News Bites and Lesson Plan of the Week: Britain's Irregular Migrants

Dear Educators,

This week's News Bite lesson explores the debate surrounding Britain's growing population of irregular migrants. This debate has proven to be a major issue in the discussion of whether or not Britain should continue to be part of the European Union. A vote on what many are calling "Brexit" will happen this week.

News Bite Lesson: Irregular Migrants in Britain

This week's News Bite lesson plan asks students to identify and articulate central ideas from three resources that are part of the project "Britain's Irregular Migrants" by Pulitzer Center Student Fellow Abe Kenmore. Through discussion, writing and exploration of Kenmore's reporting across several media platforms, students will practice devising objective summaries. They will also engage in a discussion about how a government should navigate supporting irregular migrant communities. Kenmore, a student at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, completed his student reporting fellowship as part of the Campus Consortium program. Read more about the 2016 student fellows!


Featured Lesson: Out of Eden Walk Curricular Resources

This week's featured lesson plan compiles several curricular resources connected to the Out of Eden Walk, a ten-year reporting project by National Geographic fellow Paul Salopek. In early 2013, Salopek embarked on the same 21,000 mile path that modern humans took from Africa to South America over the course of roughly 50,000 years. His goal throughout this project is to take a slow approach to reporting that allows readers to reflect on how the small things we notice as we walk through the world reveal larger international issues. Click here for more information about how teachers have used this project in their classrooms.

Education News: Connect your students to Pulitzer Center journalists with Skype in the Classroom

After several years of connecting classrooms to Pulitzer Center journalists over Skype, Pulitzer Center joined Microsoft's Skype in the Classroom platform last month to expand the network of teachers using online video chats to connect to journalists. Established in 2011, Skype in the Classroom is now used by nearly 400,000 classrooms worldwide to connect classrooms with professionals in a variety of fields. Students use the platform to explore national parks, meet with professional authors and connect with schools in other countries. Teachers can also use Skype in the Classroom to find lesson plans, sign up for professional development workshops and explore resources to incorporate into their curriculums.

Teachers can still request Skype visits with Pulitzer Center journalists at any time by emailing the education department, but our Skype in the Classroom page will also be used to highlight featured projects and publicize pre-planned Skype visits throughout the year.

Regardless of whether teachers schedule a 30-45 minute visit with a journalist by emailing the education team or signing up with Skype in the Classroom, scheduling a Skype visit is free for teachers. The Pulitzer Center education team is also happy to support teachers with Lesson Builder resources that deepen student understanding of the journalist's reporting before and after Skype visits.

Featured Project of the Week: Walk Like a Journalist, A Pulitzer Center Education Program

Click here to learn more about the "Walk Like a Journalist" reporting project that fifth graders at Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School embarked on this spring as part of a partnership with Pulitzer Center.

If you are interested in organizing a similar project at your school, contact [email protected].

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