Inservice Final Product

Ohio Educational Library Media Association Conference
April 23, 2012

Using Current Events
To Strengthen Literacy Development
Joseph J. Fabian

Rationale:
The purpose of this workshop is to demonstrate how using current events in your media
center can help to strengthen your students literacy skills. Literacy skills are a necessary
for students to acquire in order to be successful in future years throughout both
academic and life situations. Incorporating events that are happening in the here and
now around the students will help to make a real-world connection to the material.
Participants should be able to walk away from this workshop with a more confident
attitude about utilizing current events as well as understanding how they can be used to
make the real-world connection to literacy skills.
Conference Proposal:
See Appendix A
Outline:
1. Welcome / Introduction (2-3 minutes)
a. Name
b. Degrees
c. Work Experience
2. Icebreaker Activity (7-8 minutes)
a. See Appendix C for activity
3. Why Use Current Events (5 minutes)
a. See Appendix B for PowerPoint
4. What the Research Says (10 minutes)
a. See Appendix B for PowerPoint
b. See Appendix D for Articles
5. Ideas for how to use Current Events (5 minutes)
6. Example Lesson (20 minutes)
a. Video CNN Student News (April 23, 2012)
i. http://www.cnn.com/studentnews/
b. Activity
i. See Appendix E for activity
c. Extension
i. See Appendix F for activity
7. Conclusion / Evaluation (10 minutes)
a. See Appendix G for evaluation
Program Details
This workshop will be taking place at the Ohio Educational Library Media Association
Conference. It will be attended by library media specialists, educators and
administrators. The workshop will be publicized via the conferences program of events
as well as the conferences webpage of events.
Supplemental Materials
The following supplemental materials are located in the appendix:
Appendix A: Conference Proposal
Appendix B: PowerPoint for Presentation
Appendix C: Icebreaker Activity
Appendix D: Related Articles
Appendix E: Current Events Activity
Appendix F: Current Events Extension Activity
Appendix G: Workshop Evaluation
Appendix H: Bibliography
Evaluation:
See Appendix G
Bibliography:
See Appendix H
Resource(s):
See Appendices


Appendix A
Conference Proposal

Updated 5/15/07

Ohio Educational Library Media Association (OELMA) Conference Proposal

Primary Speaker Information
Joseph J. Fabian
Shiloh Middle School (Parma City School District)
2303 Grantwood Ave. Parma, OH 44134
440-885-8485
440-885-8486
fabianj@parmacityschools.org
www.mrfabian.com

Identify the Strand and Guidelines

Informational Resources, Technological Infrastructure, Reading Resources, Instructional
& Management Information about School Library Media programs
Formational Information, Technology & Media Literacy, Reading Encouragement

Guideline 2: Collection Development & Curriculum Academic Content Standards,
Collaboration, Collection Development
Guideline 3: Literacy & Reading Support Authors, Best Books, Reading Initiatives,
Storytelling, Readers Advisory
Guideline 6: Technological Literacy Electronic Information Formats, Internet Searching,
Usage of Electronic Resources & Multimedia Tools
Guideline 7: Media Literacy Communication Competencies & Critical Thinking Skills to
Access, Evaluate, Communicate Information through Media

Intended Audience
Media Center Specialists or Classroom Teachers in Grades K-12

Audio Visual/ Room Setup
The following equipment will be needed for this workshop:
o Projector compatible with a MAC laptop
o Screen for projector
o Platform to place projector and laptop on
The following will be provided by presenter:
o Laptop
o VGA cord and adapter for projector
o Wireless remote for presentation

Program Information
Flying Through Literacy with Current Events

Program Description: (50-75 words)
Updated 5/15/07
This workshop is designed to help media center specialists and educators understand
how to implement current events into their curriculum to help strengthen the literacy
skills of their students. It will also give resources to use as well as discuss the research
behind using current events. Special attention will be paid as to how current events
needs to be a process not simply an assignment in the classroom.


Appendix B
Presentation PowerPoint

Flying Through Literacy
With Current Events
About Myself
Joseph Fabian

Bachelors Degree Middle Childhood Education (Math and
Social Studies) Cleveland State University

Masters Degree in Curriculum & Instruction (Middle
School Science) Cleveland State University

Masters Degree in Library and Information Science
Kent State University

Teaching 4 years
2 years 7
th
/8
th
Grade Parma City Schools
2 years 5
th
Grade Euclid City Schools

IceBreaker
Why Use Current Events?
Cover a wide range of
subjects and connect to
all areas of the
curriculum.

Build vocabulary,
reading comprehension,
critical thinking,
problem solving, oral
expression, and
listening skills.
Develop informed
citizens and lifelong
newsreaders.

Help to enforce media
literacy skills.

Can lead to open
communication
between students and
parents.

Offers opportunities for
co-op learning.
What the Research Says
According to Edward F. DeRoche, Dean of Education at University of San Diego
Students who use
newspapers tend to score
higher on standardized
tests.

Newspapers help teach
students to be effective
readers.

Newspapers can develop
and improve student
vocabulary, word
recognition skills and
comprehension.
Newspapers are effective
tools for teaching many
math concepts,
particularly fractions,
decimals, currency and
averages.

Newspapers increase
awareness of and interest
in current events.

Students who read
newspapers in school
tend to continue reading
them when they become
adults.
Ideas for Using Current Events
Independent
Reading Assignment

Class Discussion
Topics

Class Debate Topics

Class Speech /
Presentation
Assignments

Small Group
Activities

Large Group
Activities

Partner Activities

Think-Pair-Share
Activities
Example Lesson - Video
Example Lesson Worksheet
Example Lesson Extension Activity
Questions?
Please take a moment to fill out an
evaluation sheet to help improve this
workshop for the future!


Appendix C
IceBreaker Activity

Directions: Find a person who can say they know or can do that particular
item. Have them initial the box next to it.
Can name two TV anchor per-
sons
Can name at least two different
jobs on a newspaper

Watched the news on TV last
night

Can name two national news
magazines

Can name three countries that
were in the news last week

Listened to the news on radio in
the last two days

Knows something about a natu-
ral disaster that was in the news
in the last two years
Can name three American cities
that were in the national news
last week

Can name at least three different
sections of the newspaper
Can name the leaders of three
countries other than the United
States

Can name the governor of Ohio
and the mayor of Cleveland
Know what the five Ws of news
reporting are

sons
jobs on a newspaper

night

magazines


the last two days

last week

States

reporting are

sons
jobs on a newspaper

night

magazines


the last two days

last week

States

reporting are

sons
jobs on a newspaper

night

magazines


the last two days

last week

States

reporting are


Appendix D
Related Articles

Twenty-Five Great Ideas for
Teaching Current Events
Looking for ways to work news into your classroom curriculum? Check out these great
ideas for connecting current events to all subjects.
Article by Gary Hopkins
Education WorldEditor in Chief
Copyright 2010 Education World
Originally published 06/24/2002
Last updated 07/25/2011

Young Americans today know less and care less about what's going on in the world than young
Americans of previous generations did. Those were the conclusions presented in a 1995 report
from the Times Mirror Center for the People and the Press (now called the Pew Research Center
for the People and the Press). "On average, only 20 percent of respondents aged 18 to 29 paid
close attention to the stories covered in the News Interest Index [an index of top news stories]."
Attentiveness rose to 23 percent among respondents 30 to 49 and to 29 percent among those 50
years and older.
So what can be done to raise students' interest in and awareness of the stories making news
headlines?
Another study, highlighted in the introduction to the Education World story Why Teach Current
Events? indicates that the more exposure students have to newspapers and current events the
more likely they are to be aware and interested in learning and reading more about them. Indeed,
including current events in the school curriculum can go a long way toward developing lifelong
newsreaders!
Education World is pleased to offer 25 activities -- activities intended to help teachers make use
of newspapers and to help students make sense of the news. Also included, at the end of the
activity list, is a list of additional activities and Internet resources.
THE ACTIVITIES
This first activity won't make better or more interested newsreaders of your students -- but it was
too interesting not to include in our list! Taken from an ERIC document, Twenty Ideas for
Teaching Science Using the Newspaper, the first activity provides a recipe for keeping old
newspaper clippings from turning yellow. Try it!
Preserving the news! Dissolve a milk of magnesia tablet in a quart of water, and let it stand
overnight. Pour the mixture into a flat baking pan large enough to hold the news clippings that
you want to preserve. Place the clippings in the solution so they're completely covered by the
liquid. Let them soak for an hour. Then take them out and pat them dry. They'll be crisp and new
for a long time to come! (This works because the magnesium carbide in the solution neutralizes
the acid in the paper; it is the acid that makes the newspaper yellow.)
Listening for details. Students can do this activity individually or in small groups. Ask students
to listen carefully as you read aloud a story from the day's newspaper. (Story length will vary by
grade level.) Then hand out to students a sheet with questions about details from the story. The
higher the grade, the harder (more detailed) questions you can ask. Invite students or groups to
respond to the questions. Who caught the most details?
News-mapping. Post a map (a community, state, U.S., or world map, depending on the focus of
your current events curriculum) on a bulletin board. Post stories around the map and string yarn
from each story to the location on the map where the story takes place.
More news-mapping. Take a look at the front page of the local newspaper each day. Plot on the
map the location of each of the news stories on that page. Invite students to use the scale of miles
on the map to figure out how far each place in the news is from your community. If longitude
and latitude is a skill your students are expected to master, students might plot each location's
longitude and latitude to the nearest degree.
News scavenger hunts. Provide students with a list of things to find on the front page of today's
newspaper. Students might hunt in the paper for math-related words and terms (a percent, a
measurement of distance, a cost, an address, and a fraction) or grammar-related terms (a present-
tense verb, a past-tense verb, a proper noun, an abbreviation, a colon, and a list separated by
commas). Or students might scavenge the main sports page for a list of sports-related terms. Or
you might let students work in small groups to hunt for as many nouns (or proper nouns, or
verbs) they can find in a story or on the front page. The group that finds the most is the winner!
A to Z adjectives. Each student writes the letters from A to Z on a sheet of paper. Challenge
students to search the day's front page (or the entire newspaper, if your students are older) for an
adjective that begins with each letter of the alphabet. Students cut the adjectives from the
newspaper and paste them on their list.
Graphing the news. Pull facts from the news that lend themselves to graphing (e.g., the cost of a
postage stamp, the population of your community, the number of barrels of oil imported).
Provide students with the information needed and invite them to create a bar, line, or picture
graph to depict that information.
Scanning the page. Provide a copy of a news story for this activity that teaches the skill of
"skimming for information," or let all students work with their own copy of the front page of the
same daily paper. Provide a list of words from the story/front page and invite students to skim
the page to find as many of those words as they can. Set a time limit. Who finds the most words
before time runs out?
Abbreviation/acronym search. The names of many common organizations are shortened to
their acronym form when used in news stories. For example, the American Broadcasting
Corporation becomes ABC, the National Organization for Women becomes NOW, and the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration becomes NASA. Also, abbreviations are
commonly used for state names and some titles, such as Tex. (for Texas) or Sen. (for Senator).
Invite students to work in groups to find and create a list of acronyms and abbreviations they find
in the daily newspaper. (Note: You might include the classified ad section in your students'
search. Many abbreviations can be found there.)
Local, national, or international? To develop your students' understanding of a news story's
"place," create a bulletin board divided into three sections. Invite students to bring in from home
news stories that might fit into each of the three sections. News of the community or state will be
posted in the "Local" section. News of interest around the country will fit in the "National"
section. And world news will be posted in the "International" section.
Headline match. Collect ten news stories and separate the story text from the headline. Number
each headline from 1 to 10. Assign a letter, from A to J , to each story text. Invite students to
match each headline to the correct text.
The five Ws. Introduce students to the 5Ws found in most news stories. Often, the five Ws are
introduced in a story's opening paragraph. Create an overhead transparency of a major news
story. Invite students to talk about the who, where, when, what, and why of the story. Circle or
highlight and label the areas of the story that tell each of the five Ws. Then provide each student
or group of students with a news story and ask them to report to the class the who, where, when,
what, and why of the story. Students might underline each of the five Ws with a different colored
crayon.
A five W variation. Provide each students with a news story. The student lists on a separate
sheet of paper the who, where, when, what, and why of the story. Then the students' papers are
collected and redistributed so no student has his or her own sheet. Each students takes a look at
their five W list and writes the opening paragraph of a news story based on that information. At
the end of the activity, students share their stories and the original stories to see how they
compare. How accurate were the students' stories?
Sequencing the facts. Select a news story that includes a clear sequence of events. Write each of
the facts of the story on a separate strip of paper. Invite students to order the sentence strips to
tell the story in its correct sequence. (Option: Once you've done this activity, you might invite
students to do the same thing. They can retell the events of a story in five simple sentences, each
written on a separate strip of paper. Then each student shares the activity he/she created and a
copy of the original story with another student, who gets to try the activity.)
Why is it news? Each day, newspaper editors around the world must make decisions about
which stories they will publish. Stories make it into newspapers for many different reasons.
Invite students to look at the stories that have made the front page of a local newspaper during
the last few days and to talk about why each of those stories made headlines. Among the reasons
students might come up with are these:
Timeliness -- News that is happening right now, news of interest to readers right now.
Relevance -- The story happened nearby or is about a concern of local interest.
Magnitude -- The story is great in size or number; for example, a tornado that destroys a
couple houses might not make the news but a story about a tornado that devastates a
community would be very newsworthy.
Unexpectedness -- Something unusual, or something that occurs without warning.
Impact -- News that will affect a large number of readers.
Reference to someone famous or important -- News about a prominent person or
personality.
Oddity -- A unique or unusual situation.
Conflict -- A major struggle in the news.
Reference to something negative -- Bad news often "sells" better than good news.
Continuity -- A follow-up or continuation to a story that has been in the news or is
familiar.
Emotions -- Emotions (such as fear, jealousy, love, or hate) increase interest in a story.
Progress -- News of new hope, new achievement, new improvements.
In the days ahead, study each front-page story and talk about why editors decided to put the story
on page one. Which reason(s) on the students' list would explain the newsworthiness of the
story?
Voice your opinion. Set up a tape recorder in a convenient location in the classroom. Pose to
students an opinion question and let them think about it for a few days. When students are ready,
they can take turns expressing their opinions to the recorder. This can be a little less threatening
for some students than talking in front of a class would be. Later in the week, once all students
have had a chance to express their opinions, you might begin a class discussion of the question
by playing back the tape or by sharing select opinions that you cull from it.
Charting the weather. The weather page in the newspaper can be the starting point for many
great classroom activities. The class might follow the local weather for a week or a month and
create charts and graphs to show the ups and downs of temperatures. Or each student might
follow the weather of a different city in the United States (or the world) for a set period. Students
can use the collected information to compare weather (high and low temperatures, total
precipitation, sky conditions, etc.) in different places.
Create historical newspapers. Challenge students to create a newspaper about a period of time
they are studying. If students are studying U.S. history, they might include stories such as
"Pilgrims and Indians Gather for Feast" and "Lincoln Wins Election." The stories relate the facts
as students have researched them. Students should include each of the five Ws in their first
paragraphs.
Plan a healthful menu. After a study of nutrition, invite students to plan a healthful menu for a
day. Provide three paper plates for each student; each plate represents a different meal --
breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Invite students to find and cut out from newspapers, magazines,
store ads, etc., pictures of foods and to arrange them into healthful meals on the three plates.
Invite students to share the results, which will make a colorful and attractive bulletin board!
You be the editor. Rewrite a news story to include ten errors of punctuation, capitalization, or
grammar. (Emphasize skills your students are working on in class wherever possible.) Invite
students to "edit" your story free of errors!
THERE'S PLENTY OF MATH IN THE NEWS TOO!
Figuring an average. Students might collect classified "Homes for Sale" ads for ten homes in a
given area or for homes of a given size (e.g., two-bedroom homes). Invite students to figure from
those ads the average cost for a home. (Or students might figure the average rent for homes of
similar characteristics from the "Apartments for Rent" section of the newspaper.)
More ad math. Invite each student to choose a job ad from the newspaper classifieds; the ad
must include a yearly salary figure. (Teach students that the term "40K" often seen in job ads is
short for $40,000.) Invite students to figure from that salary figure the average monthly, weekly,
daily (based on a 5-day week), and hourly (based on an 8-hour day) salary for that job.
Ad math #3. Provide a group of five ads from a local newspaper and the section of the paper that
describes how much it costs to place an ad. Invite students to use the per-word or per-line cost
information to figure out how much it cost to run each of the five ads.
Guess-timating! Provide each student with the copy of a news story. (Story length will vary
depending on grade level.) Invite students to count the number of words in each of the first five
lines of the story and to guess-timate, based on that figure, how many words long the whole story
is. Older students might average the number of words in the first five lines and consider half-
lines and other elements of a story to come up with a more accurate figure. Let students share
their estimates and how they arrived at them. Then inform students of the exact number of words
in the story (which you have pre-counted). A prize goes to the winner!
Furnish a home! Invite students to use store ads to figure the cost of furnishing a home. You
might provide a list of items for each of four rooms, including a living room, a kitchen, a dining
room, and a bedroom. For example, living room furniture might include a couch and side chair, a
coffee table, a television, and an air conditioner. Older students might also need to figure the cost
of carpeting the living room! (Options: Provide students with a budget for furnishing a four-room
home and let them set priorities for the furnishings they'll select. For older students, state and
local sales taxes might be figured as part of the total cost.)
SOME GREAT INTERNET "CURRENT EVENTS" RESOURCES
These activities are worth checking out.
Town Meeting - Direct Representation
Should the town of Twin Cheeks ban motorized rentals on Thome Lake? Students explore the
political, personal, and economic issues involved in making this decision as they assume
different roles in a simulation. This activity is easily adapted for use with any issue or
controversy.
Classroom Debate Formats
Looking to hold a debate in your classroom? This lesson provides a simple, straight-forward
format for it.
Organization of a Newspaper
Students demonstrate their knowledge of the parts of a newspaper.
Parts of a News Article
Kids use the story of the Wright brothers to learn about how a news article is organized.
Difference Between Local and National News
In this activity, students write in advance to newspapers across the country for copies of their
paper on a given date. When the papers arrive (usually within a week or so after the date),
students compare the contents of the newspapers' front pages.
Creating a Class Newspaper
Creating a classroom newspaper is a perfect opportunity to develop students' writing skills.
More on Creating a Class Newspaper
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Lesson Plan Booster: Media Literacy and High-Profile Crime Cases
Hearing student chatter about that sensational murder trial or other big case in the news? Use this
EducationWorld resource to help 9th- to 12th-graders think critically about the news coverage.
Newsinary
Students develop a dictionary of new words found while reading the news in this idea from the
Teachers.Net Lesson Exchange.
Newseum
This museum of news calls itself "the most interactive museum in the world."
Article by Gary Hopkins
Education WorldEditor in Chief
Copyright 2010 Education World

Originally published 06/24/2002
Last updated 07/25/2011

NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS
Statistics in Brief July 1997
Student Interest in National News and its Relation to
School Courses
Contact:
Kathryn Chandler
202-219-1767
Authors:
Chris Chapman
ESSI
Mary Jo Nolin
Karen Kline
Westat, Inc.
In a world changing as rapidly as ours, where knowing about current events is a
responsibility of every adult citizen, it is important that our adolescents develop a
desire to seek and appreciate knowledge about national and world issues.
Research has shown that many schools attempt to bring current events into the
classroom in a variety of ways (Holt 1990, Johnston and Brzezinski 1992). Still,
not all schools do so. In a study involving 798 students from nine high schools,
41 percent indicated that they studied current events as part of a course, and 68
percent were exposed to regular news broadcasts in school (Anderman and
Johnston 1994a). Reports from 1,148 students from four middle schools and
nine high schools indicated that 55 percent of the students studied current events
in school as part of a course (Anderman and Johnston 1994b).
Related to the issue of exposure to current events, and of concern to educators,
are the findings that elementary and high school students do not appear to be
intrinsically interested in serious news. Self-reports of interest in various news
topics by high school students indicate that students are most interested in topics
that relate to teens or current events that deal with entertainment and sports and
least interested in foreign news and U.S. politics (Johnston 1995, Whitmore
1993). Limited evidence suggests that adjusting curricula to include current
events can increase interest. Participating teachers in 135 inner-city and
suburban schools described the U-WIN program (designed to incorporate
newspapers into lesson plans) as successful in increasing the interest of the
students in current events (Holt 1990). Another study involving high school
students found that students who study news or watch TV news in school are
more interested in current events than those who do not (Anderman and Johnston
1994a).
Research findings on the relationship of interest generated by school courses and
the news-seeking behavior of students outside of school are mixed. A study
comparing 1,500 students in grades 6 through 12 who watched Channel One at
school with 1,500 students who did not found no difference in news-seeking
behaviors (i.e., talking about news stories with others, watching or listening to
news on TV or radio at home, or reading news magazines at home) (Johnston,
Brzezinski, and Anderman 1994). Contradictory results were found in a study of
798 students in grades 9 through 12 that showed students who study news or
watch TV news in school are more likely to engage in news-seeking behavior
outside of school (Anderman and Johnston 1994a). The same study also found
that male high school students are more likely to read or watch
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Educational Research and Improvement NCES 97-970
2
the news outside of school than are female high
school students. These studies are limited,
however, in that they do not explore potentially
important student characteristics and how
differences in these characteristics might affect
the relationship between heightened interest and
news-seeking behavior.
The National Household Education Survey
(NHES) provides nationally representative data
on student self-reports of courses at school that
incorporate information about government,
politics, or national issues and any related
increase of interest in national issues and news-
seeking behavior outside of school, as well as
data on student and school characteristics. The
NHES:96 was conducted by Westat for the
National Center for Education Statistics.
Telephone interviews were conducted with 8,043
students in grades 6 through 12. Data were also
collected from 20,792 parents of children age 3
through 12th grade, although those data are not
included in this report. More information about
the parent and youth data, and about data
collected from a national sample of adults and
housheolds, can be found in the National
Household Education Survey of 1996 Data File
Users Manual, Volumes 1-5 (Collins et al.
forthcoming from NCES).
Current Report
In this Brief, data from the Youth Civic
Involvement component were used to estimate
participation of students in grades 6 through 12
in school courses that require students to pay
attention to government, politics, or national
news. These could have been full courses or
course segments and are from here on referred to
simply as courses." Participation in such school
courses and student self-reported increase in
interest in politics or national issues as a result of
participation in courses were examined in
relation to student and school characteristics.
Student news-seeking behavior was then
investigated in association with participation in
courses that incorporated discussion of
government, politics, or national issues and
reported increased interest in national news.
1
Student Reports of Participation in Courses
That Incorporate Government, Politics, or
National Issues
One of the National Education Goals for the year
2000 is to prepare students for responsible
citizenship. Schools can work toward this goal
by helping students become aware of government
and national issues (Quigley 1991). In the
NHES:96, students were asked whether they had
taken any courses that required them to pay
attention to government, politics, or national
issues during the current school year or in the
past school year. (Data were collected from
January 3 through April 13, 1996.)
Approximately two-thirds (70 percent) of 6th
through 12th grade students attending either
public or private schools reported that they had
taken at least one such course during the past 2
school years. About half of the students reported
that they had taken a course during the current
school year (52 percent), and about the same
number (47 percent) reported that they had taken
a course during the past school year (table 1).
Differences by student characteristics. Both
gender and racial differences were found in
reported participation in a course requiring
attention to national issues. Participation in such
courses over a 2-year period was higher among
female students than among male students, as
reported by 72 percent of girls versus 68 percent
of boys. Within the same time frame, fewer
Hispanic students (63 percent) than white
students (70 percent) or black students (74
percent) reported taking a course. When looking
just at courses taken during the current school
year, gender differences are not pronounced,
while racial differences change somewhat. A
lower percentage of Hispanic students than black
or white students still reported taking courses

1
Student news-seeking behavior is a broad topic. This exploratory
analysis focuses on its relation to school courses. Other potentially
important factors such as family and community characteristics are
beyond the scope of this report.
3
related to government or national issues, but
black students were also more likely to take those
courses in the current year than were white
students. Fifty-eight percent of black students
versus 52 percent of white students and 44
percent of Hispanic students reported taking a
course during the current school year.
Students in grade 8 and those in grades 11 and
12 were more likely to take a course that requires
them to pay attention to government, politics, or
national news than were students in the lower
grades of middle school or students in the early
high school grades. Reports of taking such a
course increased up to 8th grade, fell off in the
early high school years, and picked up again in
11th and 12th grade. Students reports of taking
such courses during the previous school year
were consistent with the current-year trend.
Differences by school type. No differences were
found by school type in reports of courses that
required students to pay attention to national
issues taken this year, last year, or in the last 2
years. About half of the students attending
public schools or private schools reported taking
such a course each year, and about two-thirds
took at least one course during the past 2 years.
Student Reports of an Increase in Interest as a
Result of Taking a Course That Incorporated
Government, Politics, or National Issues
Schools offering courses that require students to
pay attention to national issues are doing so with
the goal of increasing students knowledge of and
interest in government and national news. A
followup question in the NHES:96 for students
who indicated that they had taken such a course
within the last 2 school years concerned the level
of increase in interest in politics or national
issues generated as a result of taking the
course(s). Overall, 65 percent of students who
took at least one course during the last 2 years
reported their interest in politics and national
issues increased some or a good deal as a
result (table 2).
2

A higher percentage of students
who took a course incorporating national issues
in both years said their interest increased as a
result. Twenty-nine percent (s.e. 0.6) of students
took a course in both the current and previous
school years and 71 percent (s.e. 1.1) of these
students reported an increased interest in national
issues as a result.
Differences by student characteristics and by
school type. No differences in interest in
national issues associated with taking a current
events course were found by gender, among
racial/ethnic groups, or by type of school the
student attends. More students in 12th grade (71
percent), where the highest percentage reported
taking such a course, said that interest increased
as a result of taking the course compared to
students in 9th or 10th grade (61 percent in each
grade). However, this pattern did not hold for
grades 8 and 11, in which taking a course that
incorporated national issues also was reportedly
high.
Student Reports of News-Seeking Behaviors
Two measures of news-seeking behavior that
could only take place outside of the school
environment were included in the NHES:96.
They were watching TV news or listening to the
news on the radio with parents and discussing
news issues with parents. Students were asked
how often they watch the national news on
television or listen to the national news on the
radio. A followup question for those students
who indicated they watch or listen to the news at
least once a month concerned whether, during the
past week, they watched or listened to the
national news with their parents or other adult
household members. All students also were
asked how often during the current school year
they discussed politics or national issues with
their parents or other adult household members.

2
Eighteen percent (s.e. 0.7) of students said that their interest
increased a good deal, 48 percent (s.e. 0.8) reported some
increase, and 35 percent (s.e. 0.8) reported not much of an
increase.
4
Students who reported taking a course that
generated at least some increase in interest in
politics or national issues were more likely to
report news-seeking behavior than were students
who reported taking such a course that did not
increase their interest or students who took no
such course over the last 2 years (table 3 and
figure 1). Students who reported some increased
interest in national issues as a result of taking a
course during the past 2 school years were more
likely to discuss the news or watch or listen to the
national news with parents than students who
reported not much of an increase in interest as a
result of a course. When a course incorporating
national issues generated no increase in interest,
reported news-seeking behavior by students was
no different from that of students not taking such
a course.
It should be noted that although heightened
interest generated by courses related to
government, politics, or national issues is
associated with an increase in student news-
seeking behavior, the observed relationship may
also be the result of a greater likelihood of
students with a high interest in current events
choosing to enroll in courses related to those
topics.
Summary
About half the 6th through 12th grade students
surveyed reported taking a class during the
current school year in which they were required
to pay attention to government, politics or
national issues. This is relatively consistent with
research that found 55 percent of middle and high
school students took a current events class in
school (Anderman and Johnston 1994b). Seventy
percent of the students said they took at least one
such course over the past 2 school years. Nearly
two-thirds of these students reported that their
interest in national issues had increased as a
result of the courses incorporating national issues
in which they participated, an encouraging
finding for educators.
There was no difference by school type in taking
courses related to national issues.
Approximately the same percentage of students
in public and private schools reported taking
such a course during the current school year and
during the last school year. Increased interest in
government, politics, and national news due to
courses at school also was not distinguishable by
school type.
Figure 1.Percent of students in grades 6 through 12
1
who reported news-seeking behaviors, by
reported increase in interest in politics or national issues as a result of taking a course that
incorporates those issues: 1996
67%
40%
42%
50%
37% 38%
0
Watched/listened to news with parents
Course increased interest No course
Percent
2
3
1
Youth who were being schooled at home are not included.
2
Students discussed national news with parents or other adult household members at least once a month during the current school year.
3
Students and parents or other adult household members watched national news on television together or listened together to national news on the radio
during the past week.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Household Education Survey, 1996, Youth Civic Involvement component.
Students who took a course and reported that
their interest increased as a result were more
likely to seek news in other ways, by listening to
national news on the radio or watching the news
on TV with their parents or discussing the news
at home with their parents, than were students
6
who took courses incorporating national issues
that did not generate increased interest or
students who did not take such a course in the
last 2 years.
Future research to build on these findings from
the NHES:96 should continue to explore the role
of education in preparing young people for
responsible citizenship. This report sheds some
light on student perception of course
presentation. Studies should address in more
detail the characteristics of courses that require
students to pay attention to national issues and
the teaching style employed in those courses.
Other research has suggested that in schools
where students and staff reported high interest in
current events, teachers often discussed
important news stories with students and
presented news broadcasts during an academic
setting, rather than during lunch or home room
(Johnston 1995). Including specifics about course
presentation with student-reported interest and
news-seeking behavior outside of the classroom
would be a useful way to assess the National
Education Goal for more curricular emphasis on
citizenship education.
Survey Methodology and Data Reliability
The 1996 National Household Education Survey
(NHES:96) is a telephone survey conducted for
the U.S. Department of Education, National
Center for Education Statistics, by Westat. Data
collection took place from January through April
of 1996. The sample was selected using list-
assisted, random-digit-dialing (RDD) methods
and is nationally representative of all civilian,
noninstitutionalized persons in the 50 states and
the District of Columbia. Data were collected
using computer-assisted telephone interviewing
(CATI) technology.
The Youth Civic Involvement component of the
NHES:96, which is the basis of this report,
employed a sample of students in grades 6
through 12. Up to three instruments were used to
collect data on the school and family experiences
of these students. A household screening
interview (called the Screener), administered to
an adult member of the household, was used to
determine whether any children of the
appropriate ages or grades lived in the household,
to collect information on each household
member, and to identify the appropriate
parent/guardian respondent for the sampled child.
For sampling purposes, children residing in the
household were grouped into younger children,
age 3 through grade 5, and older children, in
grades 6 though 12. One younger child and one
older child from each household could have been
sampled for the NHES:96. If the household
contained more than one younger child or more
than one older child, one from each category was
randomly sampled as an interview subject. For
households with youth in 6th through 12th grade
who were sampled for the survey, an interview
was conducted with the parent/guardian most
knowledgeable about the care and education of
the youth, and following completion of that
interview and receipt of parental permission, an
interview also was conducted with the youth.
This report was based on the responses of these
students.
Response Rates
For the NHES:96 survey, Screeners were
completed with 55,838 households, of which
10,931 contained a child sampled for the Youth
Civic Involvement component. The response rate
for the Screener was 69.9 percent. An interview
with a sampled youth was attempted only after
the interview with his or her parent had been
completed. The completion rate for the youth in
6th through 12th grade was 76.4 percent. The
overall response rate for youth, the product of the
Screener and youth interview completion rate,
was 53.4 percent. For the NHES:96, item
nonresponse (the failure to complete some items
in an otherwise completed interview) was very
low. Through a hot-deck procedure, responses
were imputed for missing values (i.e., don't
know or refused, for items not specifically
designated to have those legitimate response
categories, or not ascertained). As a result, no
missing values remain. The item nonresponse
rates for variables in this report ranged from less
than 1 percent to about 1 percent. For more
information about data collection procedures and
response rates, see Collins et al. (forthcoming
from NCES.)
Data Reliability
Estimates produced using data from the
NHES:96 are subject to two types of error,
7
sampling and nonsampling errors. Nonsampling
errors are errors made in the collection and
processing of data. Sampling errors occur
because the data are collected from a sample
rather than a census of the population.
Nonsampling Errors
Nonsampling error is the term used to describe
variations in the estimates that may be caused by
population coverage limitations and data
collection, processing, and reporting procedures.
The sources of nonsampling errors are typically
problems like unit and item nonresponse, the
differences in respondents' interpretations of the
meaning of the questions, response differences
related to the particular time the survey was
conducted, and mistakes in data preparation.
In general, it is difficult to identify and estimate
either the amount of nonsampling error or the
bias caused by this error. In the NHES survey,
efforts were made to prevent such errors from
occurring and to compensate for them where
possible. For instance, during the survey design
phase, focus groups and cognitive laboratory
interviews were conducted for the purpose of
assessing respondent knowledge of the topics,
comprehension of questions and terms, and the
sensitivity of items. The design phase also
entailed more than 500 staff hours of CATI
instrument testing and a multi-phase field test in
which about 3,200 Screeners, over 950 parent
interviews, about 300 youth interviews, and
about 40 adult interviews were conducted.
An important nonsampling error for a telephone
survey is the failure to include persons who do
not live in households with telephones. About
93.3 percent of all students in grades 1 through
12 live in households with telephones.
Estimation procedures were used to reduce the
bias in the estimates associated with youth who
do not live in households with telephones. For
more information about coverage issues and
estimation procedures, see Brick and Burke
(1992) and Montaquila and Brick (forthcoming
from NCES).
Sampling Errors
The sample of households with telephones
selected for the NHES:96 is just one of many
possible samples that could have been selected.
Therefore, estimates produced from the
NHES:96 sample may differ from estimates that
would have been produced from other samples.
This type of variability is called sampling error
because it arises from using a sample of
households with telephones, rather than all
households with telephones.
The standard error is a measure of the variability
due to sampling when estimating a statistic;
standard errors for estimates presented in this
report were computed using a jackknife
replication method. Standard errors can be used
as a measure of the precision expected from a
particular sample. The probability that a
complete census count would differ from the
sample estimate by less than 1 standard error is
about 68 percent. The chance that the difference
would be less than 1.65 standard errors is about
90 percent; and that the difference would be less
than 1.96 standard errors, about 95 percent.
Standard errors for all of the estimates are
presented in the tables. These standard errors
can be used to produce confidence intervals. For
example, an estimated 50 percent of 7th grade
students reported taking a course this year. This
figure has an estimated standard error of 1.5.
Therefore, the estimated 95 percent confidence
interval for this statistic is approximately 47 to
53 percent.
The tests of significance used in this analysis are
based on Student's t statistics. As the number of
comparisons at the same significance level
increases, it becomes more likely that at least one
of the estimated differences will be significant
merely by chance, that is, it will be erroneously
identified as different from zero. Even when
there is no statistical difference between the
means or percentages being compared, there is a
5 percent chance of getting a significant t value
of 1.96 from sampling error alone. As the
number of comparisons increases, the chance of
making this type of error also increases.
A Bonferroni adjustment was used to correct
significance tests for multiple comparisons. This
method adjusts the significance level for the total
number of comparisons made with a particular
classification variable. All the differences cited
in this report are significant at the 0.05 level of
significance after a Bonferroni adjustment.
8
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to express their gratitude to
following people who reviewed this report and
provided valuable comments and suggestions:
Michael Cohen, Marilyn McMillen, Dawn
Nelson, and Jeffrey Owings of the National
Center for Education Statistics, Kent Jennings of
the University of California, Santa Barbara, and
the University of Michigan, and Judith Torney-
Purta of the University of Maryland. Any errors
or omissions that may remain are the sole
responsibility of the authors.
8
Table 1.Percent of students in grades 6 though 12 who reported taking a course incorporating national
issues, by student and school characteristics: 1996
Number of
students
1
Course this
school year
Course last
school year Course in either year
Characteristic (thousands) Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e.
Total 25,726 52 0.7 47 0.7 70 0.6
Students sex
Male 13,189 51 0.9 45 1.0 68 0.9
Female 12,537 53 1.0 49 0.9 72 0.9
Race/ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic 17,322 52 0.8 47 0.9 70 0.7
Black, non-Hispanic 4,112 58 1.8 50 2.3 74 1.7
Hispanic 3,281 44 1.9 42 2.0 63 2.0
Other race/ethnicity 1,012 53 3.1 44 3.3 69 3.0
Students grade
2
6 3,946 42 1.6 33 1.8 56 1.8
7 3,893 50 1.5 39 1.8 63 1.4
8 3,696 63 1.8 49 1.8 74 1.6
9 3,740 45 2.1 55 1.9 73 1.5
10 3,689 41 1.9 47 2.0 66 2.1
11 3,386 56 1.5 47 1.8 73 1.4
12 3,374 68 2.1 62 2.0 88 1.3
School type
Public 23,343 52 0.7 47 0.7 70 0.7
Private 2,383 52 2.7 49 2.5 70 2.4
1
Youth who were being schooled at home are not included.
2
One case was coded ungraded, no equivalent. It was not included in this analysis.
NOTE: s.e. is standard error. Numbers may not add to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Household Education Survey, spring 1996, Youth Civic
Involvement component.
9
Table 2.Percent of students who reported taking a course incorporating national issues in the last 2
years who said their interest in national issues increased some or a good deal as a result, by
student and school characteristics: 1996
Number of
students
1
Interest in national issues increased
Characteristic (thousands) Percent s.e.
Total 17,986 65 0.8
Students sex
Male 8,980 67 1.1
Female 9,006 64 1.2
Race/ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic 12,161 66 1.0
Black, non-Hispanic 3,048 60 2.4
Hispanic 2,082 66 2.2
Other race/ethnicity 695 65 3.4
Students grade
2
6 2,192 65 2.5
7 2,451 67 2.0
8 2,727 66 2.0
9 2,744 61 1.9
10 2,434 61 2.3
11 2,464 65 2.2
12 2,973 71 1.9
School type
Public 16,313 65 0.8
Private 1,673 69 2.2
1
Youth who were schooled at home are not included.
2
One case was coded as ungraded, no equivalent. It was not included in this analysis.
NOTE: s.e. is standard error. Numbers may not add to totals because of rounding. Students could have taken a course during the current school year
or in the past school year.
Table 3.Percent of students in grades 6 through 12 who reported news-seeking behavior, by reported
increase in interest in politics or national issues as a result of taking a course incorporating
national issues in school: 1996
Number of
students
1
Talk with parents about
national news
2
Watch/listen to national
news with parents
3
Characteristic (thousands) Percent s.e. Percent s.e.
Total 25,726 53 0.7 44 0.7
Course increased interest 11,731 67 1.0 50 1.0
Course did not increase interest 6,255 40 1.3 37 1.5
No course 7,740 42 1.1 38 1.4
1
Youth who were schooled at home are not included.
2
Students discussed national news with parents or other adult household members at least once a month during the current school year.
3
Students and parents or other adult household members watched national news on television together or listened together to national news on the radio
during the past week.
NOTE: s.e. is standard error.
9
References
Anderman, E.M., and Johnston, J. 1994a.
Achievement Goals and Current Events
Knowledge. Paper presented at the Annual
Meeting of the American Educational
Research Association, New Orleans, LA.
Anderman, E.M., and Johnston, J. 1994b.
Motivational Influences on Adolescents
Current Events Knowledge. Paper
presented at the Annual Meeting of the
Society for Research on Adolescence, San
Diego, CA.
Brick, J.M., and Burke, J. 1992. Telephone Coverage
Bias of 14- to 21-year-olds and 3- to 5- year olds.
NCES 92-101. Washington, DC: U.S. Department
of Education, National Center for Education
Statistics.
Collins, M., Brick, J.M., Nolin, M.J., Gilmore,
S. Forthcoming. National Household
Education Survey of 1996 Data File Users
Manual. Washington, DC: U.S. Department
of Education, National Center for Education
Statistics.
Holt, E.R. 1990. Students and Teachers Win
With Using World Issues in the News.
Georgia Social Science Journal, 21, 31-33.
Johnston, J. 1995. Channel One: The Dilemma
of Teaching and Selling. Phi Delta
Kappan, 76, 436-442.
Johnston, J., and Brzezinski, E. 1992. Taking
the Measure of Channel One: The First
Year. Ann Arbor, MI: University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor Institute for Social
Research.
Johnston, J., Brzezinski, E., and Anderman, E.M.
1994. Taking the Measure of Channel One:
A Three-Year Perspective. Ann Arbor, MI:
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Institute
for Social Research.
Montaquila, J., and Brick, J.M. Forthcoming.
Unit and Item Response Rates Weighting,
and Imputation Procedures in the 1996
National Household Education Survey.
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Education, National Center for Education
Statistics.
Quigley, C.N. 1991. Civitas: A Framework for
Civic Education. Calabasas, CA: Center
for Civic Education.
Whitmore, E.H. 1993. Examining the Impact of
the Channel One School Newscasts. Visual
Literacy in the Digital Age: Selected
Readings from the Annual Conference of the
International Visual Literacy Association.
Rochester, NY: International Visual
Literacy Association.
2007 INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION ( pp. 326 339) doi :10.1598/ J AAL.51.4.4
J OU R N A L OF A D OL ES C EN T & A D U L T L I T ER A C Y 5 1 : 4 D EC EM B ER 2 0 0 7 / J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 8 326
Christine Pescatore
Cur r ent event s as empow er i ng l i t er acy:
For Engl i sh and soci al st udi es t eacher s
Cur r ent event s as empow er i ng l i t er acy:
For Engl i sh and soci al st udi es t eacher s
Current events are an engaging hook for
teaching students critical
thinking skills that may transfer
from the English classroom to the
social studies classroom. Such
skills are useful in passing state-
mandated tests.
At t he begi nni ng of the 2005 school year, I gave my
students an article on the United States adminis-
trations policy on global warming (see Figure 1,
Revkin, 2005) as an exercise in critical thinking.
This lesson, and successive ones based on other
current events, is such a rich source of learning for
students that I wanted to share this technique and
my insights with a larger audience. The intense en-
gagement of the class is exemplified in one stu-
dents reaction. She said in part:
When I was reading and analyzing this article, I felt
like at first I was confused to a point, but after reading
over and over again, I started to drift away from sur-
face meaning and started to go beyond the words.
Asking about tone, point of view, and missing opin-
ions really helped me to understand the writing.
Without using these questions, I wouldnt have been
able to find the true meaning of the article. Also what
actually took me by surprise was the fact that while I
was reading, writing, and analyzing, I paused for a
minute and actually realized that I was enjoying my
work! I felt as if it wasnt school work at all. I felt as if
it was play, something I would have chosen to do on
my own time. If I could do these every day I would.
This students unsolicited re-
sponse to the activity is the reaction
every teacher hopes to hear about a
lesson. The questions she alludes to
were posted on my bulletin board to
guide our reading and thinking, and
were suggested by McLaughlin and DeVoogd
(2004b) in a recent article on critical literacy. (See
Figure 2.) Questions like these encourage my stu-
dents to actively engage with text, going beyond
simple comprehension. When students think crit-
ically, they interact with the text by skillfully ana-
lyzing the message, comparing that message with
their previous knowledge, considering alternate
positions, and synthesizing the information
gained into a richer knowledge base.
For example, when students respond to
questions such as those in Figures 2 and 3, they
show evidence of reflecting. In order to respond
to questions about alternate viewpoints and how
those viewpoints would influence what they be-
lieve, they have to engage in research. They active-
ly engage with text when doing so. They think
critically. When using these techniques, it helps to
think of text in a broad sense; as any written,
spoken, or visual presentation of a position, atti-
tude, or belief.
The idea of critical literacy, however, goes a
step beyond this. It is based on Freires
(1970/1993) notion that for social change to oc-
cur, citizens must not only think critically about
Pescat or e t eaches at
J ohnson Ci t y Hi gh School ,
New Yor k, USA; e-mai l
cpescat or e@j cschool s
.st i er .or g.
Cur r ent event s as empow er i ng l i t er acy: For Engl i sh and soci al st udi es t eacher s
Fi gure 1
Text of the New Yor k Ti mes arti cl e
Bush Aide Softened Greenhouse Gas Links to Global Warming
ANDREW C. REVKIN / NewYork Times June8, 2005
A White House official who once led the oil industrys fight against limits on greenhouse gases has repeatedly
edited government climate reports in ways that play down links between such emissions and global warming,
according to internal documents.
In handwritten notes on drafts of several reports issued in 2002 and 2003, the official, Philip A. Cooney,
removed or adjusted descriptions of climate research that government scientists and their supervisors,
including some senior Bush administration officials, had already approved. In many cases, the changes
appeared in the final reports.
The dozens of changes, while sometimes as subtle as the insertion of the phrase significant and
fundamental before the word uncertainties, tend to produce an air of doubt about findings that most
climate experts say are robust.
Mr. Cooney is chief of staff for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the office that helps
devise and promote administration policies on environmental issues.
Before going to the White House in 2001, he was the climate team leader and a lobbyist at the American
Petroleum Institute, the largest trade group representing the interests of the oil industry. A lawyer with a
bachelors degree in economics, he has no scientific training.
The documents were obtained by The New York Times from the Government Accountability Project, a
nonprofit legal-assistance group for government whistle-blowers.
The project is representing Rick S. Piltz, who resigned in March as a senior associate in the office that
coordinates government climate research. That office, now called the Climate Change Science Program,
issued the documents that Mr. Cooney edited.
A White House spokeswoman, Michele St. Martin, said yesterday that Mr. Cooney would not be available
to comment. We dont put Phil Cooney on the record, Ms. St. Martin said. Hes not a cleared spokesman.
In one instance in an October 2002 draft of a regularly published summary of government climate
research, Our Changing Planet, Mr. Cooney amplified the sense of uncertainty by adding the word
extremely to this sentence: The attribution of the causes of biological and ecological changes to climate
change or variability is extremely difficult.
In a section on the need for research into how warming might change water availability and flooding, he
crossed out a paragraph describing the projected reduction of mountain glaciers and snowpack. His note in
the margins explained that this was straying from research strategy into speculative findings/musings.
Other White House officials said the changes made by Mr. Cooney were part of the normal interagency
review that takes place on all documents related to global environmental change. Robert Hopkins, a
spokesman for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, noted that one of the reports Mr.
Cooney worked on, the administrations 10-year plan for climate research, was endorsed by the National
Academy of Sciences. And Myron Ebell, who has long campaigned against limits on greenhouse gases as
director of climate policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a libertarian group, said such editing was
necessary for consistency in meshing programs with policy.
But critics said that while all administrations routinely vetted government reports, scientific content in
such reports should be reviewed by scientists. Climate experts and representatives of environmental groups,
when shown examples of the revisions, said they illustrated the significant if largely invisible influence of Mr.
(continued)
Fi gure 1 (conti nued)
Cooney and other White House officials with ties to energy industries that have long fought greenhouse-gas
restrictions.
In a memorandum sent last week to the top officials dealing with climate change at a dozen agencies, Mr.
Piltz said the White House editing and other actions threatened to taint the governments $1.8 billion-a-year
effort to clarify the causes and consequences of climate change.
Each administration has a policy position on climate change, Mr. Piltz wrote. But I have not seen a
situation like the one that has developed under this administration during the past four years, in which
politicization by the White House has fed back directly into the science program in such a way as to
undermine the credibility and integrity of the program.
A senior Environmental Protection Agency scientist who works on climate questions said the White House
environmental council, where Mr. Cooney works, had offered valuable suggestions on reports from time to
time. But the scientist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because all agency employees are forbidden
to speak with reporters without clearance, said the kinds of changes made by Mr. Cooney had damaged
morale. I have colleagues in other agencies who express the same view, that it has somewhat of a chilling
effect and has created a sense of frustration, he said.
Efforts by the Bush administration to highlight uncertainties in science pointing to human-caused
warming have put the United States at odds with other nations and with scientific groups at home.
Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, who met with President Bush at the White House yesterday, has been
trying to persuade him to intensify United States efforts to curb greenhouse gases. Mr. Bush has called only
for voluntary measures to slow growth in emissions through 2012.
Yesterday, saying their goal was to influence that meeting, the scientific academies of 11 countries,
including those of the United States and Britain, released a joint letter saying, The scientific understanding of
climate change is now sufficiently clear to justify nations taking prompt action.
The American Petroleum Institute, where Mr. Cooney worked before going to the White House, has long
taken a sharply different view. Starting with the negotiations leading to the Kyoto Protocol climate treaty in
1997, it has promoted the idea that lingering uncertainties in climate science justify delaying restrictions on
emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping smokestack and tailpipe gases.
On learning of the White House revisions, representatives of some environmental groups said the effort to
amplify uncertainties in the science was clearly intended to delay consideration of curbs on the gases, which
remain an unavoidable byproduct of burning oil and coal.
Theyve got three more years, and the only way to control this issue and do nothing about it is to muddy
the science, said Eileen Claussen, the president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, a private group
that has enlisted businesses in programs cutting emissions.
Mr. Cooneys alterations can cause clear shifts in meaning. For example, a sentence in the October 2002
draft of Our Changing Planet originally read, Many scientific observations indicate that the Earth is
undergoing a period of relatively rapid change. In a neat, compact hand, Mr. Cooney modified the sentence
to read, Many scientific observations point to the conclusion that the Earth may be undergoing a period of
relatively rapid change.
A document showing a similar pattern of changes is the 2003 Strategic Plan for the United States Climate
Change Science Program, a thick report describing the reorganization of government climate research that
was requested by Mr. Bush in his first speech on the issue, in June 2001. The document was reviewed by an
(continued)
Fi gure 1 (conti nued)
expert panel assembled in 2003 by the National Academy of Sciences. The scientists largely endorsed the
administrations research plan, but they warned that the administrations procedures for vetting reports on
climate could result in excessive political interference with science.
Another political appointee who has played an influential role in adjusting language in government reports
on climate science is Dr. Harlan L. Watson, the chief climate negotiator for the State Department, who has a
doctorate in solid-state physics but has not done climate research.
In an Oct. 4, 2002 memo to James R. Mahoney, the head of the United States Climate Change Science
Program and an appointee of Mr. Bush, Mr. Watson strongly recommended cutting boxes of text referring
to the findings of a National Academy of Sciences panel on climate and the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change, a United Nations body that periodically reviews research on human-caused climate change.
The boxes, he wrote, do not include an appropriate recognition of the underlying uncertainties and the
tentative nature of a number of the assertions.
While those changes were made nearly two years ago, recent statements by Dr. Watson indicate that the
administrations position has not changed.
We are still not convinced of the need to move forward quite so quickly, he told the BBC in London last
month. There is general agreement that there is a lot known, but also there is a lot to be known.
Copyright (2005) by The New York Times Co. Reprinted with permission.
Fi gure 2
Questi ons I have posted i n
my cl assroom to devel op
cri ti cal l i teracy
Whose viewpoint is expressed?
What does the author want us to think?
Whose viewpoints are missing, silenced, or
discounted?
How might alternative perspectives be represent-
ed and/or found?
How would alternative perspectives contribute to
your understanding of the text?
What action might you take on the basis of what
you have learned?
Note. Adapted from McLaughlin and DeVoogd (2004b, p. 53).
Fi gure 3
Questi ons for arti cl e
on gl obal warmi ng
and hurri canes
What does the writer want us to believe?
How balanced is he in his presentation?
Does he have an agenda?
What other points of view are needed?
How would you find them?
what they read and view, but they must also react
to transform the world. Critical literacy involves
ways of thinking about the written and spoken
word that go beyond the surface meaning in or-
der to discern the deeper meaning, ideology, and
bias expressed therein. It means taking a critical
stance toward official knowledge, and it is an
understanding of how word choice and language
creates meaning and influences our thoughts.
Critical literacy involves applying that meaning
to your own context and imagining how to act on
that meaning to change the conditions it reflects
(Shor, 1992, p.129). It offers a way to speak out
against injustice and unfairness. Critical literacy
builds awareness of how power is used to margin-
alize and silence certain groups in a society, and
engenders a willingness to reveal that situation in
order to bring about change. Critical literacy is an
active engagement with the world as well as with
text and requires the ability to think critically.
Critical literacy is fundamental if one is to
be a thoughtful and responsible participant in a
democracy, and participant is the crucial word
here, because it underscores an active orientation
toward and engagement with society. It helps one
avoid relinquishing the power each of us has to
investigate and examine an issue from multiple
perspectives so as not to be manipulated by any
one (Freire, 1970/1993; McLaughlin & DeVoogd,
2004a, 2004b). Therefore, actively engaging with
text is a first step for developing a critically liter-
ate standpoint. In short, critical thinking skills in-
volve reflecting and research, but critical literacy
goes one step further: the formation of citizens
who are empowered and emboldened to act as a
result of their conscious enlightenment.
Many teachers voice their beliefs that guid-
ing students to be critical thinkers is an impor-
tant goal. However, in todays accountability
climate, as a result of the No Child Left Behind
Act of 2001, critical thinking activities can take a
back seat to test preparation. No matter what the
subject matter, there exists the tendency to fill
students with a wealth of information, data, or
skills in order to successfully pass the accounta-
bility exams. But critical thinking does not have
to be sacrificed. In fact, I believe that actively en-
gaging with text through critical thinking is a
helpful technique for my high school students,
who are faced with exit exams in social studies
and English in New York State. Therefore, I have
always tried to develop critical thinking in my
students, and it is my belief that adding the study
of current events to my English curriculum has
helped me attain this goal.
A c onc r et e ex ampl e: Ref l ec t i ng
In the article and report on global warming I
found in TheNew York Times(Revkin, 2005; see
Figures 1 and 4), I saw that there were a number
of ways they could be used with my 11th-grade
English classes. At that time, I was taking a doctoral
course in education and was thinking about issues
of hegemony, oppression, and the power of lan-
guage to persuade. I believed that working with
these documents could teach students to perform
the following skills, which meet Standard 3 of the
New York State English Language Arts Standards,
Students will read, write, listen, and speak for
critical analysis and evaluation (available online
at www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/ela/elastandards/
elamap.html):
1. Identify tone, point of view, and bias and
the techniques of writing that reveal those
aspects
2. Compare and contrast drafts of a piece of
writing
3. Develop critical thinking skills that could
lead to critical literacy
As I thought about newspaper articles, editorials,
commentaries, and political statements, I realized
these were a rich source not only of timely topics
but also of style, bias, and point of view, and that
critical thinking skills were often necessary to un-
lock total meaning. Of course, I knew that critical
thinking was a helpful technique for my 11th-
grade students who were required to pass the
New York State Regents exams in both English
and U.S. history at the end of the year. I decided
to redesign my curriculum to focus on critical
thinking through the use of current events arti-
cles, believing that critical thinking instruction
would support the English and social studies cur-
ricula. The article on global warming was the first
one I used, in September 2005.
The article in TheNew York Timesconcerns
an aide in the Bush administration who edited
drafts of government reports on global warming.
Handwritten notes by Philip A. Cooney (see Figure
4) reveal the editing he made on the original re-
ports and the resultant final reports. To begin the
lesson, students were asked to brainstorm what
they knew about global warming and the green-
house effect. Then, for comparative purposes, we
created a list of all of their ideas. We read the drafts
of the reports that showed Cooneys editing.
Focusing on lines 1424 in the Strategic Plan for
the U.S. Climate Change Program draft of October
2002, the students worked in small groups to ana-
lyze the draft through the following questions.
What is the meaning of the original
writing?
Who might have written the paragraph?
What is the writers concern?
What is the writers tone?(Consider verb
choices, adjectives, specifics)
What changes were made?
What effect was created by changing the
word will to would?
Fi gure 4
The edi ted secti ons of the memos
Notice the margin note: Does the editor
(Cooney) have a point?
Does the paragraph have a sense of
straying?
What happened with the original para-
graph in the Public Review Draft from
November 2002?
What effect is created by removing the
paragraph and replacing it with a single
sentence, and by replacing wouldwith
could?
What happened to that sentence in the
Final Report, July, 2003?
The next section of editing that the students
examined involved lines 019023 in the Our
Changing Planet draft of October 2002. They
noted the changes in wording, additions, and
deletions. In this section the substitution of diag-
nosingfor understandingis the crucial change.
The students considered the following questions.
Why would Cooney take out diagnosing?
Is the implication that science cannot
diagnose?
What are the connotations of diagnosing
and understanding?
Do you think it is Cooneys goal to take
away the active nature of the word diag-
nosingand replace it with the more passive
nature of understanding?
What effect is created by removing the
word thisin line 22 and adding the word
possibleto the Final Report?
What effect is created by adding the phrase
significant remaining uncertaintiesto the
Final Report?
What do the additions in lines 028033 do
to the meaning?
Based on these changes, what do you think
is Cooneys point of view on climate
change?
What reasons would you give for Cooney
having this point of view?
The students next examined the accompany-
ing article from TheNew York Times(Revkin, 2005;
see Figure 1). The title of Revkins article reveals his
position: Bush aide softened greenhouse gas links
to global warming. This is an accessible article for
students because it is easy to understand but pow-
erful in its message. Revkin discusses Cooneys ed-
iting of the climate report along with his
interpretation that Cooney has created a tone of
uncertainty through the changes. However, Revkin
goes further to provide background information
on Cooneys previous job as a lobbyist for the
American Petroleum Institute.
I asked the students to work in groups to
summarize Revkins position by documenting it
with three to five of his strongest arguments, and
each group created an outline for an essay. I
wanted to know if the students could determine
Cooneys agenda, as suggested by Revkin. They
also were asked to determine Revkins tone.
I thought it would be fun for the students to
imagine themselves as senators or representatives
whose job it was to make a legislative decision
about global warming. I presented them with the
following framework.
Given these documents, can you make a
decision about policy concerning global
warming?
If these documents dont provide you with
enough information to decide, what other
information would you require, and to
whom would you turn?
In addition, I presented a constructive connota-
tive activity in which the students were asked to
choose one of the following words to describe
what Cooney did to the original documents.
Did Cooney edit, transform, manipulate,
maneuver, deceive, change, tamper, or lie?
Students tried to determine the differences be-
tween the words and whether their choice of one
of the words was an indication of their own point
of view on the issue.
Res ear c hi ng and r eac t i ng
As my two classes worked through this lesson by
reading Revkins article, their interest in Cooneys
editing increased. The students worked in groups
to analyze Revkins writing. They identified his
tone variously as one of anger, outrage, frustra-
tion, or concern. One group raised the possibility
that Revkin himself might have an agenda.
Another student voiced her belief that the Bush
family had some connections to oil. Still other
students pointed to the fact that we needed to
hear more from scientists on this issue. One stu-
dent wanted to know how many scientists be-
lieved in the threat of global warming and wished
that Cooney had presented opinions from both
sides in the final draft. Others desired to hear
more from Cooney himself.
Because one student had mentioned a Bush
family connection to oil, I asked the students if
anyone knew what Dick Cheneys previous job
was before becoming Vice President. No one did.
All of our questions led the students to decide
that more research was needed. Students immedi-
ately volunteered to search the Internet for any-
thing related to global warming, the greenhouse
effect, Dick Cheney, Andrew C. Revkin, and
Philip A. Cooney. Students also searched for the
title of Revkins article to ascertain if there had
been any responses. They chose among these re-
search topics on the basis of their interests.
The students desire to do research led to a
discussion about reliability of sources. They had
seen firsthand how a policy statement could be
written to reflect an agenda and point of view.
Now they needed to realize that this could hap-
pen more often than not. We discussed how care-
ful they must be to determine the qualifications
of the writers of articles and web pages that they
might discover, and not to jump to conclusions
based on a first finding. One student found me in
my office within an hour after the research as-
signment had been discussed. She was excited to
tell me that she had found out that Philip Cooney
left the Bush administration a few days after the
Revkin article appeared in printto go to work
for Exxon Corporation. She believed that this
vindicated Revkins assertion of Cooneys bias.
Once the students reported on their re-
search, they felt that they understood more about
global warming and the greenhouse effect than
they had previously. They read a position state-
ment from representatives of the worlds science
academies that stated definitively that global
warming is occurring (National Academies,
2005). These scientists established their belief that
it would be the poor who will suffer the most
from the effects of global warming in the future.
Because we were doing this activity in September
of 2005, my students immediately made the con-
nection to the poor in New Orleans and the diffi-
culties they faced in attempting to evacuate the
city before and after Hurricane Katrina struck.
Further research revealed to them that some peo-
ple in the United States believed that these people
were unimportant in the administrations eyes
and so evacuation, relief, and rescue for them
were nonexistent or untimely.
Many of the students were surprised to
learn about the Bush familys connections to the
oil industry and Dick Cheneys previous job at
Halliburton. Every research discovery seemed to
lead to still more questions, and a search of
Halliburton, in particular, spurred further re-
search. Discussions were lively, and it was clear to
all of us that there were many different points of
view within the classroom. Some students were
outraged at the government and wondered what
other things were being kept from them. A few
were not sure what to think. But it was clear to
everyone that Revkins undergraduate science de-
gree, his career as a science writer, and his book
on global warming established his bias but also
qualified him as a more appropriate spokesper-
son on the issue than Cooney, with his economics
background and connections to the oil industry.
We all could see that there was no simple, quick,
or clear way to view this complex issue.
We continued to read and analyze articles
and editorials in local and national newspapers.
Because this project happened in the fall of 2005,
there was much in the news on hurricanes. One
article (Kristof, 2005) prompted more research
and thought because it dealt with a possible con-
nection between global warming and an increase
in the number and magnitude of hurricanes. I
asked even more specific questions of the stu-
dents. (See Figure 3.)
Without my suggestion, a few students de-
cided to take action about what they had read
and learned during the previous week. The devas-
tation in the Gulf of Mexico region as a result of
hurricane Katrina bothered many of the students,
so ideas for fundraising were brainstormed, a
committee of five was formed, and the students
presented ideas to the principal. They worked
closely with some seniors who also wanted to be-
come involved in some form of relief for Katrinas
victims, and eventually they all decided to
adopt a school in Metairie, Louisiana, providing
the students with school supplies and clothes.
I can say with confidence that my students
were able to discern the tone of Revkins article as
well as the effect of Cooneys editing. Their group
work indicated this. Their research on other as-
pects of the issue was a solid first step in revealing
to them the complexities of any position. Many of
the students were excited by their findings. I was
pleased to see that the discussion held the interest
and attention of all. On one occasion, a spirited
discussion was cut short by the end of class, but
the students were reluctant to leave. They wanted
to keep talking about all of the facets, connec-
tions, and questions that were occurring to them.
Just as quickly as one question was raised by a
student, another would point out a different
point of view or another angle we had not yet
considered.
By their statements, it was clear to me that
most of the class empathized with the Katrina
victims situation, although only a third of my
students participated in our collection of clothes
and school supplies. Three or four students
showed up in their free periods to help me box up
our donations. One student wrote an article for
the school newspaper, others wrote to the editor
of the local newspaper, and two girls decided to
write to the state senators. I was pleased and sur-
prised by these responses, which indicated to me
that some students were moved to action because
of their reflection and research.
The students letters summarized Cooneys
editing and the students concern over the gov-
ernments weakened policy statement.
Unfortunately, the local newspaper declined to
publish any of the letters, which was disappoint-
ing. However, the state senators did reply to the
girls letters. It is important for teachers to discuss
with students the possibility that their actions will
not always be received with enthusiasm, and to
encourage their ideas and continuing efforts de-
spite this. I believe that my students were begin-
ning to act as responsible and thoughtful citizens,
capable of critically analyzing the written word
and developing feelings and opinions that would
spur them to action.
The lesson described in this article provided
students with an example of language at work.
Cooneys bias was evident in the changes he made
to the documents. The resulting report was much
less powerful and quite innocuous. The students
saw this, and determined how the language
changes affected the resulting tone. As often as I
have facilitated a discussion of point of view,
word choice, and tone in a literature piece, I had
seldom experienced students working so effec-
tively with the concepts as they did with this news
item.
Because of the students interest in writing
letters, I felt that it was important to discuss the
tone of their writing and how word choice could
help establish the tone they wished to set. The
students wanted to show their concern and even
anger, but they also wanted to be convincing.
Asking them to consider what influenced them
encouraged them to use research findings in their
letters. In fact, we decided that the letters should
begin with a summary of the article that prompt-
ed the letter, and the research students did for this
lent credence to the opinions they expressed in
their conclusions. One student discussed in her
letter how Cooney created uncertainty in his edit-
ing by adding the adverb extremely. We also dis-
cussed slang, informal, and formal language. For
example, instead of writing the editing was bo-
gus, we discussed the use of words other than bo-
gusbecause it might not be comprehended by all
readers. So the students suggested the word dis-
honest as a replacement. Writing a letter to the
newspaper required an awareness of audience
and precision of language. It was a real-life situa-
tion upon which I could build further experi-
ences with critical thinking.
I continued with this strategy in my class-
room throughout the year. My students worked
with articles on national parks, coal mining,
poverty, random searches and seizures, prisoner
abuse, and Pakistan, among others. Sometimes
we worked together; sometimes they were re-
quired to work by themselves and record their re-
sponses in journals. I kept a bin of articles in the
room that I constantly replaced with new ones,
from which students chose depending on their
interests. To be honest, no other issue affected
them quite as powerfully as the global warming
documents.
Looking for tone and point of view became
second nature for at least half of my students.
They noticed the effect that word choice could
have on meaning. They were aware of the missing
points of view in an article, and they sometimes
told me that their own views were strengthened
or challenged by the work they were doing with a
particular story. Their critical thinking skills were
developing. When the students worked with po-
ems and stories, some automatically began think-
ing about word choice and point of view. The
skills slowly transferred to social studies. A few
students considered bias and point of view when
analyzing historical documents. All of the stu-
dents passed the U.S. history Regents exam, and
all but one of my students passed the English
Regents exam at the end of the year.
Cr i t i c al l i t er ac y + c ur r ent
ev ent s = empow er i ng l i t er ac y
Finns (1999) work has provided me with the
concept of empowering literacy. For Finn, litera-
cy is more than learning to read and write. In his
view, the literacy that students acquire can em-
power them or domesticate them. It can develop
in them the ability to create new knowledge that
is relevant to their lives. It can give them cultural
capitalthe ability, knowledge, and skill to ma-
nipulate, strategize, and position themselves in
the culture to maximize their gain (Anyon,
1981)or it can keep them powerless. It can free
them, or it can keep them tethered to the reins of
the system. Finn (1999) suggested that teachers
should go beyond teaching to a test to give stu-
dents the opportunities to think critically about
the material in text books and the media, to re-
search other points of view, and to apply the les-
sons to their lives. This is a critical literacy that is
ultimately empowering. It goes beyond thinking
critically to internalizing the lessons in individual
ways and becoming a catalyst for action when
one sees injustice or oppression. In other words,
critical literacy is a way of thinking and a way of
living. This is the basis for my strategies of reflect-
ing, researching, and reacting.
As I acquired an understanding of and com-
mitment to this literacy, I envisioned advantages
for teachers and students alike. I especially see rel-
evance and advantage for social studies and
English teachers, and my reasons are based on the
curricula in those two disciplines as well as the
current thrust toward accountability as a result of
the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. In other
words, it is easy for teachers to become focused
on exit tests defined by state education depart-
ments in accordance with mandates that function
as the criteria for measurable student achieve-
ment. After all, teachers are placed in the position
of guarantors of public accountability based on
the results of these tests, and when school report
cards are published in local newspapers they be-
come the visible and tangible record of teachers
successes and failures. Given this situation, it is
understandable that both veteran and novice
teachers may succumb to the practice of teaching
tothe test. This can amount to drill and practice
around specific test-taking skills for the exit ex-
ams. Given the fact that there are rubrics and
models that define quality essays in the different
subject areas, teachers can spend a good deal of
time having students write essays according to the
pattern that will bring the best results. In many
cases, students are taught how to take and pass a
test. One optimum educational scenario, howev-
er, is that students are presented with experiences
that develop their critical thinking and reading
skills in such a way that when faced with an exit
exam, they will be successful. They will have been
prepared for the test.
The soci al st udi es and Engl i sh
curri cul a
The social studies curriculum becomes more
complex each year. Every year, there are more his-
torical events to think about and discuss. In addi-
tion, teachers must be fairly conversant in
economics, history, sociology, political science,
psychology, and anthropology (Wineburg, 2005).
According to Wineburg, excessive focus on all of
the material in social studies does not guarantee a
literate reader in the field. He believes that we
must develop a way of thinking about and ana-
lyzing text and historical documents
that allows us to find truth in the cacophony of voices
that confront us in the social world. To ask where in-
formation comes from and why texts are written is to
confront the written word as an empowered agent,
not a passive consumer (p. 658)
In fact, Loewen (1995) has suggested that history
textbooks try to cover too many topics and fail to
acquaint students with controversies and histori-
cal arguments effectively. He believes that often
texts supply information that is irrelevant, wrong,
or boring. Ironically, the history texts that
Loewen (1995) analyzed present issues in ways
that eliminate the controversial, complex, and
multifaceted aspects of the real historical experi-
ence. Students are left with a watered-down and
dry retelling of historical people and happenings
that they must commit to memory in order to
pass their tests. Rarely, if ever, are social studies
students presented with a complex issue that de-
mands research, questioning, and an awareness of
various points of view and bias. In short, some
textbooks do not facilitate the development of
critical thinking. If the textbooks often fail to de-
liver, current events activities can fill the void, but
where can the social studies teacher find the time
to add this to an already filled curriculum?
Because the English curriculum in my
school does not specify which texts must be used,
I have the freedom to choose literature that I feel
will help students meet the state language arts
standards and, more important, develop critical
thinkers. I can use poems, short stories, biogra-
phies, novels, and even current events or histori-
cal documents and writings that supplement the
social studies curriculum and present my stu-
dents with opportunities to develop critical
thinking.
I believe that English and social studies
teachers can work together to develop a critical
and empowering literacy, and in so doing, will
foster skills that enhance student performance on
exit exams in both subjects. It is the English
teacher who works with students on analyzing a
writers style and craft through literary techniques
such as word choice, point of view, tone, and
structure, so the English classroom is the natural
place to develop an orientation that leads to
Wineburgs (2005) empowered agent.
I mprovement s on mandat ed t est s
One task on the states English Regents exit exam
requires students to read two pieces of literature
that share the same subject or theme such as love,
beauty, peace, or parental expectations, and write
a unified essay discussing the authors techniques.
Students need to determine a comprehensive
sense of the meaning and tone. The two pieces
could be revealing a similar theme, such as beau-
ty can be found in unlikely experiences.
However, just as frequently the literature choices
could reveal two differing aspects of the same
subject, such as love can be a life-giving experi-
ence or it can be destructive and stifling. Close
reading is needed to analyze, interpret, and devel-
op a controlling idea that encompasses the
themes in both passages. The literary elements of
tone and point of view and the technique of word
choice are the primary tools for analysis. For ex-
ample, a character in a story is not always trans-
parent. The reader must be aware of the
characters words and the subtle clues given in his
or her descriptions to determine his or her
thoughts and feelings. Being aware of the point of
view of a story is almost always significant. As
readers, we are presented with a version of the
facts from a certain characters vantage point.
Thinking about the limitations of the characters
knowledge throughout the story demands a criti-
cal awareness of missing points of view. An au-
thors use of symbols will frequently aid the
students as well. All of these considerations are
significant tools for students. Clearly, they must
juggle many factors to arrive at an interpretation.
Students usually find tone a difficult con-
cept to understand. In fact, they often confuse it
with mood. Tone in fiction is a subtle and diffi-
cult determination. A reader must realize that the
speaker or persona in a poem or story does not
always represent the authors attitude, so clues to
an authors tone must be inferred from a number
of sources. A newspaper article or editorial is an
instructive first place for students to experience
tone because writers of those pieces have the goal
of revealing their attitude to others, and they
commonly use sarcasm. It is helpful for students
to identify a writers attitude or tone in each pas-
sage for this exam task and then to explain how
that tone was achieved or point of view revealed
in order to write a successful essay. I am free to
choose any effectively written passages to provide
students with the necessary experience to be suc-
cessful on this task, and I use poems, short sto-
ries, current events articles, editorials, essays, and
historical documents.
Detecting author tone or bias and making
inferences are important skills for the document-
based question on the U.S. history Regents exam
as well. Students are sometimes given political car-
toons to analyze. They must look closely at the
caricatures and the words used, and must be
aware of the possible use of symbols. They then
answer multiple-choice questions regarding the
historical significance of the cartoon. The entire
document-based question, however, could include
up to 10 documentspassages from primary
source material, political cartoons, broadsheets
that must be read and analyzed. One theme runs
through all of the documents (e.g., immigration),
and the students must discern the various posi-
tions inherent in each document. The final task is
to write a coherent essay using a number of docu-
ments in response to a question such as, What
have been some of the reasons for immigration to
this country?Because the determination of tone,
bias, and point of view are the basis for excellent
analyses in both the English and history exit ex-
ams, why not coordinate efforts in teaching criti-
cal awareness?Lessons planned by the teachers
will underscore for the students the effectiveness
of skills transference. But the choice of lessons for
this coordination is a vital step in the strategy.
Using current events for the lessons can
spark students interest, develop critical thinkers,
and provide students with the tools to be success-
ful on their exit exams. Issues in the news are
complex, and solutions for problems are unclear
and complicated by a variety of points of view
and interpretations. Current issues and problems
are still in flux and do not have the advantage of
time and distance to solidify meaning or interpre-
tation. It is impossible for students to turn to a
textbook for an interpretation. Therefore, the so-
cial studies curriculum is enhanced by actively
engaging students in logical analysis of concrete
and timely issues.
If social studies and English teachers work
together, they can provide opportunities for stu-
dents to develop the skills of critical thinking.
They will have the added benefit of feeling that
they are no longer teaching toa test, but rather for
a test. Moreover, raising students awareness of
the social, political, racial, and economic over-
tones and ramifications in current news stories
helps to empower them with the cultural capital
to be effective and powerful citizens. Through
careful reading of news stories and through class
discussions, students can raise questions that re-
quire further research. This research can perhaps
reveal some of the forces that marginalize and sti-
fle certain groups in society. Understanding the
forces that keep certain groups in a subordinate
position is the first step toward action that brings
about social change. This is an empowering liter-
acy that can have clear relevance to students lives.
My next st ep
I will develop these ideas more effectively as a col-
league in the social studies department and I co-
teach a joint English and U.S. history class. In the
year reported on in this article, my 11th grade
students had two different teachers for U.S. histo-
ry and so it was much more complicated to coor-
dinate and plan activities.
With this new configuration, we can present
strategies of critical thinking together to our
shared class, showing the students how they can
be applied to a history text, editorial, or short sto-
ry. Because it will be possible for the students to
view our class as a combined venture in learning,
it will be interesting to see whether there are more
instances among the students of transference of
critical thinking skills from one subject area to the
other. This is an area that concerns me because I
did not see as much evidence of transference as I
had hoped. I suspect that through the combined
presentation of examples, joint discussions, and
coordination of subject matter there will be wider
application of such things as point of view and
bias. At any rate, I will document our experiences
in order to evaluate this new opportunity.
It would be exciting to see more instances of
the students reacting to an issue the way they did
with global warming. They may decide to partici-
pate as young citizens in this society and express
their opinions and concerns. As their teachers, we
will foster their thinking, support their actions,
and advise them when needed, but we will not
mandate that they become actively involved in
the issues we read about and discuss.
Engaged s t udent s bec ome
engaged c i t i zens
There are always items and editorials in the news
that can be used effectively as a strategy to devel-
op critical thinking. In the beginning, it is impor-
tant to use articles that have an obvious bias,
perhaps revealed through word choice, to give
students clear examples to analyze. Word choice
reveals tone and the bias, thus establishing the
point of view. Articles on almost any political is-
sue are a place to start. Providing both conserva-
tive and liberal sides to an issue or providing one
side and asking students to research the other are
excellent opportunities for students to become
literate in political science. The English and social
studies teachers can share the responsibility for
finding those articles or editorials that will re-
quire analysis, inference, logical thinking, and re-
search on the part of the students, or the teachers
can ask students to bring in articles. When using
this strategy, the teacher becomes more of a facili-
tator and a guide in the investigative process, pro-
viding the students with a more active and
responsible role in their learning.
Ultimately, the goal of this strategy is more
than just being able to compare and contrast
pieces of writing, determine an authors tone, or
pass a testit is to see literacy as a powerful tool.
Being able to read closely, write fluently, and use
language advantageously canas shown by the
global warming article (Revkin, 2005)influence
policy and the lives of millions of people. Teaching
students to be alert to the power of language and
aware that we all have an agenda or point of view
can help them guard against being manipulated
by what they see, read, and experience in all as-
pects of the media. This current events strategy
refocuses teachers from teaching only to the exit
tests to building an empowering literacy that will
nurture the critical thinking that will bring success
on the tests. The strategy has the added benefit of
fostering engagement in the public interest rather
than just self-interest, enabling young people to
become significant forces for change.
REFERENCES
Anyon, J. (1981). Social class and school knowledge.
Curriculum Inquiry, 11, 342.
Finn, P. (1999). Literacy with an attitude. Albany: State
University of New York Press.
Freire, P. (1993). Pedagogy of theoppressed. (M.B. Ramos,
Trans.). New York: Continuum. (Original work pub-
lished 1970)
Kristof, N. (2005, September 11). The storm next time. The
New York Times, p. D15. Retrieved September 11, 2005,
from www.nytimes.com/2005/09/11/opinion/
11kristof.html?_r=1
Loewen, J.W. (1995). Liesmy teacher told me: Everything
your American history textbook got wrong. New York: New
Press.
McLaughlin, M., & DeVoogd, G. (2004a). Critical literacy:
Enhancingstudents comprehension of text. New York:
Scholastic.
McLaughlin, M., & DeVoogd, G. (2004b).Critical literacy as
comprehension: Expanding reader response. Journal of
Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 48, 5262.
National Academies. (2005). Joint scienceacademies state-
ment: Global responseto climatechange.
Revkin, A.C. (2005, June 8). Bush aide softened greenhouse
gas links to global warming. TheNew York Times, p. A1,
A15. Retrieved June 22, 2005, from www.nytimes.com/
2005/06/08/politics/08climate.html
Shor, I. (1992). Empoweringeducation: Critical teachingfor
social change. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Wineburg, S. (2005). What does NCATE have to say to fu-
ture history teachers?Phi Delta Kappan, 86, 658666.
EVALUATION REVIEW/ JUNE 2000 Hofstetter et al. / EFFECT OF THE WEEKLY READER
Analyses of data drawn from2,331 urban and suburban elementary students ages 8 to 12 in Chi-
cago, Houston, Boston, and San Francisco suggest that children who have higher reading levels
and greater exposure to current events through communication media (television, newspapers,
newsmagazines, discussions) have more knowledge and greater understanding of current events
within classrooms, as measured by a 29-item current events knowledge test. Children in lower
elementary classrooms (Grades 2 and 3) with the Weekly Reader periodical present appeared to
have higher levels of current events knowledge, even after controlling for key classroom vari-
ables. The effect of the Weekly Reader is less for children in upper elementary classrooms
(Grades 4 through 6) because they tend to receive more current events information from other
communication materials.
THE EFFECT OF THE
WEEKLY READER ON CHILDRENS
KNOWLEDGE OF CURRENT EVENTS
CAROLYN HUIE HOFSTETTER
University of California, Berkeley
C. RICHARD HOFSTETTER
DIANE LAPP
JAMES FLOOD
San Diego State University
Educational attainment is consistently found to be the single most impor-
tant predictor of political knowledge and participation among adults in the
United States (Verba and Nie 1972). The public school systemis regarded as
the major mechanism of American democracy, a political scheme premised
on a knowledgeable, activist public that exerts rational control over both
benevolent and malevolent political elites. Political education has been a
basic theme of the elementary and secondary school curricula (Palonsky
1987) in preparing students for active, informed political participation in
272
AUTHORS NOTE: The authors wish to acknowledge the thoughtful advice and consultation of
Professor Michael Seltzer, University of California, Los Angeles, concerning hierarchical linear
modeling analyses for this article. We also acknowledge support of the Weekly Reader, Inc., in
conducting this research; however, Weekly Reader, Inc., bears no responsibility for errors of
commission or omission.
EVALUATION REVIEW, Vol. 24 No. 3, June 2000 272-294
2000 Sage Publications, Inc.
American society. A vast literature exists on the role of schools in the politi-
cal socialization of American youth, including awareness of current events,
American government, and otherwise enhancing the empowerment of citi-
zens (Hess and Torney 1967; Ehman 1980; Palonsky 1987; Moore, Lare, and
Wagner 1985).
Work in psychology, political science, and mass communication has
shown that young children enter elementary school with minimal under-
standing of political phenomena and later leave high school with fairly exten-
sive political knowledge and sophistication. Young persons are subject to
influences of socializing agents, the most important being the schools, peers,
mass media, and family. Much of the previous research, however, has not iso-
lated the effects of various curricula on childrens political knowledge sepa-
rate from these socializing agents. The purpose of this study is to assess the
influence of one widely used teaching aid, the Weekly Reader (Weekly
Reader, Inc., 1986), on current events knowledge among young school
children, controlling for selected home and more general classroom
characteristics.
LITERATURE REVIEW
In the 1970s, educational researchers began examining the effects of vary-
ing conditions in elementary and secondary school classrooms on the devel-
opment of childrens political attitudes, ideologies, behaviors, and current
events knowledge. Much of this interest stems fromresearch suggesting that
the elementary and early middle school grades (ages 9 to 14, Grades 4
through 8) are crucial in an individuals acquisition of civic attitudes and
political knowledge. The more politically interested and knowledgeable chil-
dren are, the more likely they are to have a strong sense of political efficacy
and a greater propensity to become involved in political life and have more
positive, if more questioning, views toward politics as they grow older
(Moore, Lare, and Wagner 1985, 183-205).
SCHOOLS
Research defining knowledge largely in terms of awareness and the ability
to respond systematically to political symbols, actors, and processes suggests
that schools have an important influence on childrens early learning and
political attitudes (Hess and Torney 1967; Greenstein 1968; Ehman 1980).
The effects of schooling are present even among very young children (kinder-
Hofstetter et al. / EFFECT OF THE WEEKLY READER 273
garten to Grade 4) (Moore, Lare, and Wagner 1985), although much of the
education is devoted to teaching citizenship roles that are compliant rather
than questioning (Andrain 1971, 154-5). However, Jennings (1971) reported
that the sheer number of high school civics courses was unrelated to political
knowledge gain, due in large part to the redundancy of information in
courses.
Teachers are assumed to constitute transmitters of political knowledge to
children through their mediation of political symbols, monuments, actors,
and the political process in classroom textbooks, other curricular materials,
discussions, and instructional processes (see, e.g., Earle 1982), especially
when teachers are highly credible and children lack other sources of informa-
tion (Ehman 1980, 104). Much of the classroominfluence on knowledge gain
arises because other variables related to knowledge are manipulated, includ-
ing interest, relevance, mastery motivation for understanding politics, and
subsequent news-seeking (Anderman and Johnston 1994a).
Numerous observers argue that specific curricular and instructional strate-
gies (e.g., Passe 1988; Anderman and Johnston 1994b) have led to increased
political knowledge (e.g., adding concept-related, role-playing activities to
lecture formats, which enhances self-efficacy through classroom participa-
tion and discussion). Palonsky (1987, 498) reports, however, that textbooks
remain the most common means of communicating civics information to
children and that the texts are often bland, uninteresting accounts that are not
relevant to childrens personal experiences.
Ehman (1980, 103) concluded that schooling is more closely linked to
acquisition of political knowledge and awareness than as a formative influ-
ence on attitudes. Increases of knowledge due to the school may be even more
marked among groups who have been less exposed to cultural advantages of
the affluent and the social mainstream or who have fewer learning resources
in the home (Hess and Torney 1967, 218-20; Ehman 1980, 112-3; Jennings
1971).
However, research into what specific aspects of schooling are most influ-
ential (e.g., curriculum, instructional practices, teacher characteristics, class-
room climate, group membership) on developing elementary age childrens
political knowledge have remained elusive (Ehman 1980; Palonsky 1987;
Langton 1969).
PEERS
Peer groups formduring the school years but the direct influence of peers
on political knowledge among elementary school children has not been
274 EVALUATION REVIEW / JUNE 2000
marked because few children have conversations with explicit political con-
tent (Drew and Reeves 1980, 45-54, 114). One study reported greater influ-
ence of peers on knowledge and opinions among initially less knowledgeable
youngsters (Chaffee, Ward, and Tipton 1970, 659). It is likely that political
participation within the school and classroom, especially when the context
permits discussion of sensitive issues and questioning of accepted values,
increases political efficacy, involvement, and knowledge (Ehman 1980,
108-12). Television news exposure also is associated with interest in politics,
political discussion with peers, and information-seeking (Atkin and Gantz
1978, 194-5), although the direction of causality may be from discussion to
news exposure.
MASS MEDIA
Exposure to broadcast and print media, especially to news content, is con-
sistently associated with political knowledge (Conway, Stevens, and Smith
1975; Comstock and Paik 1991, 144-52), although previous research has
yielded widely varying results on media effects depending on the age of chil-
dren and the amount and nature of exposure. In a comprehensive recent sum-
mary of the literature, Comstock and Paik (1991, 140-4) reported that expo-
sure to television news and newspapers/newsmagazines increases factual
knowledge but that children have greater exposure to television news than to
print media and most of the exposure is unrelated to information- seeking
motivations (Chaffee, Ward, and Tipton 1970, 650). Although exposure to
television news shapes the way children perceive reality, exposure to televi-
sion decreases as children move into adolescence and a great amount of expo-
sure to television does not involve current events. Exposure to both national
news and Saturday news programming on television begins early in elemen-
tary school and increases with age (Atkin and Gantz 1978, 188).
Cross-lagged panel analysis results were interpreted as news media exposure
having a greater effect on knowledge than knowledge on media exposure
(Atkin and Gantz 1978, 192).
Moore, Lare, and Wagner (1985, 132-4) reported that knowledge con-
cerning elections, politicians, taxes, and Watergate was related to television
news viewing among older children but that the relationships were strongest
for the oldest children, for those with greater prior knowledge, and for those
reinforced by discussions with others in the family (fourth-grade students).
Chaffee, Ward, and Tipton (1970, 657-8) concluded that high media use dur-
ing an election campaign predicted both concomitant political knowledge
and, more significantly, subsequent knowledge gain several months later, but
was less important ininfluencing behavior andattitudes about the campaign.
In the same study, mass media are rated as the most important source of
campaign information than other agents of socialization, although senior
high school children rated mass media higher and junior high school students
rated parents higher as information sources (Chaffee, Ward, and Tipton 1970,
657). Teachers were rated as relatively very important as an information
source and peers were rated as the least important (Chaffee, Ward, and Tipton
1970, 658).
Children in fourth and fifth grades gain more political knowledge from
television news programming than younger children in early elementary
grades, although younger children might experience limited learning from
simplified Saturday morning mininewscasts (Atkin and Gantz 1978). They
also reported that mass media exposure was related to discussion of politics,
participation in family discussions of politics, seeking information to use in
discussions fromtelevision, and increased political interest (Atkin and Gantz
1978, 184-6).
Ehman (1980) reports that sixth-grade students accepted television as the
authoritative news source but children in Grades 4 through 6 found discus-
sions about news events with teachers to be more important. These findings
suggest that as children age, their reliance on television programming
decreases and they seek political information fromprint media sources, such
as newspapers and newsmagazines, as well as from their school curriculum
and class discussions (Comstock and Paik 1991).
FAMILY
The predominant view concerning the family as a socialization agent is
that it influences early emotional attachments to authority figures, political
parties, and other groups but that the family is more supportive than instruc-
tive in acquisition of specific factual political knowledge (Hyman 1959; Hess
and Torney 1967, 217). The process works by transmission of attitudes, pres-
ence of role models, and the generalization of family experiences to politics
(Hess and Torney 1967, 95-7; Atkin and Gantz 1978). Actual intergenera-
tional transmission of information may be less than some have concluded
(Jennings and Niemi 1968).
It is likely that the major influence of the family on the acquisition of spe-
cific factual knowledge by children involves the determination of lifestyle
reflecting variation in political interest in and discussion of current events
(Moore, Lare, and Wagner 1985, 149); orientation toward learning political
information and the use of mass media; expressed concern for the childs
education (including education about current events); and possession of
learning resources, such as availability of print media, leisure time, and role
models in the home.
Moore, Lare, and Wagner (1985, 132) argue that the greater interaction
with adults explains why birth order is associated with political knowledge so
that the first-born child within each family has greater knowledge. Exposure
to television news increases when adults in the household manifest high lev-
els of interest in political coverage; however, correlations between childrens
and parents opinions on major political issues were positive, according to
Comstock and Paik (1991, 144). They conclude that the parents have more
influence on opinions about issues, whereas television supplies information
about issues. Older children also are influenced in the extent and care with
which they read print media by the media environment created in the house-
hold (Cobb 1986).
SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES
Other characteristics mediate the influence of family, school, and the mass
media on political knowledge, including social class, reading level, gender,
sibling pattern, ethnic background, estimated academic rank, and exposure to
media (especially television). Many of these characteristics involve the pres-
ence of learning resources in childrens immediate environments, political
interest and involvement of significant others, and the instillation of attitudes
and behaviors that facilitate political involvement.
Boys tend to be more knowledgeable about politics than are girls. Anglos
are more knowledgeable than non-Anglos, oldest and only children are more
sophisticated than others, academic high achievers are significantly more
knowledgeable than lower-ranking children, and television news watchers to
be more aware than nonwatchers (Moore, Lare, and Wagner 1985). A longi-
tudinal study of the childrens political world (Moore, Lare, and Wagner
1985), however, found that these demographic variables were not as predic-
tive of political knowledge as earlier studies suggested.
Instead, several nondemographic explanations for political knowledge
were more powerful, including cognitive readiness and related prior knowl-
edge for learning measured in terms of cognitive thresholds. More specifi-
cally, they identified a number of organizing concepts within the political
knowledge domain, at varying grade levels. Children who possessed and
could build on these organizing concepts were in a better position to develop
political knowledge than were children who did not. For example, kinder-
garten and first-grade students who knewsomething about what government
does, something that the president did, something about taxes, and something
about the electoral process were much more likely to possess greater political
knowledge than their peers who did not understand these concepts. Moore,
Lare, and Wagner (1985) suggest that a systematic introduction of these
political concepts in the classroom could counteract much of the apathy in
public affairs in general.
THE WEEKLY READER PERIODICAL
The Weekly Reader, a childrens periodical, is used widely in the nations
elementary school districts for children in kindergarten through Grade 6. The
goal of the Weekly Reader is to provide current events information to chil-
dren, on a weekly basis, written specifically for students at varying grade lev-
els. Most of the articles in the Weekly Reader parallel those in current national
and local newspapers, newsmagazines, and news segments on television and
radio shows. Articles on topics of general interest also are included.
PURPOSE OF STUDY
The purpose of this study is to assess whether the presence of the Weekly
Reader in the classroommade a significant contribution to enhancing current
events information among elementary school children. More specific ques-
tions were as follows: How do students in classrooms with the Weekly
Reader, classrooms with some other nonWeekly Reader periodical, class-
rooms with a combination of the Weekly Reader and some other periodical,
and classrooms with no periodical differ in their current events knowledge
after controlling for childrens total information environments at home and at
school? Do the effects of the Weekly Reader differ for children in lower ele-
mentary classrooms (Grades 2 and 3) when compared to children in upper
elementary classrooms (Grades 4 through 6)?
METHOD
Data for this study were drawn froma larger interdisciplinary study of the
influence of the Weekly Reader periodical on current events knowledge con-
ducted during 1994-1995. First, central city and suburban schools in Chi-
cago, Houston, San Francisco, and Boston were selected to provide regional
variation. The Weekly Reader Corporation approached principals to request
access to schools that used the Weekly Reader. Second, teachers who used the
Weekly Reader were recruited within these schools. Teachers fromclasses in
the same schools, in the same subject area and grade level, that did not use the
Weekly Reader also were recruited. Third, principals of participating schools
were asked to nominate the most closely socioeconomically matched schools
in the same area that did not use the Weekly Reader. Principals of those
schools were approached and teachers in the schools from classes that
matched the Weekly Reader classes were recruited. Teachers of nonWeekly
Reader classes who participated in the study were given free subscriptions as
an incentive to participate in the study.
PROCEDURES
A multistage matched sampling process was used to recruit students and
teachers. The frame resulted in classes (Grades 3 through 6) in Weekly
Reader and nonWeekly Reader schools matched, to the extent possible, on
grade, racial/ethnic mix, urban/suburban location, and test performance.
For each targeted school, research staff contacted the principal, explaining
the purposes and methods of the study explained and soliciting their partici-
pation. Principals were asked to permit student and teacher questionnaires to
be administered in each school and for students to take home brief mailback
questionnaires for completion by their principal caregivers, although data
fromthe mailback questionnaire were not used in this study. After consulting
with teachers, the principal decided whether the school would participate in
the project. Schools participated only when all teachers in targeted classes
agreed. More than 80% of the schools contacted in each city participated in
the research study.
Principals in Weekly Reader schools then were asked to nominate princi-
pals of other schools that did not use the Weekly Reader but that were as simi-
lar to their own school as possible in socioeconomic, urban/suburban loca-
tion, and academic performance (proportion of students on free/reduced-
price lunches, racial mix, and test performance).
Nominations were used to repeat the recruiting process with principals of
matched nonWeekly Reader schools. Participating classes were given a
1-year subscription as an incentive to participate in the study. Within each
school, special attention was given to matching individual classes (Grades 3
through 6) in Weekly Reader and nonWeekly Reader schools by grade,
racial/ethnic mix, urban/suburban location, and test performance.
Data were collected using several modalities. First, teachers administered
a paper-and-pencil questionnaire to children ages 8 to 12 (n = 2,331) in their
classrooms (n = 102). Students reported on their media usage in the home,
attitudes toward government and democracy, and information about current
events. Second, teachers completed a questionnaire concerning their own
interest in politics, classroom and instructional practices, evaluation of class
in terms of civic competence, and personal and classroommedia usage. They
also completed a brief questionnaire about each child in their classroom to
obtain information regarding the childs reading proficiency, enrollment in
an English as a Second Language (ESL) program, ethnic background, and
other variables.
All classroom questionnaires were usable for the study, although many
teachers were reluctant to provide information about individual students free
or reduced-price lunch status and English language ability; missing data
ranged from 50% to 42%, respectively. Two proxy variables based on U.S.
Census data were substituted. The data did not allow detailed analysis of
nonparticipants or nonparticipating schools. Nonetheless, we are aware of no
biases in the data due either to the partial noncompliance of the teachers or to
the 20% of principals who chose not to participate.
STUDENT VARIABLES
The student variables are as follows:
Childs reading level [READING]. The students average reading performance
was based on the teachers rating of the reading level of each student (1 = below
average, 2 = average, 3 = above average).
Childs exposure to broadcast media [CMEDIA]. To assess the students level of
exposure to news events through broadcast media, such as television news and
radio news, in school or home, the child answered two questions: Howoften do
you listen to news on the radio? and Howoften do you watch news on television?
Responses were 1 (never), 2 (occasionally), 3 (once a week), 4 (2-3 times a
week), and 5 (everyday).
Childs exposure to print media [CPRINT]. To assess the students level of ex-
posure to news events through print media, such as local or national newspapers
and newsmagazines, in school or home, the child answered two questions: How
often do you read a local newspaper such as USA Today in school or at home?
and How often do you read newsmagazines such as Time or Newsweek? Re-
sponses were 1 (never), 2 (occasionally), 3 (once a week), 4 (2-3 times a week),
and 5 (everyday).
Current events test score [CEKNOW]. Students current events knowledge
score was based on the number of correct responses on a 29-item test. Multi-
ple-choice items (16) and headlines (13) were derived fromarticles in recent is-
sues of the Weekly Reader, newspapers, newsmagazines, and items featured in
broadcast media.
TEACHER/CLASSROOM VARIABLES
The teacher/classroom variables are as follows:
Teachers broadcast media use [TMEDIA]. To assess use of broadcast media in
class, such as radio and television, teachers answered two questions: About how
often do you use a radio in your classroom? and About how often do you use a
television in your classroom? Responses were 1 (never), 2 (occasionally), 3
(once a week), 4 (2-3 times a week), and 5 (everyday).
Teachers print media use [TPRINT]. To assess use of print media in class, such
as local and national newspapers and newsmagazines, teachers answered three
questions: About howoften do you use national newspapers in your classroom?
About how often do you use local newspapers in your classroom? and About
how often do you use newsmagazines (e.g., Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and
World Report) in your classroom? Responses were 1 (never), 2 (occasionally), 3
(once a week), 4 (2-3 times a week), and 5 (everyday).
Median income in area [MEDINC]. The median income of households in
school zip code was obtained through U.S. Census data.
Percentage who do not speak English in area [PERNOENG]. The percentage of
people who do not speak English in households in school zip code was obtained
through U.S. Census data.
Mean class reading level [MRDG]. Student reading scores were aggregated to
classroom level.
Mean class broadcast media level [MCMEDIA]. Student broadcast media ex-
posure was aggregated to classroom level.
Mean class print media level [MCPRINT]. Student print media exposure was
aggregated to classroom level.
A number of additional variables were used. Four types of classrooms
were represented in the model using three effects coded as variables: Weekly
Reader only (WRONLY), other periodical only (OTHR), and Weekly Reader
in addition to other periodical (WROTHR). Each was coded 1 if the period-
ical was present, 0 if not present. The no periodical classrooms served as
the baseline for comparisons. For example, WRONLY = 1 if it was a Weekly
Reader only classroom, 1 if it was a no periodical classroom, and 0 other-
wise. The variables OTHR and WROTHR were similarly coded. The class-
roomgrade level variable (LUEL) was coded 1 for lower elementary Grades 2
and 3 and 1 for upper elementary Grades 4 through 6. Finally, additional
variables were coded to capture whether the effects of the type of periodical
present in the classroom differed by lower elementary and upper elementary
classrooms (LUWR = LUEL WRONLY; LUWO = LUEL WROTHER;
LUOT = LUEL OTHR).
DESCRIPTION OF SAMPLE
Students. The children in this study (2,331 students, 102 classrooms) were
drawn from a variety of socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. Approxi-
mately 26% lived in Chicago, 13% in Houston, 46% in San Francisco, and
15% in Boston. The mean grade level of the students was 4.18 (range 2-6),
and the mean age was 9.9 (range 7-13). There were slightly more males
(56%) than females (44%). About 50%of the children were Caucasian, 20%
African American, 13% Latino, 10% Asian, and 7% Other. The teachers
reported that 27% of their students were below-average readers, 44% were
average readers, and 29% were above-average readers.
Data fromthe 1990 U.S. Census for zip code areas in which schools were
located were used to characterize the school neighborhoods. More than half
of the schools were located in urban areas (43%), whereas the remaining
were in suburban areas. The median income for the school zip codes was
$37,324, with a range of $14,000 to $88,000.
Children in the sample reported greater exposure to current events through
television than newspapers. Exposure to current events through broadcast
media, such as local and national news on television and radio as indicated by
the composite scale, averaged once per week (M= 6.47, SD= 2.31), whereas
exposure through print media, including newspapers and newsmagazines,
was less (M = 4.13, SD = 1.90) (see Table 1).
Teachers/classrooms. Most of the teachers in the study were Caucasian
(88%), with 10% African American and very few Latino or Asian teachers
(1%each). The average teacher age was 44.09 years (SD=8.98), with a range
of 25 to 65. All had earned college degrees and nearly half (43%) had earned
advanced educational degrees. More than three quarter were female (78%).
Years of teaching experience ranged from1 to 35 years, with a mean of 17.08
years (SD = 9.83).
Teachers were more likely to teach current events through print media
(M= 6.04, SD= 2.71) than through broadcast media (M= 3.89, SD= 1.97) in
the classroom. Upper elementary teachers (Grades 4 through 6) were more
likely to use media sources to teach current events in the classroomthan were
lower elementary teachers (Grades 2 and 3). Teachers reported mean expo-
sure to local and national news on television 6.5 times per week (SD = 2.3).
Their exposure to current events through print media, including newspapers
and newsmagazines (e.g., USA Today, Time) was somewhat lower (M =
4.13, SD = 1.90).
Current events knowledge. The outcome of interest, current events knowl-
edge, was measured using a 29-item test that required aided recall of major
social-political events during 1994-1995. Thirteen items were multiple-
choice questions, for example: (a) In January of this year (1994), a major
earthquake that killed more than 5,000 people happened in (choose one):
England, Egypt, the United States, Japan, or I dont know; (b) For the first
time in 40 years, this party is in control of the U.S. Congress (choose one):
Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Labor, or I dont know; and (c) Who
is now the president of the United States? (choose one): George Bush, Bill
Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Newt Gingrich, or I dont know.
Another 16 items consisted of news headlines; the students had to distin-
guish between the real news headlines and fake headlines (i.e., foils that were
included to prevent guessing). Examples of test headlines include (a) More
republicans are now in Congress, (b) U.S. troops ensure peace in Haiti, and
(c) Astronauts land on Jupiter (foil). All of the test questions and headlines
were derived from recent issues of the 1994-1995 Weekly Reader, local and
national newspapers, newsmagazines, and television newscasts.
TABLE 1: Variables in Hierarchical Linear Modeling Regression Analyses
M SD Range Kurtosis Skewness
Student variables (n = 2,331)
Childs reading level 1.91 .75 1-3 1.22 .15
Childs exposure to broadcast
media 6.47 2.31 2-10 .88 .10
Childs exposure to print media 4.13 1.90 2-10 .05 .84
Childs current events test score 13.78 5.08 0-29 .25 .07
Teacher/class variables (n = 102)
Teachers broadcast media use 3.89 1.97 2-10 .39 1.00
Teachers print media use 6.04 2.71 3-14 .28 .97
Median income in area $37,324 $12,093 $14-88,000 4.02 1.06
Percentage in area who do not
speak English 9.25 8.04 .9-47.4 8.51 2.49
Mean class reading level 2.10 .30 1.3-3.0 .06 .10
Mean class broadcast media
level 6.46 .76 3.9-8.6 1.06 .35
Mean class print media level 4.13 .80 2.4-7.3 1.65 .63
Scores were computed by summing the number of correct responses to the
29 items. The mean score on the current events knowledge measure was
13.78 (SD = 5.08). Upper elementary children scored slightly higher (M =
14.16, SD=4.86) than did lower elementary children (M=12.88, SD=5.45).
About 10% of the entire sample answered 20 or more items correctly (of 29
possible). The reliability coefficient (internal consistency) for the total cur-
rent events knowledge test was moderately high (Cronbachs alpha =.7870).
Type of classroom periodical. There were four periodical combinations.
Nearly one third of the classrooms used the Weekly Reader periodical exclu-
sively (30%), another 10% used the Weekly Reader in addition to another
unspecified periodical (e.g., Jr. Scholastic, Scholastic News, Current
Events), 41% used an unspecified nonWeekly Reader periodical, and 19%
used no periodical at all (see Table 2).
Despite efforts to match schools by key indicators, notable differences
between classrooms by periodical remained. In lower elementary class-
rooms, significant differences were found in classroom characteristics (e.g.,
class reading level) and in the amount of broadcast and print media the
teacher used in the classroom. Students in classrooms that used the Weekly
Reader in addition to another periodical were from more affluent areas,
whereas students in Weekly Reader only classrooms were fromless English-
fluent areas. Different characteristics were found in the upper elementary
classrooms. Students in classrooms with any periodical present tended to be
less affluent than those in classrooms with no periodical. In addition, as with
TABLE 2: Number of Classes and Students by Periodical
Lower Upper
Elementary Elementary Total
(Grades 2-3) (Grades 4-6) Sample
Classes Students Classes Students Classes Students Percentage
Weekly
Reader only 8 192 21 498 29 690 30
Weekly
Reader + other
periodical 5 109 6 135 11 244 10
Other
periodical only 7 161 36 804 43 965 41
No periodical 11 241 8 191 19 432 19
Total 31 703 71 1628 102 2331 100
TABLE 3: Mean Classroom Characteristics by Periodical and Grade Level
Weekly Reader Weekly Reader Other
Only + Other Only None Total Contrasts
Lower elementary classes (Grades 2-3)
Student variables (n = 703)
Childs reading level 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.1
Childs exposure, broadcast media 6.2 6.3 6.1 6.6 6.3
Childs exposure, print media 3.7 4.0 3.6 4.1 3.8
Childs current events test score 15.4 14.2 10.0 12.2 12.9 ac, ad, bc, bd, cd
Teachers broadcast media use 4.6 3.0 4.0 3.4 3.8 ab, ac, ad, bc, cd
Teachers print media use 6.1 5.8 5.4 5.2 5.6 ad
Median income in area $37,076 $48,312 $33,916 $31,906 $36,250 ab, ac, ad, bc, bd
Percentage who do not speak English 12.1 9.1 7.8 13.2 11.1 ab, ac, bd, cd
Mean class reading level 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.1 ab, ac, bd, cd
Mean class broadcast media level 6.2 6.3 6.1 6.5 6.3 ad, cd
Mean class print media level 3.7 4.0 3.6 4.0 3.8 ab, ad, bc, cd
Upper elementary classes (Grades 4-6)
Childs reading level 2.2 2.0 2.0 2.1 2.1 ab, ac
Childs exposure, broadcast media 6.5 6.7 6.6 6.2 6.5
Childs exposure, print media 4.3 4.3 4.3 3.9 4.3 ad, cd
Childs current events test score 14.6 14.1 13.8 14.3 14.2 ac
Teachers broadcast media use 3.7 5.7 3.8 4.2 4.0 ab, bc, bd, ad
Teachers print media use 5.6 8.2 6.6 4.8 6.2 ab, ac, ad, bc, bd, cd
Median income in area $37,139 $34,296 $37,574 $42,013 $37,789 ab, bc, ad, bd
Percentage who do not speak English 9.1 9.2 7.6 7.7 8.2 ac, ad, bc
Mean class reading level 2.2 2.0 2.0 2.1 2.1 ab, ac, ad, bc, cd
Mean class broadcast media level 6.5 6.7 6.6 6.2 6.5 ad, bd, cd
Mean class print media level 4.3 4.3 4.3 3.9 4.3 ad, bd, cd
NOTE: Numbers in cells are means, rounded to nearest decimal point. Letters refer to contrasts linked to columns (a = Weekly Reader only, b =
Weekly Reader + other periodical, c = other periodical only, and d = no periodical) and are statistically significant by Scheff test (p < .05). Con-
trasts were tested for income and percentage non-English after transforming data using log10 and square root, respectively, to limit skewness.
2
8
5
the lower elementary classrooms, students with the Weekly Reader tended to
be from less English-fluent areas.
FINDINGS
THE WEEKLY READER EFFECT
Preliminary examination of classrooms suggests that children in classes
exclusively exposed to the Weekly Reader performed better on the current
events knowledge test than did children in any other type of class. Among
lower elementary classrooms, children in Weekly Reader only classrooms
had a mean knowledge score of 15.43, followed by classrooms with the
Weekly Reader in addition to some other periodical (M = 14.24), classrooms
with no periodical (M = 12.20), and classrooms with a nonWeekly Reader
periodical only (M = 9.97).
In the upper elementary classrooms, students with the Weekly Reader only
had the highest mean knowledge scores (M= 14.65), followed by classrooms
with no periodical present (M = 14.31), Weekly Reader and another periodi-
cal (M = 14.12), and a nonWeekly Reader periodical only (M = 13.84).
One-way analyses of variance between classroomperiodical type and the
variables of interest were computed by lower and upper elementary class-
rooms. Post hoc contrasts (Scheff test, p < .05) and effect sizes (ES) also
were computed. In terms of student-level variables, there were no statistically
significant differences between classrooms in childrens reading level (lower
ES = .08, upper ES = .11) and exposure to broadcast media (lower ES = .08,
upper ES = .05) and print media (lower ES = .11, upper ES = .08).
Differences in current events knowledge by classroom periodical were
more pronounced among lower elementary children (ES = .37) than upper
elementary children (ES = .07). For lower elementary grades, students in the
Weekly Reader only classrooms (M = 15.43) performed significantly higher
than did students with no exposure to a periodical (M = 12.20) or to another
periodical (M = 9.97) but not different than students in classrooms with the
Weekly Reader in addition to another periodical (M = 14.24). For upper ele-
mentary grades, students in Weekly Reader only classrooms (M= 14.65) per-
formed significantly higher than did students with some other nonspecified
periodical (M= 13.84) but not different than students with the Weekly Reader
in addition to another periodical (M = 14.12) or no periodical (M = 14.31).
In terms of classroom- or teacher-level variables, the most notable differ-
ence was in teachers use of print media (ES = .24). As expected, teachers in
classrooms with no periodical reported significantly lower use of print media
than did any of the other groups. Furthermore, teachers with the Weekly
Reader in addition to another periodical reported the highest usage of print
media. Differences between groups were less profound with regard to teach-
ers use of broadcast media in the classroom (ES = .11), with the classrooms
with the Weekly Reader in addition to another periodical reporting higher
media usage. Students in classrooms with the Weekly Reader in addition to
another periodical were associated with higher median incomes in the
schools zip code than the other groups, although the effect size was nominal
(ES = .09). Finally, students in the other periodical classrooms were associ-
ated with zip codes characterized by lower levels of English language profi-
ciency (ES = .18).
HIERARCHICAL LINEAR MODELING (HLM) REGRESSION ANALYSES
This study addressed two general questions of interest: (a) How do stu-
dents in classrooms with the Weekly Reader, classrooms with some other
nonWeekly Reader periodical, classrooms with a combination of the Weekly
Reader and some other periodical, and classrooms with no periodical differ
in their current events knowledge after controlling for childrens total infor-
mation environments at home and at school? and (b) Do the effects of the
Weekly Reader differ for children in lower elementary classrooms (Grades 2
and 3) as compared to children in upper elementary classrooms (Grades 4
through 6)?
More formal analyses may be used to examine differences between the
effects of the periodicals in the classrooms, controlling for key student and
classroom/teacher variables. Because of the multilevel or nested structure of
the data, we used HLMin our analyses (Bryk and Raudenbush 1992) to yield
more honest standard errors for the periodical effects.
A series of analyses were conducted, with only the final HLM analysis
reported in this article. First, all variables in the study were selected based on
theoretical considerations and our review of research findings. Then, the
model was refined when it was discovered that some variables (e.g., whether
school was urban or suburban, number of hours per week of class time spent
on current events) were not significantly related to students current events
knowledge. These variables were removed for the sake of parsimony, and the
analyses were recomputed. This did not alter the final analysis. No difference
in conclusions would have been reached had the initial model been retained.
Following is the final analytic model:
Level-1 (WITHIN-CLASS) model:
Y
ij
(CEKNOW) =
0j
+
1j
(READING) +
2j
(CMEDIA) +
3j
(CPRINT) + r
ij
,
where we assume r
ij
~ N(0,
2
).
Level-2 (BETWEEN-CLASS) model:
0j
=
00
+
01
(MRDG)
j
+
02
(MCPRINT)
j
+
03
(MCMEDIA)
j
+
04
(TMEDIA)
j
+
05
(TPRINT)
j
+
06
(MEDINC)
j
+
07
(PERNOENG)
j
+
08
(WRONLY)
j
+
09
(WROTHR)
j
+
010
(OTHR)
j
+
011
(LUEL)
j
+
012
(LUWR)
j
+
013
(LUWO)
j
+
014
(LUOT)
j
+
0j
1j
=
10
+
11
(LUEL) +
1j
2j
=
20
+
21
(LUEL)
3j
=
30
+
31
(LUEL),
where we assume
0j
~N(0, TAU00) and
1j
~N(0, 11). All Level-2 variables
are grand-mean centered.
The final HLM model yielded a point estimate of 13.62 (29 points possi-
ble) for the grand mean current events knowledge score. The standard error
was .32; thus, the 95% confidence interval for adjusted classroom means
ranged from12.99 to 14.24. Approximately 22%of the variance in students
current events knowledge was explained by the model.
The data suggest that students reading level (t ratio = 7.99, p = .000) and
exposure to broadcast and print media (t ratio = 5.53, p = .000; t ratio = 3.81,
p = .000, respectively) were positively related to current events knowledge
within classrooms. There were no statistical differences in current events
knowledge scores between the lower and upper grade level classrooms
(t ratio = 1.84, p = .066) once key variables such as media exposure, reading
level, and other covariates had been statistically controlled. The expected dif-
ference between lower and upper elementary classrooms, holding constant
other variables in the Level-2 model, is 1.2 points (expected decrement of .6
points for lower elementary classes, .6 increment for upper elementary
classes). In other words, the expected difference is a little more than one item.
This finding is not consistent with previous research because there appear to
be no major differences in children by age or grade level (see Table 4).
Presence of the Weekly Reader in the classroomwas positively associated
with childrens current events knowledge test scores, even after controlling
for exposure to communication media at home and school, and variables that
constituted a context for classrooms, median income, and English language
level of the school (t ratio = 3.24, p = .002). In contrast, presence of a
nonspecified periodical was negatively associated with childrens current
events knowledge (t ratio = 3.62, p = .001). The class mean reading level
had a positive association with students current events knowledge (t ratio =
2.33, p = .020).
TABLE 4: Final Two-Level Hierarchical Linear Modeling Regression Analysis,
With Current Events Knowledge as the Dependent Variable
Independent Regression Standard
Variable Coefficient Error T p <
Childs reading level
a
1.27 .16 7.99 .000*
Interaction with grade level .48 .16 3.01 .003*
Childs exposure to broadcast media
a
.24 .04 5.53 .000*
Interaction with grade level .03 .04 .80 .426
Childs exposure to print media
a
.21 .05 3.81 .000*
Interaction with grade level .07 .05 1.38 .166
Teacher/classroom variables (n = 102)
Intercept 13.62 .32 42.18 .000
Teachers broadcast media use .03 .15 .22 .823
Teachers print media use .04 .11 .36 .721
Median income in area .01 .03 .37 .709
Percentage who do not speak English .07 .04 1.69 .091
Mean class reading level 2.24 .96 2.33 .020*
Mean class broadcast media level .01 .46 .03 .975
Mean class print media level .43 .44 .99 .322
Periodical/grade level effects
Presence of Weekly Reader only 1.63 .50 3.24 .002*
Presence of Weekly Reader + other
periodical .42 .67 .64 .525
Presence of other periodical only 1.86 .51 3.62 .001*
Lower elementary grade classroom .60 .33 1.84 .066
Interaction effects
Grade level and Weekly Reader only 1.29 .53 2.43 .015*
Grade level and Weekly Reader + other
periodical .04 .68 .05 .957
Grade level and other periodical only 1.28 .52 2.46 .014*
NOTE: Classroomperiodical variables coded 1 if present, 0 if not present; grade level
variable coded 1 for lower, 1 for upper elementary classrooms.
a. Indicates intercept.
* p < .05.
The interaction terms suggest that the Weekly Reader had significant
effects in the lower grades but not in the upper grades. Students in lower ele-
mentary classrooms (Grades 2 and 3) with the Weekly Reader present scored
about 3.0 points higher than did students in classrooms with no periodical.
Students in classrooms with both the Weekly Reader and some other periodi-
cal scored one half point higher, and those with some other nonWeekly
Reader periodical would score nearly 3.0 points lower than students in class-
rooms with no periodical (see Table 5).
The Weekly Reader effect was not significant, however, in upper elemen-
tary classrooms. Students in classrooms with the Weekly Reader present
scored only 0.56 points higher on the current events knowledge test than stu-
dents with no periodical in the classroom. Students in classrooms with some
other periodical scored .36 points lower than students with no periodical in
the classroom.
Some cross-level interaction effects also were significant. The analysis
suggests that there was an interaction effect between student reading level
and whether the student is in a lower or upper elementary classroom. Holding
all other student-level covariates constant (e.g., exposure to broadcast and
print media at home), the interaction suggests that reading level on current
events knowledge is more powerful among upper elementary grade children
than lower elementary children ( t ratio = 3.01, p = .003). There were no
TABLE 5: Difference in Current Events Knowledge Score by Type of Periodical
and Grade Level
Difference From Difference From
No Periodical Weekly Reader Only
Lower elementary classes (Grades 2-3)
Weekly Reader only 3.08* (1.26)
Weekly Reader in addition to other periodical .54 1.44) 2.54 (1.55)
Other periodical only 2.98* (1.33) 6.06** (1.41)
No periodical 3.08* (1.26)
Upper elementary classes (Grades 4-6)
Weekly Reader only .56 (1.12)
Weekly Reader in addition to other periodical .68 (1.48) .12 (1.34)
Other periodical only .36 (1.09) .92 (0.74)
No periodical .56 (1.12)
NOTE: Scores are expected differences in current events knowledge test scores
(29-point scale) between students in classrooms, by type of periodical, controlling for key
student- and classroom-level variables. Standard errors are in parentheses.
*p < .05. **p < .01.
significant differences in the students broadcast and print media exposure at
home or at school by grade level.
It is also notable that additional HLM analyses were computed after
subsetting data on upper and lower elementary classrooms due to differences
in classroomcharacteristics that we felt might influence findings. Both anal-
yses replicated the original findings. Although minor differences in coeffi-
cients appeared, the conclusions remained the same as for the overall
analysis.
DISCUSSION
Avast body of literature relating media exposure to a variety of social and
political behaviors (e.g., issue knowledge, awareness, interest) suggests rela-
tively small but consistent effects of media, especially print media, on infor-
mation. Exposure to classroomperiodicals is but one of many influences that
we suspect bolsters civics knowledge in schools. Thus, findings are consis-
tent with expectations. This study suggests that exposure to the Weekly
Reader has relatively small but similar associations with civics knowledge.
More specifically, the data suggest that elementary school children, ages 8
through 12, with higher reading and greater exposure to current events
through communication media (television, newspapers, newsmagazines,
discussions) levels have more knowledge and understanding of current
events within classrooms, as measured by a 29-item current events knowl-
edge test.
Exposure to the Weekly Reader in the classroom(without purposive inter-
vention) has an additional positive effect on lower elementary (Grades 2 and
3) childrens knowledge of current events, even after controlling for key class-
room-level variables (median income of surrounding community, English-
language ability of surrounding community, grade level of classroom, teachers
use of broadcast and print media in classroom). These results suggest that the
presence of the Weekly Reader periodical, with or without purposive use,
may positively influence childrens current events knowledge, especially in
the lower elementary grade levels.
The data suggest that lower elementary children in Weekly Reader classes
would score about three points higher on the current events knowledge mea-
sure than children with no periodical in the classroom, holding constant all
variables in the between-class model. In contrast, the Weekly Reader effect
was negligible for upper elementary (Grades 4 through 6) children. The
outcome measure was designed so that demographic differences between
classrooms and students within the classrooms would have minimal effect on
the students performance on the current events knowledge measure.
Furthermore, it appears that the most dramatic Weekly Reader effect may
taper off as children progress through schooling, increasingly accessing cur-
rent events information from the television, newspapers, school textbooks
and other curricular materials, and through classrooms activities related to
current events and civics knowledge. More systematic research is necessary
to better determine these effects after controlling for additional influences on
childrens current events knowledge.
FUTURE RESEARCH
All research has limitations. Future research should include why the par-
ticipating schools chose (or chose not) to use the Weekly Reader or some
other periodical as well as how the respective periodicals were used in the
classrooms. The current study was designed to test the effects of the Weekly
Reader but not the relative effects of other specific periodicals. The findings
suggest that the Weekly Reader had a stronger effect on childrens knowledge
of current events than did other periodicals; however, no direct comparisons
between the Weekly Reader and other specific childrens periodicals were
made.
Future research also should include more information on classroom pro-
cesses, especially what types of current events materials (e.g., textbooks,
periodicals) are used in the classroomas well as howthey are used by the stu-
dents and teachers, and a standardized reading test in addition to teachers
evaluations of reading level. Additional research should extend the range of
ages of children, paying particular attention to civics knowledge among the
younger cohorts. Better measures of students socioeconomic status, level of
students English language proficiency, current events knowledge, and
teacher quality also would strengthen inferences. Finally, it would be ideal if
this study could be repeated using a stronger experimental design, with class-
rooms randomly assigned to Weekly Reader only, Weekly Reader in addition
to another specified periodical, other specified periodical, and no periodical
combinations. This would provide the strongest feasible measure of any peri-
odical effect on childrens current events knowledge.
Young children did extremely well in the current event test used in this
study given the paucity of political knowledge that other studies have
described among this age group. Finally, the logic of the present study should
be extended to assess the role of a greater number of alternative media
environments, with more attention devoted to the general climate in the home
and to more specific media use in the classroom.
REFERENCES
Anderman, E. M., and J. Johnston. 1994a. Achievement goals and current events knowledge.
ERIC Document, ED 381 451.
. 1994b. Motivational influences on adolescentscurrent events knowledge. ERICDocu-
ment, ED 381 420.
Andrain, C. F. 1971. Children and civic awareness. Columbus, OH: Merrill.
Atkin, C., and W. Gantz. 1978. Television news and political socialization. Public Opinion
Quarterly, pp. 183-98.
Bryk, A. S., and S. W. Raudenbush. 1992. Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data
analysis methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Chaffee, S., L. Ward, and L. Tipton. 1970. Mass communication and political socialization.
Journalism Quarterly 47 (winter): 647-59.
Cobb, C. J. 1986. Patterns of newspaper readership among teenagers. Communication Research
13 (2): 299-326.
Comstock, G., and H. Paik. 1991. Television and the American child. New York: Academic
Press.
Conway, M. M., A. J. Stevens, and R. Smith. 1975. The relation between media use and chil-
drens civic awareness. Journalism Quarterly 52:531-38.
Drew, D. G., and B. Reeves. 1980. Children and television news. Journalism Quarterly
57:45-54, 114.
Earle, D. 1982. Current events should be taught in primary classrooms. Social Education 46 (1):
27-8.
Ehman, L. 1980. The American school in the political socialization process. Review of Educa-
tional Research 50:99-119.
Greenstein, S. 1968. Political socialization. The International Encyclopedia of the Social Sci-
ences 14:551-55.
Hess, R. D., and J. V. Torney. 1967. The development of political attitudes in children. Chicago:
Aldine.
Hyman, H. 1959. Political socialization: A study in the psychology of political behavior.
Glencoe, IL: Free Press.
Jennings, M. K. 1971. Political learning in the schools: An overview and a special view. ERIC
Document, ED 066 349.
Jennings, M. K., and R. Niemi. 1968. Transmission of political values from parent to child.
American Political Science Review 62:169-84.
Langton, K. 1969. Political socialization. New York: Oxford University Press.
Moore, S., J. Lare, and K. Wagner. 1985. The childs political world: Alongitudinal perspective.
New York: Praeger.
Palonsky, S. 1987. Political socialization in elementary schools. Elementary School Journal
5:493-505.
Passe, J. 1988. Developing current events awareness in children. Social Education 52 (7):
531-33.
Verba, S., and N. H. Nie. 1972. Participation in America: Political democracy and social equal-
ity. New York: Harper & Row.
Weekly Reader, Inc. 1986. The Weekly Reader national survey. Middletown, CT: Weekly
Reader, Inc.
Carolyn Huie Hofstetter is an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Education at the
University of California, Berkeley. Her research interests focus on evaluation theory and prac-
tice and the use of mixed methods in evaluations.
C. Richard Hofstetter is a professor of political science and adjunct professor in the Graduate
School of Public Health at San Diego State University. His interests focus on mass media and
political behavior.
Diane Lapp is a professor in reading and language development in the College of Education at
San Diego State University. Her research interests include literacy development issues for first-
and second-language English speakers and teacher education practices and policies.
James Flood is a professor of literacy and language at San Diego State University. His research
interests include processes of literacy, instruction in literacy, and teacher education. He is a for-
mer president of the National Reading Conference and currently serves on several editorial
boards in the field of literacy.
from the SAGE Social Science Collections. All Rights Reserved.


Appendix E
Current Events Activity

1
Name:_______________________________________ Date:___________________
Current Events Affect Everyone
Directions: Listen and follow along carefully as the article is read aloud in class. Highlight
information that will assist you in completing the organizer below and the questions that follow. Be
prepared to discuss your answers.
RESULT 1: What consequential events happened/could happen
as a result of what you learned in the show?
EVENT: Write a 1-2 sentence summary of the show.
RESULT 2: What happened/could happen as a
result of what you learned in the show?
RESULT 3: What happened/could happen as a
result of what you learned in the show?
2
1. What makes this event newsworthy, and why should people be concerned about it?
2. What ideas do you have about what should be done to address this event and its results/potential
results?
3. What are the potential outcomes for this event if:
some sort of action is taken?
action is not taken?
4. What additional information would you like to know about this event?
5. How could you go about finding the answer to the questions you listed in #4 above? List
possible resources.
6. How does learning about this event and thinking about possible results of it help you to see the
importance of being aware of current events locally and nationally?
7. What are the consequences of people NOT being concerned about current events?


Appendix F
Current Events Extension Activity

3
Name:_______________________________________ Date:___________________
Current Events Projects
Learn more about current events and what people view as important by completing one of the
activities below. Be prepared to present your project to classmates and community members so they
can learn more about current events and understand the significance of being aware of what is
happening in our world.
Use reliable sources such as NOWs online content including the keyword search or topic search
available at http://www.pbs.org/now/ to gather information for your project. The topic you select
should be one focused on a local or national issue, not a world event.
Conduct an opinion poll about current events. Be sure to report your findings accurately and
reliably so the poll is valid. Survey at least 25 people and ask them what they think are the most
important current events issues for your local area and in our nation. Ask them to explain why
they believe each of these events is important. Record a direct quote from each interviewee
about why they chose each specific event. Compile your survey results into a chart that
illustrates the data. Create a display board that includes a picture and a summary of the local
and national issues that people were most concerned about along with specific quotes from the
interviewees about why they selected these events.
Choose a local or national current event and conduct research about it using reliable sources. Be
sure to use a variety of different sources including newspapers, magazines, television/radio news
broadcasts, and Internet news providers. Create a poster-sized graphic organizer that illustrates
the causes and effects of this event, as well as a flowchart that shows the direct and indirect
impact this event could have on four of the following:
o Our country
o The individuals affected by the event
o Your state
o Your local area
o You personally
Create a table or write 2-3 paragraphs comparing the various resources you used for conducting
research. Discuss the basic news value of your topic, the amount of coverage the topic you
researched was given in each source, how the information was presented (live shot/interview
from the scene, graphic representation (chart, poll results, etc.,) photographs/video to illustrate
the main points of the story, the quality of the reporting, the amount of emphasis each source
gave to the event, and why this source may have given a different level of emphasis to the event
than another resource (i.e. it was local or regional, etc.)
Using the chart, be prepared to discuss how such an event can make an impact on people in both
a direct and indirect manner.


Appendix G
Workshop Evaluation

Fl ying Through Literacy with Current Events
Workshop Feedback Form
Ohio Educational Library Media Association Conference 2012

Date: 04/23/2012 Instructor: J oseph J . Fabian

Please improve our professional development program by completing this
information. Thank you!

I came expecting ______________________________________________________

Poor Fair Average Good Excellent
1 2 3 4 5

How would you rate the following (place a check in the appropriate column):

1 2 3 4 5
1. Value of presentation in meeting your needs
2. Expertise of the presenter
3. Presentation techniques of the presenter
4. Your learning experience
5. Usefulness of handouts or other take aways
6. Clarity of objectives
7. Active involvement of participants in learning experience
8. Timeliness of the material presented
9. Use of practical examples
10. Overall rating of workshop session

We need and appreciate your additional feedback on this workshop session:

Would you recommend this workshop to others (circle one): Yes No

Reasoning:

What guidance could you give the presenter to improve this learning experience?

What did you learn today that you are most likely to try?

Other Comment (feel free to use the back if needed):


Appendix H
Bibliography

Bibliography

Anderman, E. M. (1998). Television News in the Classroom: What are Adolescents Learning? Journal of
Adolescent Research , 73-100.
Deroche, E. F. (1991). The Newspaper: A Reference Book for Teachers and Librarians. ABC-Clio Inc.
Hofstetter, C. H. (2000). The effect of the Weekly Reader on Children's Knowledge of Current Events.
Evaluational Review , 272-294.
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Ohio Educational Library Media Association Conference

April 23, 2012

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