Tried it Tuesday-News Depth

I am linking up with Holly for her awesome Tried it Tuesday linky party to share a “Tried it” for Social Studies/Language Arts integration I am using this year.

Has anyone ever heard of News Depth?

It is a FREE instructional program that is presented in a news like format. It is aligned to common core, and is perfect for teaching current events and connecting SS to Ela.

Each week they publish a new episode that is about 25 minutes long. My students look forward to watching them every Friday! They LOVE it. Each episode focuses on current events around the world, and local events. (Which is why it is GREAT for Ohio teachers, but would work for other states, too!) Each episode is filmed in a news-like fashion, but also has quizzes and question answer sessions!

What Newsdepth says about their program:

“NewsDepth invites students to respond to authentic non-fiction resources, providing opportunities for writing and deeper exploration.”

Another great thing is that kiddos from around the state can write in each week and they talk about your letter on the show! Last year one of my students ALWAYS wrote in. When his later came up on an episode he was SO excited, and so was my class!

Each week also has vocabulary words, and an “essential question” that students can answer for some writing practice. For example, this was last week’s vocabulary and essential question:

Vocabulary words for this week: Obamacare (Affordable Care Act), Smog, Bush Fire

This Week’s Question: Thanks to all the attention on healthy eating these days, school lunches have gotten healthier, too. What do you like – or dislike – about the food at your school?

We discussed the words before we watched and answered the question in our writing journals.

Another one of my favorite features is the weekly writing/geography connection.

Each week they post a fun post card, with clues on the back when you click!