“Current Event Connection” posts will connect educators with news stories and relevant discussion ideas featuring content from the NG Education website.
BUSINESS A race is under way to unlock one of the world’s biggest untapped sources of clean energy—the ocean—with China emerging as an important testing ground. (Wall Street Journal) Use our resources to better understand tidal energy. Discussion Ideas Look at our MapMaker Interactive displaying use of solar, tidal, and wave energy. Why do you think these diverse energy sources are grouped together? Solar, tidal, … Continue reading China Invests in Tidal Energy
SCIENCE What?! New evidence suggests that rat fleas were not entirely responsible for the pandemic plague that devastated Europe in the 14th century. (the Guardian) Use our resources to learn more about paleopathology and other disciplines of archaeology. Discussion Ideas Read our paragraph on paleopathology, the study of disease in ancient cultures, in our encyclopedic entry on archaeology. Does the new analysis of plague victims … Continue reading Rats Off the Hook for the Black Death?
ENVIRONMENT The world’s leading body of climate scientists has released a major report on the impacts of climate change, with the goal of spurring world leaders to act more decisively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (National Geographic News) Use our resources to better understand how climate change can be addressed by government, industry, communities, and individuals. Discussion Ideas One of the most pressing concerns about … Continue reading New Report on Climate Change
UNITED STATES Scientists say there’s much more to “the Rock” than crime and punishment, and they have come to Alcatraz to investigate the hidden history that lies beneath the prison walls. (BBC) Use our resources to appreciate how archaeologists are using futuristic technology to understand the distant past. Discussion Ideas Alcatraz Island was home to one of the most infamous prisons in the United States. … Continue reading Hidden History Found Beneath Alcatraz
FOOD About 98 percent of limes consumed in the U.S. come from Mexico. But our neighbors to the south are feeling seriously squeezed by a shortage of the beloved citrus fruit. (NPR) Use our resources to better understand international supply chains. Discussion Ideas Most limes are eaten as a flavoring on dishes, such as the carne asada mentioned in the NPR article. (Mmmm, carne asada.) … Continue reading Lime Disease?
