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Overview:
One way for kids to learn about geography and the environment is to read the news. In this lesson, you will introduce students to some stories from National Geographic News and discuss the reasons why it is a good idea to follow the news. The class will "adopt" a geographic news story, design posters to illustrate it, and research related topics.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 18: "How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future"
Time:
Three to four hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access
- Wall map of the world
- Large pieces of construction or poster paper
- Drawing materials
Objectives:
Students will
- view and discuss geographic and environmental pictures and news stories;
- list questions about a geographic or environmental news story, and use library materials to find the answers; and
- design posters to illustrate this news story.
Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Hold up a copy of today's local newspaper and ask students to explain its purpose. Why do they think people write news stories? How do we benefit from reading these stories? Students should understand that newspapers are published for a variety of reasons, such as to inform, to entertain, to provide opinions, to show pictures, and to advertise.
Ask students to describe some of the other ways people get their news. For example, people can get the news from TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, or by word of mouth. Have students describe some of the ways they and their parents access the news.
Discuss specific situations when it is a good idea to be aware of today's news. Provide these scenarios as examples:
- When you want to know what to wear (weather)
- When you or your parents want to know what the president has decided to do about the environment, schools, or another issue (political news, front page)
- When you want to know who won the football game last night (sports)
- When you want to find out the latest news about something you're interested in, such as animals or other countries (feature articles or magazines)
Development:
Show the class some geography- and environment-related pictures and news stories, either from National Geographic News or from your own collection of newspapers or magazines.
Then ask students if they have ever heard a story on the news about geography or the environment. For example, have they ever seen a TV news story about people in another country? Have they ever seen a magazine article about an endangered animal? Tell the class that paying attention to the news is a great way to learn more about the world and the people, animals, and plants that live in it.
Have students look at the National Geographic News site, ideally by projecting it onto a screen so the entire class can see it. Explain that this Web site provides special news stories related to geography and the environment. Share with the class some of the topics in today's headlines so they can hear examples.
Choose a current or recent article from National Geographic News and paraphrase it for the class in a manner they will easily understand. This article might be related to something you have discussed recently in class or something you are preparing to talk about in a future class.
Closing:
Ask students to explain what this article has taught them about the world or the environment. Help students locate the places discussed in the story on a class wall map.
Suggested Student Assessment:
Have the class read three news stories from National Geographic News that you think they might find particularly interesting or that fit into units you are currently teaching. Explain the basics of each story, and write some keywords describing the stories on the board. Label the locations of each story on a class wall map.
Have the class vote on one story to "adopt." (Or, if you have time, have them adopt all three stories.)
Help the class devise a list of questions they have about this news story. Examples might include "What is daily life like in the place where this story is located?" or "Why are the animals in the story having so much trouble surviving in their habitat?"
Help students locate materials that will help them answer the questions on their list and learn more about the news story they have selected. Have them read some of the materials together as a class (read aloud to them if they are not readers yet) and discuss the answers these materials have provided.
Have students, either in groups or individually, design posters that illustrate the basic concepts they have learned about this news story.
Extending the Lesson:
"Adopt" additional news stories from National Geographic News over the course of the school year. Work with the school librarian to find grade-appropriate literature to complement the news stories.
As the class investigates each news story, have students label the locations on a class wall map. They can also illustrate the stories on index cards, which they can place on the map. By the end of the year, you will have a well-decorated map with plenty of illustrations of what's been going on in the world of geography.
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