When incorporating current events into Literary justice, take into account your students' backgrounds and interests, investigate viewpoints and opinions, define social justice themes, make use of interactive technology, and promote activism.

This year's top news stories on our phones, laptops, and newspapers included marriage equality, immigrants seeking safety in Europe, the Confederate flag, police shootings of Black and Latino men, the presidential election, Caitlyn Jenner, ISIS, and immigration. In contrast to twenty years ago, when educators and parents had to make a conscious effort to bring up current events with adolescents, students are now actively participating in the conversation. They are aware of what is going on thanks to their cellphones, social media accounts, and overheard conversations. Still, do pupils truly comprehend the headlines they read? Do they have the chance to process the information, or is it just leaking into their minds without any chance to delve further, ask questions, or consider their feelings?

The majority of teachers believe they must discuss current events in society and the wider world with their students. Many of them chose to become teachers for that exact reason. Teaching students about current events has many advantages, covering both big and small issues such as the Supreme Court's decision on marriage equality, the lack of diversity in the Academy Awards, racism in policing, and the controversy surrounding school dress codes. Additionally, one can learn, examine, and discover through it almost always through the lens of social justice.

There is a wealth of educational opportunity when teachers dedicate a few minutes, a class period, or a whole unit to discussing a current event topic. Pupils' strong motivation and interest set the foundation for informed citizenship and family conversations at home. Talks about current events provide a wealth of opportunities to develop skills (such as vocabulary growth, reading and writing analytical and informative texts, oral expression, and critical analysis—all of which are part of the ELA Common Core Learning Standards). Social and emotional competencies can be developed and practiced by students, and these subjects frequently offer a chance to make connections between the past and present. Finally, teachers have a great conversational bridge and a lens for addressing equity and justice, a topic that so many young people are eager to discuss, because so many current events topics shed light on human and civil rights.

Think about the following when you decide what and how to teach about current events in your classroom:

1. Give careful thought to who is enrolled in your class.

Every topic related to current events has the potential to bring up delicate subjects with students, particularly those involving identity. Consider your student body when choosing a topic, whether it be about immigration, race, religion, or something else entirely. When talking about the subject, young people who can relate to it on a personal level are probably going to feel a variety of ways: relieved, embarrassed, irritated, proud, excited, or not at all. Be cautious not to place students in that identity group in the role of "authority" or the primary source of knowledge on the subject, and don't assume that all of them are interested in or knowledgeable about the topic at hand. Don't expect them to speak for every student in this identity group or ask them to do so. If you know that some students may find the subject matter extremely sensitive, you might want to have a conversation with them before the lesson.

2. Examine viewpoints and opinions.

The majority of news stories bring up contentious issues from various angles. Use the subject as a springboard to explain your beliefs to the class and help them understand the reasons behind them. Give them the chance to discuss and write about the subject. Encourage them to read and hear other people's viewpoints, including those of their classmates, op-ed writers, and subject matter experts. Their thinking may become more complex as a result, which should encourage them to reconsider, refine, and/or sharpen their points of view and support them with facts. These discussions ought to be built on discussion, debate, and dialogue.

3. Make the social justice and anti-bias message very apparent.

Put the particular issue of diversity, bias, or injustice that the topic raises front and center in the conversation. Examine the stigma and misconceptions surrounding homeless people in the United States, for instance, when talking about homelessness. To help students understand a current controversy, you might also need to teach them some basic language skills related to bias or provide background information. For example, to help students understand the Washington Redskins name controversy, you could teach them about the history of discrimination against Native Americans and the significance of mascots and symbols in sports.

4. Use technology to make the lesson interactive.

Make interactive and captivating activities that enhance knowledge and skill development as much as you can. Debates, simulated trials, student questionnaires or interviews, focus groups, role plays, teach-ins, or a more straightforward exercise could all be used for this. By incorporating student blogs, photography and video, and social media platforms, as well as by following particular hashtags, infographics, and analyses of how social media has aided in literary justice, you can capitalize on students' interest in and familiarity with the digital world.

5. Take action.

News stories can quickly provoke feelings of hopelessness, rage, and despair. Giving young people the perspective and resources they need to address the justice theme they observe in the world is crucial, especially for them. Students can transform these negative feelings into constructive actions by being exposed to a variety of responses to injustice, including activism tactics from the past and present. Collaborate with students on a class project if at all possible, and motivate them to participate in larger initiatives related to issues that are significant to them