Weekly Features (updated every Monday)
Newspaper NIE Home Page | Video of the Week | Headline Geography | Front Page Talking Points | Use the News | Last Week in the News
This Week in History Cartoons for the Classroom | Special Report | Pulse of the Planet
Words in the News | The Green Room: Conservation for the Classroom | NASA's Night Sky Network
This Week in History Cartoons for the Classroom | Special Report | Pulse of the Planet
Words in the News | The Green Room: Conservation for the Classroom | NASA's Night Sky Network
Common Core State Standard
L.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: Video of a current news event is presented for discussion to encourage student participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the video. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.
L.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: Video of a current news event is presented for discussion to encourage student participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the video. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.
02/13/2023
Rural counties fight push for more wind turbines
More than $370 billion in U.S. taxpayer money is set to be spent on clean energy projects, like wind turbines and solar panels, in the coming years. But, some Americans oppose plans to build the giant turbines in rural counties where there is plenty of wind and available land. "These huge industrial wind turbines you will see for miles," said Jon Winkelpleck of Tama County, Iowa. "It's our job to protect our farmland." Still, other farmers welcome the thousands of dollars a year they can collect for allowing the wind machines on their land.■Class discussion: Should a farmer or rancher be able to object to a neighbor allowing wind turbines on their own land? Why or why not? Should land-owners be able to object to oil wells, fracking or coal mining on neighboring land? Would you rather live near wind turbines and solar panels or oil fields and coal mines? Which is worse for your health and the environment? Do you think we need to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources? Is it worth spending billions of taxpayer dollars to make the switch? What are the problems in changing to clean energy?