Literacy Intervention: Current Events & The Global Media

Rainshadow Community Charter High School – Spring 2010 Course Syllabus

Joe Ferguson *** joe@rainshadowcchs.org *** www.joerainshadow.weebly.com
Course Description: This course is designed to give students the necessary tools that they need to
become advanced readers and explorers of the global media and to become enthusiastic about
exploring the events affecting their world and lives today. Students will be encouraged to think
critically and to be skeptical about the global marketplace of information and ideas in order to
become global citizens and to make appropriate decisions about their own lives. Students will be
exposed to a variety of media exploration techniques and create their own timeline of current events
that are important to them. They will demonstrate their progress online and will be able to share their
thoughts on current events with their classmates and the rest of the world.
Course Aims and Objectives for this Semester:
Upon completion of this semester course of study, students will be able to…
- know and use word analysis skills and strategies to comprehend new words encountered in text
and to develop vocabulary
- use reading process skills and strategies to build comprehension
- read expository and persuasive texts to comprehend, interpret, and evaluate for specific purposes
- write a variety of texts that inform, persuade, describe, evaluate, entertain, or tell a story and
that are appropriate to audience and purpose
- listen to and evaluate oral communications for content, style, speaker’s purpose, and audience
appropriateness
- speak using organization, style, tone, voice, and media aids appropriate to audience and purpose.
Students participate in discussions to offer information, clarify ideas, and support a position.
- develop global literacy skills, attitudes, and dispositions
- become critical explorers of the global media marketplace of ideas and information.
- create a website to communicate with classmates and the outside world
Requirements:
- Participation in classroom reading, writing, discussions, and other activities every day.
- Record of notes, vocabulary, website updates, other writings and classroom projects & assignments.
- Completed portfolio of projects and assignments (see requirements below).

Week / Dates Monday - Thursday

New semester! Intro to rules & class expectations. Intro to weebly & your own website.
1) Jan. 25-28
Current events and the global media. No School Monday (Professional Development)
Exploring new websites and forms of media. Foreign language news. Translating with
2) Feb. 1-4
Babel Fish. Appropriate articles to read.
3) Feb. 8-11 Writing appropriate responses to current events. Current event reading and response.
Building vocabulary by finding the meaning of tough words. Using online resources.
4) Feb. 15-18
Current event reading and response. No School Monday (President’s Day)
Local news. What are the outlets? What are the stories focusing on? What stories are
5) Feb. 22-25
important to us? Current event reading and response.
Regional news. What are the outlets? What are the stories focusing on? What stories are
6) Mar. 1-4
important to us? Current event reading and response.
National news. What are the outlets? What are the stories focusing on? What stories are
7) Mar. 8-11
important to us? Current event reading and response.
International / global news. What are the outlets? What are the stories focusing on?
8) Mar. 15-18 What stories are important to us? Current event reading and response. No School
Monday (Professional Development)
Website progress check. Look at other student’s websites and respond. Current event
9) Mar. 22-25
reading and response.
 Independent news sources. Differences between the independent outlets and the
10) Mar. 29-Apr. 1
corporate outlets. Who is telling the “truth?” Current event reading and response.
Being skeptical while reading the news. Bias and perspective. Current event reading and
11) Apr. 5-8
response.
Advertisement in the news. Does the news advertise products, good, and services? What
12) Apr. 19-22
kinds of ads do you find on different news sites? Current event reading and response.
Politics in the news. Are there political agendas in different news outlets? What politics
13) Apr. 26-29
are expressed? Current event reading and response.
Sports in the news. How much attention is paid to sports in the news? What types of
14) May 3-6
sports are the most popular? Current event reading and response.
Crime in the news. How many headlines are devoted to crime, violence, and war vs.
15) May 10-13 people doing good deeds? What people want to read? Current event read and respond. No
School Monday (Professional Development)
Website progress check. Look at other student’s websites and respond. Current event
16) May 17-20
reading and response.
The economy. What does the news say about the current economic situation? Does it
17) May 24-27
display a positive or negative outlook? Current event reading and response.
Coming to the end. What have we learned? What’s next for your personal exploration of
18) May 31-Jun. 3
global media? Current event reading and response. No School Monday (Memorial Day)
19) Jun. 7-9 Last class. Course reflection. Updating your Rainshadow Portfolio.

Grading Policy and Assessment: This literacy intervention course of study is worth approximately 1500 points.
The points earned in this class will be averaged into your core (science, social studies, English, and mathematics)
classes for the semester.
Point Breakdown:
Attendance and Participation – 700 points
Completed Current Events website – 700 points
Completed Rainshadow Online Portfolio – 100 points
Portfolio Contents: You will submit components from this course into your Rainshadow portfolio that will
showcase your work for the full semester course of study. Your portfolio will contain your best work from this
class and will be a demonstration of your skills and growth as a Rainshadow CCHS student. It will be expected
that your major projects and several other pieces of work from this class will be components of your portfolio.

Current Events & The Global Media

Nevada English Language Arts Standards
Content Standard 1.0 - Students know and use word analysis skills and strategies to comprehend
new words encountered in text and to develop vocabulary.
Content Standard 2.0 - Students use reading process skills and strategies to build comprehension.
Content Standard 3.0 - Students read literary text to comprehend, interpret, and evaluate authors,
cultures, and times.
Content Standard 4.0 - Students read expository and persuasive texts to comprehend, interpret, and
evaluate for specific purposes.
Content Standard 5.0 - Students write a variety of texts using the writing process.
Content Standard 6.0 - Students write a variety of texts that inform, persuade, describe, evaluate,
entertain, or tell a story and that are appropriate to audience and purpose.
Content Standard 7.0 - Students listen to and evaluate oral communications for content, style,
speaker’s purpose, and audience appropriateness.
Content Standard 8.0 - Students speak using organization, style, tone, voice, and media aids
appropriate to audience and purpose. Students participate in discussions to offer information,
clarify ideas, and support a position.