to informational text. Vocabulary in Context Determining the meaning of general academic and domain specific words or phrases is a major component of the Common Core State Standards.

  6. Current Events

    Step 5: Neatly staple your article to your summary and bring it to class. Step 6: Share your article with the class and show us on the map where it takes place. Grading: Your current events assignment will be graded using the following criteria: 5 points for an appropriate article 2 points for answering Who 5 points for answering What

  7. How to Write a Current Event Summary

    A current event summary is an overview/brief statement that presents the most important developments or newest information about a current topic. Learn more! ... The format for writing a current event summary varies according to the type of assignment that is given. But generally, a current event summary is one paragraph long and includes the ...

  8. Current Event Summary Teaching Resources

    4.8 (179) PDF Google Apps™ Internet Activities Add one to cart CURRENT EVENTS: News Article Summary, Main Idea, Reading Comprehension | NEWSELA Created by Mister Harms This Current Events Summary is an excellent tool for students to get involved with the news and the current events of the week.

  9. Current Events Article Summary Template Teaching Resources

    This Current Events Summary is an excellent tool for students to get involved with the news and the current events of the week. A simple writing format helps students find, summarize, and write opinions about current news stories and events.I find this activity to be a practical filler for various social studies courses.

  10. Seven Ways to Bring Current Events Into the Classroom

    The current events journal is a too-common assignment in middle school and high school where students must write short summaries of news, following a particular format.

  11. Current Events

    By Jeremy Engle current events conversation Stanley Cups, Distracted Walking and Taylor Swift: Teens React to the News We invited teenagers to weigh in on three recent articles via our Picture...

  12. DOCX Current Events Assignment Outline

    Current Events Assignment.* Last Name 1. Student Name. Ms. Fernandes. ENG 11 Honors. 16 September 2016. Current Event Assignment #1. Paragraphs 1-2: Summary of the article. Please include the following information. Who, what, when, where, why, and how. 2 paragraphs (8 sentences each) Summary Paragraph #1: Start with: The

  13. Teaching Methods and Assessments to Use with CNN10 Current Events

    Set aside one day a week and devote it to current events. On that day, start by asking students to share any news stories they've heard about during the week. Then, watch one to two of the CNN10 videos from the week. I suggest always using Friday's video, because it includes the cool montage at the end of the episode.

  14. PBS Newshour Classroom

    Current events ready to go for students grades 6-12! Lessons based on the PBS NewsHour with focus on civics, social studies, ELA, science, art, and media literacy.

  15. Sample Current Event Article Summary

    This is an example of the correct format for the Current Event Article Summary assignment. Current Event article La Serna High School serves 9-12th grade students and is part of Whittier Union High School District.

  16. 7 Free Current Events Websites for Students

    Instantly make your current event assignments cross-curricular by aligning your worksheets with reading comprehension skills. Click here to read more about how you can rotate through five different standards-based formats when assigning current event reports.

  17. How to Write a Current Events Essay

    A current events essay is a written description of a recent situation, issue, or happening. Current events essays area often assigned by English professors as a way to teach students about the research, writing, and editing process. Current events essays generally: Are brief. Are written in standard essay format.

  18. PDF Current Events Assignment

    Current Events Assignment - Two current event assignments are due each quarter. - Current events must be handwritten. - You need to write in complete sentences using proper grammar and punctuation. - You will need a separate sheet of paper to complete these assignments. - Your article can be no more than 6 months old.

  19. 130+ Best Current Event Essay Topics & Current Event ...

    Sometimes a current events essay assignment will provide specific instructions about what topic to write about. Other times, students will have more flexibility in choosing a topic. Be sure to carefully review your assignment's rubric and instructions.

  20. DOCX (example of current events assignment)

    CURRENT EVENTS ASSIGNMENT The world around us is changing each and every day and those decisions greatly affect our lives. It is important for us to be aware of the events that are going on around us locally and nationally. You are responsible this semester for completing 7 current event articles due on the dates listed below.

  21. PDF CURRENT EVENT ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS

    CURRENT EVENT ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS Find a current event related to the unit we are covering right now. You will turn in one current event per unit, due the day BEFORE each test. Article MUST BE CURRENT! Unit 1 - Basics of Biology (experimental design/characteristics of life) Unit 2 - Ecology Unit 3 - Environmental Change

  22. CURRENT EVENTS WORKSHEET Flashcards

    Quizlet is a website that you can use to review when you have a test and/or a quiz coming up. Name: Sarah Cornett. CURRENT EVENTS WORKSHEET Week of (3/23 - 3/27). Directions. Find 2 articles either in the newspaper or online from a newspaper source, Time.com, USA Today, The New York Times, etc., or any other reputable national or local source.

  23. Current Events Assignment

    Current Events Assignment; SOC101: Principles of Sociology. This guide will help students complete the current event presentation assignment. Step 1: Choose a Current Event Article. Browse through these news sites to choose an article: NPR (National Public Radio) New York Times. Washington Post.