Current

Events

Americans are far from

alone in this world, but
from the perspective of
many young Americans, we
may as well be.
(National Geographic, 2006, p. 6)

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Two-thirds of Americans
cannot correctly
identify Iraq
50%
on a map.
43%

HYPOTHESIS

Create well-rounded citizens that are well

informed about their nation on a global level
Students exposed to current events will learn a
wide variety of skills
Together these things will help to enhance
student scores in other content areas

PURPOSE:

Intended to give social studies teachers

justifcation to teach current events
Student

exposure to current events increases

achievement in other academic classes

INSTRUMENTS
Teachers:

Students:

Survey to detect at home exposure

to current events

Survey to detect classroom exposure to

current events

Current event assessment

General knowledge assessment

CONCLUSIONS
Results

Discussion

60/40

6th Grade:

55/45

35/41/23

Current Event

7th Grade

8th Grade

Does not mean 8th grade scored

lower than 6th or 7th
Students in 8th grade have more
current event knowledge
Higher level classes present more
specialization

General Knowledge

Same Score

CONCLUSION CONTINUED
Result

The higher the grade level the better the

score on both current event and general
knowledge

Discussion

Current events apply to their lives

More general knowledge has been
taught

CONCLUSION CONTINUED
Result

Discussion

No correlation between current event

exposure and current event knowledge

Surveys may not have been

specific enough

No observations of teachers were

done

Teaching

style

WHY?

CONCLUSION CONTINUED
Results

Discussion

Class placement was strongly correlated with

achievement on both assessments

More is expected of students in

higher classes

Teachers specialize lessons

Students have high expectations

for themselves

CONCLUSION CONTINUED
Result

Discussion

Verbal / linguistic:

Reading

Students who did well on the English MSA

and had high Lexile scores also did well on
the general knowledge assessment

comprehension
Decoding text
Making inferences
Understanding verbal
instruction
Good test taking skills

CONCLUSION CONTINUED
Results

Discussion

Logical / mathematical:

Cause

Students who did well on the math MSA and

also did well on the current event assessment

and effect
Order of societys
governments
Charts/graphs
Maps
Relationships
Demographic statistics

FURTHER QUESTIONS:

Is a strong general knowledge creating a strong

current event knowledge or vise versa?
Why is current event instruction not increasing
current event knowledge?
Why does parent involvement not increase
current event knowledge?
What needs to be done to help students
internalize current event information?

FINAL CONCLUSION

It is EVERY teachers responsibility to prepare

students for state testing.
It is EVERY teachers responsibility to complete
their state standards through the curriculum.
It is EVERY teachers responsibility to prepare
their students for the future.
Math and social studies teachers should use cross
curricular planning
High-stakes-testing