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Morrison - Current Events HS Assignments

Instructors
Term
2019-2020 School Year
Department
Social Studies
Description
 

Class Title:

Current Events

Code:

HSS460

Text:

Various Resources

Rating:

2

Prerequisite:

None

Grade:

9-12

Fees:

None

Max:

15

Can be repeated? Yes

Description:  This student-driven course will offer students an opportunity to identify and examine issues, people, or events that affect modern society in a meaningful, respectful, and active way. Students will become more informed citizens as they perform personal investigations from the local to the international level with an eye toward separating facts from opinions, evaluating the credibility of sources, awareness of propaganda techniques, and the application of other critical media literacy skills. Students will grow in their ability to articulate and support well-reasoned opinions while respectfully increasing their understanding of opposing opinions as they engage in class discussions and debates. In addition, students will gain skills in civic engagement as they craft presentations, write letters to public officials, and complete collaborative work in class.

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Assignment Calendar

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Past Assignments

Due:

Assignment

Please complete the polling assignment on the census controversy you received in class.

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Assignment

Please read Copy Cats, The U.S. vs. Iran, and Drowning in Debt in your Upfront magazine.  Use the ethical criteria we explored in class today to reflect on the ethics of cloning pets, U.S. policy toward Iran, and candidates’ support of tuition-free college policies.  Your reflection should be one well-developed (5-7 sentence) paragraph per topic.  Don’t forget to begin each paragraph with a thesis claim about whether you found something ethical or unethical.

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Assignment

Please complete the polling assignment on the census controversy you received in class.

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Please finish your packet on ethics in photographs and complete the extension activity at the end.

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Please complete the Ethics in Political Cartoons Assignment you received in class.

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Please complete your Cartoons and Caricatures assignment (Part 1 and Part 2). You will present Part 2 to your classmates next week.

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Write a minimum of a 5-sentence paragraph answer to the following questions:

1.  What is the most important political event in world news this week?  Why is it the most important?

2.  What is the most important U.S. political issue in the news this week? Why is it the most important?

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Assignment

Please make 1 Horatian and 1 Juvenalian cartoon on a current events topic of your choice (do them on the same topic).

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Assignment

Use what we learned today about the five elements of humor and political cartoons to construct a political cartoon on the impeachment trial of President Trump.  Remember, you are expressing your opinion in a humorous way to try to persuade others to adopt (or more strongly embrace) your personal opinion.  On a separate sheet of paper, explain how you incorporated each of the five elements into your cartoon.  DO NOT DISCUSS YOUR CARTOON WITH YOUR CLASSMATES.  The class will interpret your cartoon next week to see how effectively you conveyed your point.

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Assignment

Look through each of the two Upfront magazines you received in class to identify the issue that you think is most important in each.  Read those two articles and write TWO paragraphs for each:  1.  A 4-5 sentence summary of the article.  2.  A 5-8 sentence paragraph, starting with a thesis topic sentence, explaining why you chose that article over all others in the magazine.

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None!  Happy Holidays!

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Assignment

Please complete 8 ads on your Television Advertising Log (you can use online commercials too) and answer the concluding questions.

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Go to www.livingroomcandidate.com  Select 2016 and watch 3 Democrat and 3 Republican ads to analyze.  For each ad list the political party and the title of the ad.  Then, explain how at least 4 different propaganda techniques were utilized in the ad.  Remember to really analyze the ads, not simply watch them.  Many techniques are integrated in subtle ways like clothing, things in the background behind the candidate, tone of voice, etc.

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Assignment

Please complete the assignment from last week for your 4th Upfront Magazine.  Then spend some time catching up on the news for a good conversation next week.

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You each have 3 Upfront Magazines.  Look through each magazine to identify the issue that you think is most important in each.  Read those three articles and write TWO paragraphs for each of the three articles:  1.  A 4-5 sentence summary of the article.  2.  A 5-8 sentence paragraph, starting with a thesis topic sentence, explaining why you chose that article over all others in the magazine.

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Assignment

Please choose ONE of the following options for this week’s assignment. Each project should include a brief title the class can use to remember the specific presentation. The written product you turn in should clearly identify each fallacy you are attempting to use and how you are attempting to use it.

Option 1: Write a script for a television commercial that includes at least ten fallacies. Remember that fallacies can be conveyed by non-verbal content like the physical attributes of the actors, the set, or non-verbal cues like tone of voice or expressions. So, all of your fallacies do not have to be reflected in the actual words of the script. Then record your commercial for prime time class viewing! Limit: 90 second commercial.

Option 2: Write a newspaper article making farcical claims like the Doctor Visits Kill article that encompasses at least ten fallacies. Bring a copy of the article for me to Xerox and distribute to the class so they can try to identify where you are using fallacies. Don’t forget to also bring an “answer key” of which fallacies you are attempting and where they are in the article. Limit: 3 paragraphs.

Option 3: Write a political campaign speech for a mythical politician running for office. This one is fun if you allow them to run for office in another country at the heart of international conflict like Iran or North Korea. You should include at least 10 fallacies in their speech. You can either record your speech or deliver it in class. Don’t forget to turn in a copy of your speech that indicates where you are including each of the 10 fallacies. Limit: 3 paragraphs.

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Assignment

Write a minimum of a 5-sentence paragraph answer to the following questions:

  1.      What is the most important political event in world news this week?  Why is it the most important?
  2.      What is the most important U.S. political issue in the news this week? Why is it the most important?

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Assignment

Please complete the Four Methods of Doublespeak assignment you received in class.  We will have a contest for the best original doublespeak term next week after the class tries to figure out each other’s terms!

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Please complete the Media Studies News Evaluation assignment you received in class.

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Please complete your Motives in the Popular Press assignment.

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Please use the tabloid and Times materials you received in class to complete your Credibility in the Popular Press assignment.  Cut out the tabloid article you use so you can turn it in BUT be sure to bring the tabloid back too.

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Find an article that demonstrates poor reporting as a result of weak reliability or validity.  Write one paragraph explaining why you think the report is not credible. Be sure to turn in a copy of your article unless you include the full source citation with your paragraph.

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Assignment

Please complete one Important Current Controversy sheet on each of four most important or interesting controversial issues going on in the news today (in your opinion).  You will need all four sheets ready to go for a class activity when we return the week after Labor Day.