Common Core State Standard L.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: Video of a current news event is presented for discussion to encourage student participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the video. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.
10/05/2015
Schools Prepare Students for Emergencies
With 10 more people killed in the latest campus shooting last week, more schools around the country are preparing students to deal with emergencies. Students and teachers participate in drills of what they should do if their schools are attacked. As of last Thursday, there were 294 mass shootings (4 or more victims, including shooter) in the first 274 days of this year. So far this year, gun violence has killed nearly 10,000 Americans and wounded another 20,000.
■Class discussion: Has your school had drills about what students and teachers should do in an emergency? What would you do if you heard gunfire in your school? What are the actual odds that your school would be the site of a mass shooting? Are you concerned about gun violence? Why or why not? Does the news media focus on gun violence too much or not enough? What should be done or could be done to reduce gun violence?