Name: _____________________________
12th Grade Principles of Democracy & Economics
Current Events Log
The Assignment:
 Every Tuesday and Thursday, we will have an in-class
discussion on current events going on in the political world
around us. Your task between those times will be to search
national and international media outlets to find stories of political
and global importance, complete a formal write-up of the article,
and be prepared to present and discuss your article(s) with your
peers in class.
At the end of the course, you will be turning in your Current
Event Log for a final grade with a one (1) page analysis paper that will sum the news stories and
connection you have made with these events during the course of the semester.
What materials will I need to complete this assignment?
 Three (3) prong folder or binder
 Local / national newspapers, magazines, or reliable Internet sites
 Glue or other adhesives
What do I have to do for this assignment?
1. You must locate a current news story from a legitimate news source that has some kind of global
impact.
 Try to focus on with an political theme (anything relating to government or economics)
 Sorry…The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, or other TV sources do not count.
 Try to avoid editorials, blogs, weather section, or sports pages / magazines
2. Read the article and get a feel for the story or issue it is talking about.
3. Complete a write-up of the article using the assigned format
4. Glue the article to the back of or staple the article to the write up neatly(typed or neatly handwritten)
5. Participate in in-class discussions of current news stories both from peers and Mr. H and be
prepared for end of week pop quizzes.
6. Keep the article in your current events notebook or binder for class discussion / collection at the
end of the semester
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What is the format for the current events articles?
 This template can be found on Mr. H’s website under the “Current Event Log” tab
Your Name: ________________________
Block / Period: ________________________
Current Events Log
1) Source Information:
Title of Article: _____________________________________
Author(s) name: _____________________________________
*Name of the Publication (Source): _____________________
Date of Publication: __________________________________
*If it was an Internet source, please include name of site & web address
(www._____._____)
2) Theme of the Article (Can be more then one…):
-The Legislative Branch (Congress)
- Political Parties
- Economy / Taxation
- Executive Branch (The President)
- Foreign Policy / International
- The Judicial Branch (The Courts)
- Local & State Government
- The Constitution / Civil Rights
3) Country -or- US State where the story is set: ____________________________
4) Summarize the article, giving the reader the basic information of the problem,
discover, or conflict (Who, What, Where, When, Why, How)
(One [1] paragraph – 5-6 sentences minimal)
5) Give your own thoughts on the article’s major issues: Why do you think we as
Americans should know about this? How it might connect to a topic we have
talked about in class? Is there a solution you think would help the situation?
(One [1] paragraph – 4 sentences minimal)
(Each journal entry should be not longer than one [1] page in length)
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What goes into the final analysis paper for my Log?
 The final part of this assignment will be the creation of a formal, one (1) page, typed analysis paper,
which will help to sum up your Log and also to try to make some more concrete connections to the
material we have discussed in class.
The format for this formal, one (1) page, typed analysis paper is presented below:
Name of Student
Course
Teacher
Due Date
Title of Paper
 Paragraph #1
 (Introduction to the Assignment)
o Purpose of the Assignment
o Requirements for the Assignment
o News sources / other materials used
 Paragraph #2
 (Overview of the “big” news stories of the semester)
o Were there any themes or common characteristics between your news stories or were
they a diverse mix of topics?
o What were the “top three” big news stories of the semester in your opinion?
o Why were they so important or newsworthy, in your opinion?
o How did these news stories affect the world around us or how did they affect your
community directly?
 Paragraph #3
 (Drawing Conclusions)
o How would you sum up the news overall for the semester? (Positive, negative, etc.)
Explain why.
o Do you think the news is presented in an appropriate fashion, without bias or spin?
Explain why or why not? Explanations why or why not?
o What trends or themes did you see developing in the news this semester? (Emphasis on
particular themes or issues like the environment, hunger, partisanship, terrorism, etc.)
o Where there any connections you made between one of your news stories and the
material we discussed in class? If so, explain what and give an example.
o How do you think this project has helped you to become a better student of politics and
how the American government works? Why or why not.
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How will my articles be graded?

At the end of the semester, your current events journals will be collected and graded according to the
following rubric. Those grades will then be added to the total points for the course. Your entries will
also be checked for completion each week:
o Each week = 20 total points
o Typical month = 80 total points

The rubric that will be used to grade your Log at the end of the semester is planned on looking like the
rubric below:
Task Description
Points Received
Format – Writing:
 All format requirements
are followed as listed
above
 All entries are organized
in the binding of a
notebook or folder
Opinion / Original Thought:
 Original ideas are
presented in thoughtful
and intelligent manner
with format requirements
present
 A formal one (1) page,
typed analysis paper of
your Log is included
Points Possible
30 points
40 points
Neatness / Presentation:
 Articles are included with
the write-up on the back
 Neatly typed or
handwritten on white
paper or with the assigned
template.
 Analysis paper are typed
with Time New Roman,
12 point font, doublespaced, one inch margins
(1”)
 Devoid of spelling /
grammatical mistakes
30 points
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Totals:
100 points
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Legitimate Internet News Sources
The following websites are some of the acceptable Internet sources when
it comes to finding current events:
News Agency
Website
The Associated Press Online
*(Yahoo, Google, etc.)
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/fronts/
RSS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME
BBC News Online
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/
ABC News Online
http://abcnews.go.com/
CBS News Online
http://www.cbsnews.com/
Reuters.com
http://www.reuters.com/
World News.com
http://www.worldnews.com/
MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/
USA Today.com
http://www.usatoday.com/
Times Magazine Online
http://www.time.com/time/
The New York Time
http://www.nytimes.com/
Fox News.com
http://www.foxnews.com/
*If you are a fan of Yahoo, Google, or AOL News, keep in mind that many of these stories are
taken from other sites like the Associated Press, Reuters, BBC News, etc. Make sure that you
cite the original news source the article is coming from, NOT YAHOO, GOOGLE, or AOL!!!
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