Name: ___________________ # _____ Date: ____________________ September 13, 2010

Current Event: National Article

This week you will be looking for a current event that is about something happening within our nation (anywhere in the U.S.). The story you choose can be about the government or different problems they may be trying to solve, an issue from another state, or a story about a person who is being noticed, good or bad, for something they have done. Remember to choose an event that is no more than 2 weeks old. Although local newspapers are great for finding information about things going on close to where we live, you may want to choose a larger and more widely known newspaper like The New York Times. Many newspapers have online versions that they update daily if you do not subscribe to a newspaper. Another great place to look is the public library. They subscribe to many different newspapers and also have internet access available. After you have chosen your story complete the form on the back of this page to help you organize your thoughts. Your writing will need to include a summary of the article or story, explain why the article is important or who it will affect, and tell about why you chose this story. After filling in the organizer on the back, you will need to rewrite your information into two separate paragraphs. One paragraph for your summary, and another paragraph for your other information. Your final copy should be written in ink or typed. Have fun and happy current event hunting! Remember:

• A summary is a paragraph that includes only the main details of the article. Only include the information that is the most important and leave out the smaller details.

• The story or article you choose must be current! You cannot choose a story that is more than 2 weeks old.

• Your current events are due Friday. When you turn them in they should include a completed back page, the article or story / information about the news program, and a final copy of your information that is written in ink or typed.

• Have a parent proofread your writing to check for spelling and grammar mistakes. • Your organizer is your rough draft. You do not have to write a rough draft after filling

in the organizer if you don’t want to.

Name of Newspaper or Other Source: ______________________________________________ Date of Article or Story: ___________________________________________________________ Title of Article or Story: ___________________________________________________________ Summary (remember to just include the main points!): __________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________

You can attach another sheet of paper if you need more space. Why was this story important and who will it affect the most? ___________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ Why did this story interest you? ____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________

• Make sure a parent or other adult proofreads your work before you do your final copy!