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.
11/20/2023
Test of giant rocketship goes better, but blows up again
SpaceX launched its mega-rocket Starship but lost both the booster and the spacecraft in a pair of explosions during Saturday’s test flight. The flight lasted about eight minutes, twice as long as the first test flight in April. Starship is the largest rocket ever built, with the goal of becoming a fully reusable spaceship system capable of ferrying people to the moon and eventually to Mars.■Class discussion: Are explosions a common part of the development of rockets and spacecraft? SpaceX pioneered reusable rocket boosters that land after launching payloads into space. Do you think it can succeed with its giant Starship project? SpaceX owner Elon Musk says he wants to use Starship to help colonize Mars to ensure human survival. Does that make sense? Would you want to live in a bubble on Mars? Should we fix problems on Earth instead?