Local news in the classroom: Weekly roundup April. 30 – May 13
Good afternoon,
I hope everyone is doing great this Tuesday and as the school year is full speed ahead towards summer we’d like to see what you have to say about our Lookout In The Classroom program. Please take a few minutes to fill out our survey! Your responses will help shape the future of this program and I thank you in advance for your feedback.
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 last chance to schedule a workshop for this year! I’m currently looking to book 1-2 journalism and storytelling workshops for May and maybe early 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.
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
Parents protest as English-only students at dual-language Live Oak Elementary forced to switch schools
By Tania Ortiz
Parents at Live Oak Elementary School feel blindsided by the district’s “sudden” decision to move third and fourth grade students in the English-only strand to Del Mar Elementary starting next school year. Superintendent Pat Sánchez said the choice was made to solve staffing issues across the district.
‘This doesn’t end here’: Proposed layoffs, program cuts set off fight between the county and its largest union
By Christopher Neely
As Santa Cruz County considers health department layoffs and service cuts, community members and staff warn of serious consequences — including risks to suicide prevention and recovery programs — setting the stage for a contentious budget process this June.
Santa Cruz County youth poet laureates create community through shared love of poetry
By Hillary Ojeda
San Lorenzo Valley High School junior Finn Maxwell, 16, and Dina Lusztig Noyes, 18, a senior at Pacific Collegiate School, told Lookout about what they love most about Santa Cruz County’s youth poet laureate program. They’re the first two to win the distinction.
Over a century later, California may need another revolt against its utility companies
By Loretta Lynch
More than a century after California voters created the Public Utilities Commission to keep powerful companies in check, the commission has lost its way – and Californians are fed up, writes CalMatters contributor Loretta Lynch, a former CPUC president.
CALIFORNIA NEWS
Kids should avoid AI companion bots — under force of law, assessment says
By Khari Johnson / CalMatters
With input from a Stanford lab, Common Sense Media concludes that artificial intelligence systems can exacerbate problems like addiction and self-harm.
Student Opportunities
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.
Here is our prompt for this quarter: “If you can make any change to your community/city, what would it be? What sort of changes would you make and what would you like to see done? Shoot for at least one realistic idea and at least one idea that you think isn’t as realistic but you would still like to see at some point.”
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.
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 membership 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
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