Local news in the classroom: Weekly roundup Apr. 23 – 29
Good afternoon,
Happy Tuesday! As the year is nearing a close, AP tests on the horizon, and more, I know this time of year is hectic. But, if you have time, this is your chance to schedule a workshop! I’m currently looking to book 1-2 journalism and storytelling workshops for May and June. This workshop is a great opportunity to get students excited about Student Stories and will give them knowledge in storytelling so they can write a top-notch article. If this is something you are interested in, please feel free to email me at: eetai@lookoutlocal.com.
I also created a new style of news quiz that tests students’ ability to quickly read, analyze, and synthesize information from multiple articles. This new series of news quizzes aims to familiarize students with the map of Santa Cruz County by using Lookout’s interactive story map. Students will be prompted to find stories indicated by icons on the map, read the articles, and answer a series of questions. I built this in a way to lean into SAT and AP style tests. Check out the new news quiz by clicking here or finding more later in this newsletter.
Current events to use in your classroom
Explore the linked lesson plans below for simple ways to facilitate reflection on these local events. Interested in more stories? Browse all our recent coverage here.
LOCAL NEWS
Olive Wilson’s plan? To publish a trilogy of novels, all before her junior year in high school
By Wallace Baine
Santa Cruz High sophomore Olive D. Wilson has self-published two novels with a third on the way. The former basketball star writes fantasy novels about teens facing intense societal pressures.
County superintendent of schools warns PVUSD of ‘antisemitic tropes’ during ethnic studies debate
By Hillary Ojeda
Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah recently wrote a letter to Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s governing board, warning the trustees about his concerns that trustees’ comments “appeared to invoke anti-Semitic tropes” and about violations of laws governing the board’s actions.
Santa Cruz Oaxacan cultural celebration continues despite Trump immigration fears
By Tania Ortiz
Santa Cruz-based nonprofit Senderos is holding its 20th guelaguetza on Sunday at the Branciforte Small Schools campus. The annual tradition, which brings a taste of the culture of the Mexican state of Oaxaca to the community, almost didn’t happen this year due to concerns after President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Why does the Janus CEO make 371% more than an average addiction counselor? We need pay reform in nonprofits
By Holly Rowan Chandler
Janus of Santa Cruz does a great job treating addiction, but a poor job of caring for its employees, writes Holly Rowan Chandler, who worked at Janus from 2023 until 2024. Here, Chandler outlines her frustration at the pay gap between those doing the emotionally taxing work of caring for people with addiction and the salary of the Janus CEO: “The CEO’s raise in just one year exceeded the annual salary of some employees and resulted in the CEO’s salary being double the state’s median salary for nonprofit CEOs in 2023, as reported by ZipRecruiter.” Something, she insists, needs to […]
CALIFORNIA NEWS
After Trump’s crackdown on DEI in schools, judge rules he can’t cut off funding
By Carolyn Jones / CalMatters
California receives $2.4 billion in federal Title I money for low-income schools, about $1.3 billion for special education and $250 million for after-school programs, among other grants. President Donald Trump had ordered schools to eliminate diversity programs or risk losing federal funding.
News Quiz
NEW: Interactive Map Quizzes
This new series of news quizzes aims to familiarize students with the map of Santa Cruz County by using Lookout’s interactive map. Students will be prompted to find stories indicated by icons on the map, read the articles, and answer a series of questions.
This news quiz asks students to find specific icons on the map and answer the questions based on the stories they find. This style of news quiz is designed to have students read multiple articles, synthesize information in the articles, and answer the questions. This style of news quiz trains students to skim while reading to understand the story generally and quickly.
Student Stories
Student Stories
Student Stories is a place for students to have their voices heard by the community and the rest of Santa Cruz County. It is designed to showcase stories, events, clubs, and opinions authored by students in Santa Cruz County. Students can either submit ideas or completed stories. Learn more here and reach out if you have any questions
EDUCATOR RESOURCES
Current Event Discussion Guide
- Our current event discussion guide is a great activity to engage with local news and can be used for any article. Below is the lesson plan and the bilingual guide.
- Current Event Discussion Guide Lesson Plan (PDF)
- Bilingual Current Event Discussion Guide (PDF)
Educator Page
- You can find more resources on our Educator Page, including a media literacy guide, specific new quizzes and more.
Reminder on student access
- If any of your students are having trouble with their free access, have them sign up for their free student access with their personal email address at this link.
Thank you for all the hard work you do in the community and for supporting our educational programs, helping the younger generations learn media literacy skills, and become invested community members and democratic citizens. If you’d like to learn more about our school programs, get more involved or have any questions, please reach out.
Best,
Eetai