Engaging activities for exploring current events in secondary school classrooms

• Implement a "current events minute". At the beginning of the year, have each of your students select a presentation date. Then, when it’s their turn, they can share a brief current news topic. Afterwards, the students can express their stance on the topic by writing a reflection. Near the end of the term, ask your students to choose and refine three reflections from their collection to submit for evaluation.

• Develop a podcast. As a creative approach to oral assessment, ask your students to form teams and produce a podcast episode. During this activity, your class will engage in an in-depth discussion of a current events topic, showcasing their analytical and communication skills.

• Simplify an existing article. Have your students pick a news article and practise text simplification through condensing the content, using synonyms, and adjusting sentence structure, all while keeping the core message intact. This activity helps enhance both comprehension and language proficiency skills.

• Analyze data insights. Select a news article containing numerical data and collaborate with your students to craft various graphs or charts to visually represent the information. This exercise fosters both the comprehension and visualization of data, allowing students to interpret the numerical information to gain meaningful insights.

• Find solutions to a scientific or environmental issue. Have each of your students design a robot or another type of machine with a specific function that addresses a scientific or environmental challenge. Using the technological design process, ask them to sketch their robot, explain its various components, and outline how it would help solve the issue at hand.

• Engage in ecological initiatives. Throughout the entire 2023-2024 school year, Alloprof, in collaboration with Lab22, will be offering monthly educational activities related to environmental responsibility. Stay tuned for updates!

• Prepare for voting. Vote Compass is a valuable tool to use with your students, even if they haven’t reached the legal voting age yet. Go over the tool with them first, and then have them complete the test. As the final step, ask them to write down the political party they align with the most on their activity sheet and to explain why in a paragraph, establishing connections between their values and beliefs, and the ideas advocated by the chosen party.

• Explore and share. Encourage your students to expand their knowledge by delving into current affairs in a different country. Following their research, they can share their discoveries with the class, whether through a presentation or by leading an interactive quiz. This dynamic activity fosters a deeper understanding of global issues while promoting collaborative and engaging learning experiences among peers.

• Engage in discussion and debate. Enrich your classroom experience by facilitating Socratic seminars or debates, where students are divided into various groups and encouraged to take positions on different current events topics. Beyond stimulating critical thinking and honing their public speaking skills, this activity will introduce students to the realm of philosophy. As they engage in thoughtful discourse, they will not only develop a deeper understanding of current events but also gain an appreciation of nuanced perspectives and constructive dialogue.

Regardless of the subject, it's crucial to foster an open environment where everyone's opinions are respected. Encourage your students to conduct their own research, listen to each other’s viewpoints, and express their opinions constructively. Feel free to use diverse resources such as videos, infographics, and interviews to make current events topics more accessible and engaging for students. In doing so, you'll not only promote a culture of critical thinking, but also empower your students to navigate and contribute meaningfully to discussions on current events.