Current Events as Empowering Literacy: For English and Social Studies Teachers

Abstract

In the current climate of high‐stakes tests and teacher accountability, how do teachers avoid teaching to the test? With respect to high school social studies and English teachers, the answer lies with critically analyzing items in current events. By carefully reading news stories, students can determine an author's bias through his or her use of the techniques of point of view and tone. A determination of missing points of view leads students to research other aspects of the story and to consider the reliability of their sources. The use of this genre, in conjunction with critical thinking strategies, provides the students not only with the skills necessary for effective document and literary analysis, but also with an awareness of the dynamics and complexity involved in the political, social, and economic layers of society. This is an empowering literacy that can lead to student activism and responsible citizenship.