A “How to” for your Current Events

Current Events Due each week; must be turned in no later than 4:00 pm each Friday. Must be over a world news topic. It can cover the U.S. - but only in relation to another country.

Current Events You may turn in your C.E. in the following ways: E-mail the whole thing attach a word doc google doc use your email message for the entire current event.

Current Events If you turn your Current Event in by e-mail: Be sure to type your NAME into the subject line.

Current Events If you choose to write your current event: You may number your notebook paper 1-9 and simply write your responses and then attach your printed article. You may also email the link to the article.

Current Events Title and Author —You will copy the title of the article and put the author afterwards. On many Associated Press articles, they do not cite an author. In that event, you would simply cite “AP” after the title.

“Obama authorizes ‘targeted airstrikes’ in Iraq to counter ISIS militants” - By Jim Sciutto, Catherine E. Shoichet, and Barbara Starr

Current Events Main Idea Go beyond just the title. Read the article and summarize it into a 1-3 sentence response.

My response for Main Idea: ISIS, an extreme Islamic militant organization, has created a humanitarian crisis in Iraq and surrounding area. The United States, and other democratic nations, are turning attention to the escalating tensions and President Obama has issued airstrikes to protect innocent Americans and others from this terrorist organization.

Current Events 3 Important Facts —Choose three facts that substantiate your main idea. Your facts should be complete sentences.

My Responses for 3 & 4 Obama did not commit ground troops to Iraq based on promises to end the conflict in Iraq and bring American troops home. However, senators McCain and Graham have critiqued Obama for playing the situation too softly,considering there are American lives at stake in the area. The ISIS fighters, armed with armored vehicles and other military hardware taken from Iraqi forces in a lightning sweep through the north earlier this year, have overrun Iraq's largest Christian town and nearby villages.

My Response for 5 The U.N. Children’s Agency, UNICEF, said Tuesday that official reports indicated 40 children from the Yazidi minority had died “as a direct consequence of violence, displacement and dehydration” since the weekend.

Current Events How is this article relevant to today? Essentially - what MAKES this worthy of printing?

My response for 6: This article is relevant today because it is a current struggle among numerous nations,with far reaching implications. Most nations are concerned with growing tension in an already unstable area of the world. Christians, Yazidis and other groups are being murdered. ISIS is a terrorist group in a region that provides numerous natural resources, so there are also ramifications to our global economy.

Current Events Bias/Faulty Reasoning Try your best to figure out if the author is trying to sway you in any way. Consider any missing voices the author did not include.

Current Events Do not say there is NO bias or faulty reasoning. If you choose a really short article, you will have difficulty finding much of this information. If the article is about a political rally and the author uses the phrase “there were over 3200 people in attendance” -- that is a bias in favor of the rally. It’s a positive statement. Much like if the author says “less than 3500 in attendance” -- it spins a negative connotation.

My response to 7: “With a gut wrenching humanitarian crisis unfolding, and the rolls of the starving and sick growing daily, there's not a minute to waste," Kerry said. "The United States is acting and leading, and the world cannot sit by and watch innocents die.” This quote of John Kerry’s uses vivid description of the events in Iraq. The author’s use of this particular quote leads me to believe that the author also shares political like-mindedness to Mr. Kerry. Also, the mention of Obama sticking to his promise to keep ground troops out of Iraq also lead me to believe the authors of this story are leaning more in support of the President and his advisors.

Current Events Source: Always list WHERE you go the source. Always give the date of the article. Examples: Tyler Paper, 8/27/15 cnn.com, 8/25/15 foxnews.com, 8/24/15

My response to 8: cnn.com, 8/8/14

Current Events Your thoughts on the article. Do you agree with author? Why or why not? This is straight forward -- you should be able to answer this without much trouble, but be sure to provide an explanation.

My Response to 9: I agree with the urgency the authors call for in this article; ISIS is a great threat to democracy, particularly in the Middle East, and I believe President Obama is trying to maneuver through this difficult situation. However, I could understand if many would feel the author was over-dramatizing the effects that ISIS could have on America. Perhaps the author sensationalized this point too strongly.

Current Events Your last ten points are turning in the article. Again, you can print it and give it to me or send it to me in an e-mail.