Local news in the classroom: Weekly roundup April. 9 – 15
Good afternoon,
I hope everyone had a nice and restorative Spring break last week. With the start of the Spring season, we want to highlight some changes we’ve made to the Student Stories section of the educator page.
If you don’t know, the Student Stories page is a place for students to write about projects they have been working on, things they want to promote like a school play, share a creative writing piece, or write an opinion article. And Student Stories is still the place to do all of those things, but now we are adding a monthly prompt to get students to write about. We believe the prompt will entice students to want to write and it will give them a focused topic to write about. We understand it is hard to write about almost anything, so we want to narrow it down for students and give them something to focus on. This month’s prompt is:
“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.”
I also have created a new news quiz for the month of April about the “Hands Off” protests that happened in Santa Cruz county. These news quizzes are completely free and available on the educator page or by clicking here.
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
Let’s talk about funding the rail trail in Santa Cruz County
By Matt Farrell
Greenway founder and rail trail opponent Bud Colligan made incorrect claims in a March op-ed, asserts Matt Farrell, board chair of Santa Cruz County Friends of the Rail and Trail. Farrell explains how local taxpayers are expected to pay a small percentage of costs for passenger rail on the 32-mile rail line, thanks to federal and state funding. He also highlights the $1 billion cost for a 7-mile segment of Highway 1 widening. The public needs good information when it comes to the debate about rail and trail, Farrell says.
Continue reading…
CALIFORNIA NEWS
License to Kill
By Robert Lewis and CalMatters
The California DMV routinely allows dangerous drivers with horrifying histories to continue to operate on our roadways. Too often they go on to kill. Many keep driving even after they kill. Some go on to kill again.
Continue reading…
News Quiz
NEW: ‘So Many Issues, So Little Cardboard’: Thousands turn out waving flags and signs for ‘Hands Off’ rallies in Santa Cruz and Watsonville
This news quiz is about the “Hands Off” protests that happened in Santa Cruz county which have sparked much debate. 
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. 
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.
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
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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