Using Current Events in AP Lang

The AP Language class offers unique learning opportunities as the texts we read and topics we discuss can range across time and region. One of my personal goals as an AP Language teacher is to have my students become global citizens, which I'm sure is something most AP Lang teachers have in common. The most effective way I help students engage with the world is through the journal explode process.

A mentor of mine taught AP Language for many years and impressed upon me the importance of having students connect rhetorical analysis and argumentation skills to current events and topics. He crafted an easy-to-implement strategy that I have used religiously over my 4 years teaching AP Lang. It works like this:

Step 1: I scour the news in search for thought provoking current events. I often visit sites like Room for Debate, TED Radio Hour, or Politico. I find a topic that is intriguing, but not overly sensitive or partisan in nature. I want the topic to elicit critical thinking, so I am careful to not select topics that my students will lose sight of their argument in their emotions. Then, I form a two-part prompt similar to the structure of a Q3 prompt on the exam. I provide students background information about the event or situation and then ask them to either 1) defend, challenge, or qualify a statement or 2) examine the considerations. 

I train my students to evaluate current events through the $SEEITT strategy. $SEEITT stands for:
$ = economic implications
S = safety concerns
E = ethical concerns
E = environmental implications
I = international relations
T = technological concerns
T = time implications

I teach them that all successful arguments focus on at least one of those considerations. Those arguments focus on fact and risks instead of pure emotion.

Step 2: In class, I have these prompts projecting on the board as students enter the class. I review the prompt and provide any additional background knowledge the students might need that I couldn't fit onto the slide. From there, the students free-write for 5 minutes and craft an argument and evidence. We then share out and debate for about 7-10 minutes. As students discuss the situation, other students may take note of evidence used by their peers in their notebooks.

Here are a few examples of my daily journals:

1. Inspired by this article:

Journal: Starting January 1, everyone in France over the age of 15 became an organ donor unless they “opted-out” in the country’s refusal program. Every day 22 Americans die while they wait on the transplant list. What should we consider ($SEEITT) about organ donation?

D, C, Q: America should change from an opt-in system to an opt-out system.

2. Inspired by this article:

Journal: The number of 18- to 35-year-olds seeking prenups is on the rise nationwide, but many millennials are more interested in protecting intellectual property — such as films, songs, software and even apps that haven’t been built yet — than cash.

D, C, Q: Prenuptial agreements should only cover physical or monetary property.

Some days I will simply use a Q3 prompt we do not have time to actually write in class. My students have no idea that it is a prompt, so it is a good way to help them see how the daily journals connect to the exam and their ability to craft meaningful, nuanced arguments on the spot. 

Step 3: Once a month my students select a journal and "explode" it into a full argumentative essay. I do not require a specific number of paragraphs, but I often assign them specific rhetorical moves and techniques to try out as they go (anaphora, epistrophe, staccato sentences, etc.).

I love this easy-to-implement daily writing because it helps me focus on argument development every day. It also serves as a formative assessment which ultimately leads to a summative assessment. Our daily discussions create a strong sense of community as students often develop beliefs and find their voice about global topics many of them wouldn't encounter until they graduate or become adults.

How do you incorporate current events into your classroom?