2013 ND-GAIN data show world’s poorest countries lag 100 years behind richest in preparing for climate change

(Click for total-dimension picture)

It will get the world’s poorest nations more than one particular century just to reach the degree of climate modify readiness that the richest nations presently enjoy, in accordance to information launched Thursday (Dec. 12) by the 2013 University of Notre Dame Worldwide Adaptation Index (ND-Achieve).

ND-Acquire is the world’s leading annual index that ranks more than 175 countries based on their vulnerability to climate adjust and their readiness to adapt to the droughts, superstorms and organic disasters that climate modify can lead to.

The most recent edition of Notre Dame’s annual index highlights large disparities among the designed globe and establishing globe when it comes to being prepared for the difficulties climate alter is expected to cause in this century.

“We knew that there were disparities amongst the richest and poorest nations when it comes to climate change adaptation and readiness,” said Associate Professor Jessica Hellmann, who prospects Notre Dame’s climate alter adaptation program. “But we did not realize that it would consider much more than one hundred years for the poorest nations just to attain the readiness levels that the richest countries have previously attained.”

Some examples of the countries on this a hundred-yr trajectory consist of Cambodia, Kenya and Haiti. “Given the current typhoon in the Philippines, some folks might be questioning where that island nation falls in terms of readiness,” stated Associate Professor Nitesh Chawla, director of the Notre Dame Interdisciplinary Center for Network Science and Applications. “According to the information, the Philippines are far more than forty years behind the most produced countries in climate readiness. While that’s greater than the poorest countries, it exhibits that the Philippines still has a prolonged way to go.”

Although the ND-Achieve Index demonstrates that countries all around the globe are turning out to be a lot more resilient in the encounter of climate alter, the data also display that this trend is not occurring almost quick ample — even for created nations. “These information are sobering simply because they cast light on just how unprepared some of the most vulnerable nations truly are,” Hellmann explained. “But they also demonstrate that the most designed nations are not performing sufficient both, which raises severe public policy questions no matter how effectively-developed a national economic climate might be.”

This year’s information display that the ND-Gain Index is a lot more than just a ranking of nations. The index, which is “open source” and available to any individual with an Net connection, includes crucial details for policymakers, the personal sector and nonprofits. The index aims to unlock global adaptation remedies that conserve lives and improve livelihoods even though strengthening market place positions in the personal sector and policy choices in the public sector. It informs strategic, operational and reputational decisions with regards to supply chains, capital projects and local community engagements. “This year’s announcement shows that the index includes information that can obviously help decision-makers establish global, regional and nationwide priorities,” Chawla stated.

Below the United Nations-led climate talks, billions of bucks have been pledged to aid the planet adapt to climate adjust. But key questions stay on the place and how that income should be spent. ND-Acquire is a single instrument that can aid governments, nongovernmental organizations and the personal sector greater target individuals and other investments.

The 2013 Index was launched on Thursday (Dec. twelve) at the ND-Obtain Yearly Meeting hosted by the Wilson Center, a nonpartisan global public policy institution. The ND-Achieve Yearly Meeting serves as the premier gathering of domestic and global experts on climate change adaptation and is attended by leading figures from the government, nonprofit and personal sectors.

Get in touch with: Julie Hail Flory, Notre Dame Public Relations, 574-631-7031, jflory@nd.edu

2013 ND-GAIN data show world’s poorest countries lag 100 years behind richest in preparing for climate change

The Learning Network Blog: Test Yourself | English, Dec. 12, 2013

Use context clues and your expertise of word parts to locate the meaning of an unfamiliar word.

Use our inquiries for check prep or just for enjoyable. Find more here:

The Learning Network Blog: Test Yourself | English, Dec. 12, 2013

The Learning Network Blog: Test Yourself | Math, Dec. 11, 2013

Our weekly math problems are written by teachers at Math for America.

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Use our inquiries for test preparation or just for entertaining. You can also find more:

The Learning Network Blog: Test Yourself | Math, Dec. 11, 2013

Higher Education Jobs Fall In 2013 Third Quarter

A report published by HigherEdJobs reveals that the quantity of jobs in higher education decreased in the third quarter of 2013, even though the variety of commercials for work openings in increased training continued to expand at a more quickly speed.

HigherEdJobs, a supply for jobs and occupation info in academia, publishes the Higher Education Employment Report every quarter to help administrators, policymakers, and journalists who cover larger education much better realize existing trends in larger schooling employment.

The report, which also contains annual recaps, analyzes task posting information from colleges and universities that have continuously subscribed to the company’s unlimited posting strategy for 4 years, a group of more than 850 schools, as properly as data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In the third-quarter of 2013, the complete number of jobs in greater education was down 1.4%, or about 23,000 jobs:

This was the third consecutive quarter that greater schooling jobs have declined following a number of many years of steady growth, albeit slowing in recent many years, all through the recession. This period also marks the fourth quarter in a row that the general U.S. work growth price surpassed the development charge for higher training jobs. As a end result, the percentage of U.S. jobs that are in higher training was reduce in Q3 2013 by .04 percent compared to the identical quarter a 12 months earlier, HigherEdJobs mentioned in a statement.

In contrast to the declining numbers of jobs in higher training, the amount of advertisements for job openings in academia continued to improve at a quicker rate. According to the report, 1 possible explanation is that schools and universities may possibly be shedding increasing numbers of workers — either to other institutions, non-educational employers, or to retirement — and are choosing to fill only a portion of the vacancies.

A pattern of uniform and steady employment in larger schooling has emerged not too long ago with only reasonably slight modifications occurring in diverse categories of task postings like component-time compared to full-time, faculty compared to administrators, as effectively as regional occupation posting trends, according to information from HigherEdJobs.

Numerous schools and universities are struggling with staffing, specially schools dependent on tuition that are also falling brief on enrollment targets — and some students are spurning US colleges altogether in favor of less expensive overseas possibilities. A new report released by the Institute of Global Education (IIE) identified that the number of American students learning abroad has improved by 3%, raising that population to an all-time substantial. Global students studying at colleges and universities in the United States also elevated by a record 7%. The Open Doors report mentioned that college students learning abroad increased to far more than 283,000 and the amount of international students in U.S. schools and universities in the 2012/2013 academic yr grew to attain 819,644.

Higher Education Jobs Fall In 2013 Third Quarter

The Learning Network Blog: Weekly News Quiz | Dec. 3-9, 2013

Response the 10 questions under to see what you know about the people and occasions creating information this week.

Please note: As of Dec. 2, we have discontinued the every day news quiz. Rather, you’ll locate a new weekly quiz on the blog every Monday afternoon. Discover a lot more, and uncover hyperlinks to our yearly quizzes.

The mystery photograph? From a slide show that accompanied a Dec. six article, “Mandela’s Death Stirs Sense of Reduction About the Planet,” the caption reads: “Hundreds gathered at a memorial outdoors Mr. Mandela’s residence in Johannesburg.”

The Learning Network Blog: Weekly News Quiz | Dec. 3-9, 2013

The Learning Network Blog: What’s Going On in This Picture? | Dec. 9, 2013

Students

one. After hunting closely at the image over (or at the total-dimension image), consider about these three queries:

• What’s going on in this picture?


• What do you see that can make you say that?


• What far more can you uncover?

2. Following, join the conversation by posting a comment under. (Please don’t forget not to publish your final identify.)

three. Following you’ve posted, attempt reading through back to see what other people have mentioned, then post another comment responding to a person else. Use the “@” symbol to address that pupil directly.

Each week, our collaborators, Visual Thinking Techniques, will be facilitating a discussion from 9 a.m. until three p.m. Eastern time on Monday by paraphrasing comments and linking responses, all in an hard work to support students go deeper. You may possibly use their responses as versions for your own.

four. On Dec. 10, we will reveal much more data about the photo at the bottom of this submit. How does reading through the caption and finding out its “back story” help you to see the image in a different way?

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Much more?

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The Learning Network Blog: What’s Going On in This Picture? | Dec. 9, 2013

The Learning Network Blog: Teenagers in The Times | November 2013

In this month-to-month attribute we try out to acquire every little thing published in The Times about younger men and women so you can find it in one particular useful spot. For tips on how to use this series in your classroom, pay a visit to our lesson “Teaching With ‘Teenagers in The Times.’”

Please allow us know in the comment segment below how you are making use of this attribute in your classroom. Does it aid you find related content articles in The Times, such as inspiring stories about younger individuals? Do you use these articles as creating prompts? Are you using Youngsters in The Occasions in some other way? We want to hear from you.

The following installment will be published on Friday, Jan. 3.

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World

The place Have All the Sopranos Gone?
The ever-earlier onset of puberty is reshaping the legendary Leipzig boys choir.

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United States

Youthful Immigrants Publish Software to Highlight Lack of Legal Status
Fwd.us, an advocacy group, is holding a hackathon to help youthful folks who grew up in the United States with out legal standing publish software program that promotes immigration overhaul.

Inquiry in Cover-Up of Ohio Rape Yields Indictment of Four Grownups
The superintendent in the college technique of Steubenville, Ohio, was between people indicted in November by a grand jury investigating the cover-up of a 2012 rape.

Swastikas, Slurs and Torment in Town’s Colleges
In a school district 90 minutes north of New York City, Jewish families have filed a lawsuit searching for damages and policies to finish what it calls pervasive anti-Semitism in the colleges.

The Genuine Mayors of New York
Cheyanne Smith, a high college senior, zigzags close to the nation advocating laws that safeguard young folks from currently being pushed into low-wage function or the criminal justice system.

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Science and Wellness

Princeton University Considers Use of Foreign Meningitis Vaccine
The university’s leaders are contemplating a more powerful stage to halt an outbreak that hospitalized seven men and women: distributing a vaccine not approved for use in the United States.

In Hookups, Inequality Nevertheless Reigns
Even as youthful women are turning into equal partners in the hookup culture, they are significantly less most likely to encounter orgasm throughout uncommitted encounters than in critical relationships, research present.

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Sports activities

Philadelphia Colleges Merged in Despair Discover Purpose to Celebrate in Football
Soon after archrival high colleges joined forces since of a budget shortfall, numerous doubted the merger would work. But the football staff has triumphed above skepticism and inspired hope for academic success.

Following Football Player’s Death, California College Crew Wavers, but Carries On
At Arlington Higher School in Riverside, players and coaches felt the reduction of a well-liked player, who died just days following collapsing from a head injury, as they persevered by way of an up-and-down season.

Cornell Star Finds Inspiration in His Sister’s Courage
Jeff Mathews’s inner strength has a function model — his sibling Katie, who sustained serious injuries in a 2006 car accident and is a quadriplegic.

Skateboarding Twins Execute a Career 180 in Turning to Tennis
Nic and Tristan Puehse had a steep understanding curve, but two many years into their tennis adventure, the twins seem to have traded one particular obsession for an additional.

Columbia Football’s Dogged Futility
Columbia, -9 going into the Nov. 23 season finale against Brown, wins at many things, but for generations it has been unable to solve the football riddle.

Turning Professional at sixteen and Obtaining Perform Is not So Negative
Lydia Ko, who turned pro in October, acquired off to a sound start off at Tiburon Golf Club with a one-below-par 71 and was seven strokes behind the leader, Sandra Gal.

A Handful of Paces From the Race, a Starting Line for Women in Basketball
The Rose Traditional, a Brooklyn tournament founded eight years ago, has presented a stage for elite players 19 and under.

An American Boy Wonder in Barcelona
Ben Lederman, 13, is the 1st United States-born player invited to train at La Masia, the famed youth soccer academy run by the international soccer juggernaut Barcelona.

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Enterprise and Economics

Embracing the Millennials’ Thoughts-Set at Work
With its emphasis on free-flowing data, the millennial generation is very revolutionary — and thus has significantly to provide to corporate culture.

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Arts and Design

Mighty, Muslim and Leaping Off the Web page
Marvel Comics is expanding its superhero secure to include a teenage Muslim woman as a lead character.

Heading Wherever, Collectively
One particular Direction’s new album has a blankness that probably is a strategy: testing how little is required to keep a pop phenomenon moving.

Closeted High College Romances
In “Geography Club,” high college college students type a front organization for what is truly a gay support group.

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Education

Pulling a Far more Various Group of Achievers Into the Superior Placement Pool
Confronting entrenched perceptions, colleges have begun initiatives to enroll more poor, Latino and African-American college students in Innovative Placement courses, which serve as an elite protect inside colleges.

Welcomed With Kisses, Stanford Freshmen Danger the ‘Kissing Disease’
Complete Moon on the Quad, an orgy of interclass kissing reluctantly but officially sanctioned by Stanford University, is followed by one more tradition: the spread of mononucleosis and the flu.

Racial Abuse Is Alleged at San Jose State University
The university was grappling with accusations that 3 white students verbally and physically abused a black freshman.

Canadian Universities Strive to Incorporate Indigenous Cultures
The country’s institutions of increased education are adopting plans to improve accessibility for disadvantaged indigenous peoples.

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The Learning Network Blog: Teenagers in The Times | November 2013

The Learning Network Blog: Test Yourself | Editing Practice, Dec. 6, 2013

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Use our questions for test planning or just for entertaining. Find more right here:

The Learning Network Blog: Test Yourself | Editing Practice, Dec. 6, 2013

Research in brief – 05 December 2013

Photograph: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Photographs

• University of Southampton
Researchers have identified regions beneath the oceans in which huge volumes of carbon dioxide could be safely stored. They have identified 5 potential regions in offshore Australia, Japan, Siberia, South Africa and Bermuda. PhD student Chiara Marieni says: “We have found areas that have the likely to retailer decades to hundreds of many years of industrial carbon dioxide emissions despite the fact that the largest areas are far off shore. Nevertheless, more function is required in these regions to accurately measure nearby sediment circumstances and sample the basalt beneath just before this possible can be confirmed.” The study displays that prior scientific studies, which concentrated on the result of pressure to liquefy the CO2 but ignored temperature, have pointed to the incorrect places and therefore much more very likely to escape.

• University of Bristol / Bath / Sungkyunkwan, South Korea
A new peer assessment model would boost quality and veracity of scientific investigation, a study suggests. Researchers say that an enhanced model of the peer overview method, which is set up to make sure analysis is of the highest top quality, is essential to guarantee only best top quality research will get published. The review located that peer evaluation performs ideal when a degree of subjectivity (for illustration, their belief about regardless of whether the consequence is proper) is permitted, given that this assists far more details to be transmitted through the decision and protects against the chance of scientists converging on an incorrect answer. An improved peer review model consists of the chance for scientists to comment on and critique analysis soon after it has been published. This would provide scientists with far more opportunity to truthfully reveal their opinions, enhance the movement of info in science and avoid the risk of ‘herding’ – in which scientists’ behaviour may be influenced by their peers. Mike Peacey, one particular of the study’s researchers, says: “Scientists are increasingly concerned that a lot of published research findings may be false. Our findings demonstrate a novel way of how the peer evaluation method can be improved by way of a publish-publication peer overview.”

Photograph: Tristram Kenton

• University of Wolverhampton
Investigation displays that lack of sunlight can impair the efficiency of expert ballet dancers. The study looked at people who train indoors throughout the winter months and discovered minimal vitamin D amounts, by way of lack of sunlight exposure, hyperlinks to impaired muscle strength and increases danger of damage. Prof Matthew Wyon, head of dance science at the University of Wolverhampton, says: “Vitamin D is critical for bone growth and has a broad variety of functions. In a deficient state, dancers are at increased risk of bone injuries and this most current investigation signifies an increased chance of muscle damage, which can be detrimental to their well being and their careers. “In a population identified to be at danger of these deficiencies, this kind of as ballet dancers, health-related staff and teachers need to take into account supplying their dancers with acceptable amounts of vitamin D whilst training indoors to support them create on their core muscle strengths to keep away from injury. These findings could also be extrapolated to cover other sports and training activities that get location indoors.”

Photograph: Evan Schneider/AFP/Getty Images

• University of Oxford
Some of the world’s most uncommon and important biblical texts have been digitized and published online by the Bodleian and Vatican libraries, which will sooner or later generate an on the web archive of one.5m pages. Portions of the Bodleian and Vatican libraries’ collections of Hebrew manuscripts, Greek manuscripts, and early printed books have been chosen for digitization by a crew of scholars and curators from around the world. The new site features zoomable photographs which allow thorough scholarly analysis and examine and also characteristics posts on the conservation and digitized strategies used in the course of the project. Richard Ovenden, interim Bodley’s librarian, says: “We hope that by means of digitizing and making openly available some of the most significant books in our collections we will boost their likely for investigation and broader understanding of these ancient texts.”

Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Photographs

• University of Cambridge / East Anglia
Investigation shows a ban on multibuy promotions for alcohol implemented in Scotland in October 2011 failed to lessen the amount of alcohol purchased. The research discovered that Scottish buyers commenced buying fewer merchandise per shopping trip than they would have without having the ban, but went out to purchase beer and cider much more frequently, leaving the all round quantity purchased unchanged. Marc Suhrcke, from the University of East Anglia, says: “Far more encompassing policy will be required to accomplish the objective of minimizing extreme alcohol consumption and connected harms. Partially banning value promotions leaves the door open for industry to just switch to other kinds of price tag promotions, or indeed to decrease the total cost of alcohol.” He adds: “Imposing greater excise duties on alcohol and introducing minimum unit pricing have been proven to reduce alcohol consumption and related harms. The government has just lately place on hold ideas to introduce minimum unit pricing.”

• Kingston University
An archaeology crew has uncovered a sink hole of material that may hold crucial data about the plant species thriving there 6,000 years ago. Dr Helen Wickstead, based at Kingston University’s faculty of artwork, design and architecture, says: “The website at Damerham is on chalk land, so we will not typically find components like this that capture and protect the plant stays – pollen or phytoliths – from a particular time period.” She adds: “The sink hole contained orange sand with a yellow and grey clay and we are very hopeful that, inside of this materials, there will be evidence of plant existence that will aid us carry on to piece collectively the puzzle of human habitation on this substantial website.”

Would you like your university’s investigation featured on the network? Electronic mail claire.shaw@theguardian.com with your most current news.

This articles is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Searching for your up coming university part? Browse Guardian jobs for hundreds of the latest academic, administrative and study posts

Research in brief – 05 December 2013

American Students Lag Behind Many Countries in PISA 2013 International Test

It is a acquainted story: American students are not executing nicely in worldwide exams, and they as soon as once more lag behind Asian and European peers on a global examination. According to U.S. Schooling Secretary Arne Duncan, the most current final results on the PISA examination are a “picture of educational stagnation” as American college students showed minor improvement over three many years.

U.S. students failed to score in the prime 20 on math, studying or science. Chinese students from Shanghai have been the prime scorers in all subjects, and Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong students weren’t far behind. The test results present that Vietnam, which had its students participate for the very first time, had a increased common score in math and science than the United States, writes Kimberly Hefling of The Related Press.

The latest outcomes yet again increase the query of regardless of whether the United States is persistently outperformed due to the fact of the broadly varied backgrounds of its college students. For example, some students are from reduced-revenue households, even though other individuals do not have English as their principal language — but some countries that outperform the United States also encounter this kind of difficulties.

“Americans have acquired a thousand causes that one country soon after one more is surpassing our achievement, and I have yet to discover a excellent excuse,” stated Marc Tucker, president of the Nationwide Center on Schooling and the Economic climate.

In 2012, about half a million students in 65 nations and educational methods took component in the Plan for International Student Evaluation (PISA), which is coordinated by the Paris-primarily based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The outcomes were released by the Training Department’s National Center for Schooling Statistics. The check, given each and every three years to 15-yr-olds, is designed to assess students’ issue-solving abilities. U.S. scores on the PISA haven’t changed significantly because testing started out in 2000, even as students in countries like Ireland and Poland have proven improvement and surpassed U.S. college students.

Schooling Secretary Duncan named for an improved target on schooling. “We should invest in early schooling, increase academic specifications, make university inexpensive and do more to recruit and retain top-notch educators,” he explained.

One indicator of performance is how several college students hit a large benchmark on each subject tested. In the United States, 9% of test-takers hit that mark in math, 7% did so in science and eight% did in reading through. Fewer U.S. check-takers hit that mark in math than the worldwide regular. Nonetheless, they performed at about the global typical in the other two topics.

In math, the U.S. average score was 481 towards an international common of 494. In science, the U.S. typical score was 497, although the worldwide average was 501. In studying, the U.S. average score was 498, and the international average was 496.

Students from all states were examined. But for the 1st time, 3 states, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Florida, opted to increase participation in PISA to get much more state distinct final results. Typical scores from Massachusetts were above the worldwide regular in all 3 topic locations.

Total, Nationwide Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel explained amid the Asian nations dominating the check “the one point they all have in frequent is that they make a genuine commitment to education for all kids, and nothing at all deters them from that vision, and then they do what’s essential to make that take place. In the United States, we do not have the commitment for all little ones and it wants to change.”

American Students Lag Behind Many Countries in PISA 2013 International Test

American Students Lag Behind Many Countries in PISA 2013 International Test

It is a familiar story: American college students are not doing effectively in international tests, and they when yet again lag behind Asian and European peers on a global exam. According to U.S. Training Secretary Arne Duncan, the most current outcomes on the PISA examination are a “picture of educational stagnation” as American students showed minor improvement over 3 many years.

U.S. students failed to score in the best 20 on math, studying or science. Chinese students from Shanghai had been the best scorers in all topics, and Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong students weren’t far behind. The check results present that Vietnam, which had its college students participate for the first time, had a increased regular score in math and science than the United States, writes Kimberly Hefling of The Linked Press.

The most current results yet again raise the query of whether or not the United States is constantly outperformed due to the fact of the broadly varied backgrounds of its college students. For instance, some students are from lower-revenue households, although other people really don’t have English as their major language — but some countries that outperform the United States also encounter this kind of problems.

“Americans have acquired a thousand reasons that 1 country following yet another is surpassing our achievement, and I have nevertheless to find a very good excuse,” said Marc Tucker, president of the National Center on Education and the Economy.

In 2012, about half a million college students in 65 nations and educational techniques took portion in the Program for Worldwide Student Evaluation (PISA), which is coordinated by the Paris-based mostly Organization for Financial Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The benefits were launched by the Training Department’s Nationwide Center for Training Statistics. The test, given every single three many years to 15-year-olds, is designed to assess students’ problem-solving skills. U.S. scores on the PISA haven’t changed significantly considering that testing started out in 2000, even as college students in nations like Ireland and Poland have shown improvement and surpassed U.S. students.

Training Secretary Duncan named for an elevated concentrate on education. “We must invest in early schooling, increase academic requirements, make university inexpensive and do a lot more to recruit and retain prime-notch educators,” he mentioned.

1 indicator of overall performance is how many students hit a higher benchmark on every single subject tested. In the United States, 9% of check-takers hit that mark in math, 7% did so in science and eight% did in reading. Fewer U.S. check-takers hit that mark in math than the worldwide regular. Even so, they performed at about the global regular in the other two subjects.

In math, the U.S. common score was 481 against an global common of 494. In science, the U.S. average score was 497, while the global average was 501. In reading through, the U.S. regular score was 498, and the global common was 496.

Students from all states were tested. But for the 1st time, 3 states, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Florida, opted to boost participation in PISA to get far more state specific outcomes. Average scores from Massachusetts have been over the global regular in all 3 topic areas.

Total, Nationwide Schooling Association President Dennis Van Roekel mentioned among the Asian nations dominating the test “the one particular issue they all have in typical is that they make a real commitment to schooling for all kids, and nothing deters them from that vision, and then they do what’s needed to make that take place. In the United States, we don’t have the dedication for all little ones and it needs to adjust.”

American Students Lag Behind Many Countries in PISA 2013 International Test

The Learning Network Blog: Student Contest | Write a Rap About the News of 2013

Last year’s “Year in Rap” from Flocabulary. The 2013 edition will be out on Dec. 20.

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Quick: What rhymes with “Affordable Care Act”? “Edward Snowden”? “His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge”?

If you can’t come up with at least one answer, you might want to start brainstorming, because the Year in Rap Student Contest is back.

Along with our annual partner, Flocabulary, (creators of the Week in Rap, the Year in Rap and other educational songs, videos and resources for K-12) we invite you to post your entry by Jan. 7, 2014.

If you’ve participated before, the rules are pretty much the same: just write an informed, engaging 12- to16-line rap about some aspect of this year’s news.

To help, we’ll be publishing our usual end-of-year quiz and list of 2013 retrospectives that can help you remember the highs and the lows. We’ll have both up by Dec. 23, so stay tuned — or get ahead now by going back through our weekly news quizzes to see how well you do.

Teachers, we’ve also posted Flocabulary’s lesson plan and rubric below to help in guiding your students through the rap-writing process.

Happy rhyming.

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The Contest Rules: Write Your Own ‘Year in Rap’

1. The rap should be 12 to 16 lines long.

2. Students should choose at least four important New York Times stories from one of the news categories listed below.

It’s fine to focus on a smaller topic found within a section in The Times. For example, you can write a rap based on just the government shutdown rather than the whole range of national or political news this year. Or, you might focus on 2013 movies rather than covering other news from the Arts section. But you should also feel free to include as many, and as wide a range, of news stories from a particular section as you like. (More about narrowing your choices can be found in this section of the lesson plan.)

Here are the sections from which you can choose:

3. The rap should be original and must follow Learning Network commenting standards, which means no profanity or vulgar language.

4. Submissions must be from students from 13 to 19 years old. No last names please, but an initial is fine, as is a school or class code of some type. (For example, “Ethan G. CHS112.”)

5. Submissions are allowed from partners and teams as well as from individuals — just remember to submit all of your names when you post your rhyme. (This year we’ll judge all entries the same.)

6. One submission per student, please. If you’re submitting as part of a team, you should not also submit as an individual.

7. Raps must be submitted as comments on this post by 5 p.m. Eastern time on Jan. 7. If you have questions about the contest, please feel free to post them in the comments section as well, and we’ll answer you there.

8. The top five raps, as judged by The Times and Flocabulary staff using this rubric, will be featured on both The Learning Network and Flocabulary.com.
Because of privacy rules that apply to students under 18, we are asking for only your lyrics. While we love YouTube videos of young rappers as much as anyone, please don’t post links to them here.

9. Want inspiration? Here are the winners from 2012 and from 2011. Can you top them?

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The Lesson Plan: Rapping About the News

By Flocabulary

Overview | In this lesson, students reflect on the top news stories from 2013 and create original lyrics for a rap around the category of news that interests them the most. They determine factors that make a news item a top story for the day, week or year, and analyze the top choices of Flocabulary and The Times. Students then choose at least four significant news stories, and write a short rap reviewing the key points of those stories.

We encourage students age 13 to 19 to submit their lyrics to the Flocabulary-New York Times Learning Network Year in Rap contest. (Students can also enter the contest without completing the full lesson below. Just direct them to the contest rules above.)

Note: This lesson works well as a full class activity, but you can also assign it as an independent or take-home assignment. Students who would like to create the raps on their own time should not have a problem following the rap section of the lesson independently.

Materials | Student journals, computer(s) with Internet access, projector, copies of the Flocabulary 2013 Year in Rap work sheet and rubric, access to NYTimes.com and Flocabulary’s Week in Rap archives; optional access to a rhyming dictionary or website.

Warm-Up | Tell students to respond to the following prompts in their journals:

• What makes one news story more “important” than another?


• What are the characteristics of a news story that might make it important for more than one day?


• What would be on your list of the top 15 to 25 news stories of 2013? Why?

Next, have students share their answers and jot down two lists — one about the qualities of an “important” news story and the other a list of 2013 stories they mention as top news this year. Remind students that “importance” is a subjective idea, and that the qualities that make a story important can vary.

Related | Explain to students that they will now look at stories chosen over three different time periods to consider the differences in judging the importance of a story: The Times’s front page for the day, Flocabulary’s Week in Rap and Flocabulary’s 2012 Year in Rap (found at the top of this post).

After they look at the front page, students should watch the Week in Rap and the Year in Rap and discuss what, if any, similarities they saw, and what they might add to the list of criteria for an important story. (Please note that to access all of the Week in Rap archives, students or teachers must sign up for a free trial.)

Questions | For discussion and critical thinking.

1. Which story on today’s front page of The Times did the editors consider the day’s most important news? How do you know? Are there stories on the page that you feel might not be “front-page worthy”? Why? What news item, if any, would you include that isn’t there? (Note: the article published in the upper right-hand column of the print paper each day is that day’s top story.)


2. What differences do you see between the news chosen for Flocabulary’s Week in Rap versus its 2012 Year in Rap? What stories included in either or both surprise you? Why?


3. How do you think The Times’s editors decide on the front page balance each day? How do you think the Flocabulary staff decide on its Week in Rap and Year in Rap selections? In what ways might the decision-making process be similar for The Times’s editors and Flocabulary staff? How might it be different?

Activity | Explain to students that they will now use what they learned to select the top stories from 2012 in one news category. Once they select their top stories, they will write a Flocabulary-style rap to summarize those stories.

The Research

1. Go to the NYTimes.com home page and review the different categories of news, listed on the left-hand side of the Web page (World, U.S., Sports, Movies, Science, among others).

Tell students to choose one news category to focus on using the list in the contest rules above. Remind them that they can choose subcategories from larger categories, so that they might, for instance, create a rap from the World section, but just on events in the Middle East; a rap featuring 2013 news from the U.S. section, but focused on education; a rap about the Sports section, but detailing 2013 news about professional baseball; or a rap using the Science section, but focused on stories about climate change from 2013. Give them time to click around and decide on the larger topic, and possible subtopic, that interests them most.

• Next, give students time to review the Week in Raps from 2013. Because the Week in Rap covers news in all categories, ask them to look through the Week in Rap archives with their news category in mind.


• Have students add to the list on the board compiled during the Warm-Up any key 2013 stories they found as they perused The Times and Week in Rap archives that weren’t previously mentioned.


• Next, ask students to narrow their choices to four or five top stories and record them on their 2013 Year in Rap “Brainstorm the Top Stories” activity sheet. Once they have selected their stories, they should be able to explain what qualities make it a top news story. Students should then search The Times’s archives from the past year to learn more about their chosen stories. In the last column, they should list keywords, like names, places, technical terms or other details related to their topic to include in their rap.

Writing the Rap

Tell students that the goal of their rap is to select their top news stories from 2013 in one category, then share the important parts of that news story with their classmates through a rap. We’ll feature the lyrics to the top five student raps on the Learning Network and Flocabulary.com, as described above.

This aspect of the lesson plan is modified from Flocabulary’s Writing Academic Rhymes lesson sequence. Students can also use this method to help remember important information for any subject.

Make sure that students have the 2013 Year in Rap handout. The chart takes students through the steps of writing a rhyme about their first story. They can repeat the steps for their other stories or give more information about their first story. (Note: If students want to write their rap over beats, they can choose from 20 original beats on the Flocabulary website. Encourage students to peruse the Flocabulary Week in Rap archives for examples on how to set up rhymes.

1. List the first news story.


2. Rewrite the line so that the most important part to remember is at the end of it. This will help you and your audience remember it better.


3. List words that rhyme with the final word or words. Students can also list slant rhymes, or words that almost rhyme.


4. Students should write a rhyme for the line from step 2 that gives more information about the news story. It is important to make sure that the tone of the rhyme matches the weight of the story. For example, a humorous tone would likely be inappropriate if students are talking about a tragedy like the bombings at the Boston Marathon in April. If they are having trouble coming up with a rhyme, they can try retooling the first line.


5. Students should repeat this process to give more information about the news story.

Share the rubric (PDF) that we’ll be using to judge the winners of the 2013 Year in Rap contest with your students. Even if they don’t submit to the contest, you can use it to help guide students toward creating stronger raps, or even to give them an assignment grade.

Going Further | If students would like to add figurative language to their raps, you might use Flocabulary’s figurative language video and lesson plan to help them.

Finally, share the raps with the class in a performance. If your students are 13 to 19 years old, submit them to the Learning Network by posting them in the comments section.

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More About Flocabulary

Flocabulary was founded on the belief that a motivated student is a more successful student. Their digital subscription service gives students, teachers and parents access to hundreds of educational songs, videos and lesson plans that you can try for free for two weeks.

Standards

This resource may be used to address the academic standards listed below.

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Common Core E.L.A. Anchor Standards

Reading

• 
  2 Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
  


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  6 Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
  


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  7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
  


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  9 Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
  

Writing

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  4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
  


• 
  6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
  


• 
  7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
  


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  8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
  


• 
  9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
  

Language

• 
  5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
  

The Learning Network Blog: Student Contest | Write a Rap About the News of 2013

The Learning Network Blog: Test Yourself | English, Dec. 5, 2013

Use context clues and your understanding of word parts to locate the meaning of an unfamiliar word.

Use our questions for check prep or just for enjoyable. Find much more here:

The Learning Network Blog: Test Yourself | English, Dec. 5, 2013

The Learning Network Blog: Test Yourself | Math, Dec. 4, 2013

Our weekly math difficulties are written by teachers at Math for America.

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Use our questions for check planning or just for enjoyable. You can also find a lot more:

The Learning Network Blog: Test Yourself | Math, Dec. 4, 2013

The Learning Network Blog: Test Yourself | History, Dec. 3, 2013

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Use our queries for test planning or just for entertaining. Locate a lot more here:

The Learning Network Blog: Test Yourself | History, Dec. 3, 2013

The Learning Network Blog: Weekly News Quiz | Nov. 26-Dec. 2, 2013

Reply the 10 queries beneath to see what you know about the men and women and occasions generating news this week.

Please note: As of Dec. two, we are discontinuing our everyday news quiz. Alternatively, you’ll locate a new weekly quiz on the website every single Monday afternoon. Learn more, and discover back links to our yearly quizzes, here.

The mystery photograph? From a slide demonstrate that accompanied a Nov. 28 report about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the caption reads: “The Aflac duck passing a third-floor window on Central Park West.”

The Learning Network Blog: Weekly News Quiz | Nov. 26-Dec. 2, 2013

The Learning Network Blog: Test Yourself | E.L.L. Practice, Dec. 2, 2013

Teaching Suggestions

one. Generate Your Own Sequence Quiz: Have college students create their personal versions of the interactive quiz shared above by locating a movie clip they are interested in and identifying three or 4 issues that arise in sequence. Have them compose out four choices — whether or not feedback said by a character, a series of actions or a mix — then quiz the class.

Many video clips from common videos can be identified on The Times’s internet site. An essential advantage is that given that they are hosted by The Times, they are very likely to be classroom-suitable and might not be blocked by college filters.

These clips can mostly be found in two spots. One, by going to The Times’s video search engine and typing in “clip.” 2nd, by going to the Movies area of The Instances and seeking for any film. Most well-liked videos that have been launched more than the previous many many years have added clips and trailers there.

2. Produce Your Very own 1- to Two-Minute Films: Instead of utilizing film clips, college students can produce their own short films to display and use as quizzes for their classmates. After storyboarding their tips, students can movie a one- or two-minute video with the teacher’s smartphone or their very own. They may possibly then upload every the video to YouTube as “public” if they have their parents’ permission or “private” if they do not. (Instructor Tube and College Tube are other alternatives.)

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Use our questions for check preparation or just for fun. Uncover far more right here:

The Learning Network Blog: Test Yourself | E.L.L. Practice, Dec. 2, 2013

The Learning Network Blog: What’s Going On in This Picture? | Dec. 2, 2013

College students

1. After looking closely at the picture over (or at the total-dimension picture), consider about these 3 concerns:

• What’s going on in this picture?


• What do you see that can make you say that?


• What a lot more can you discover?

2. Subsequent, join the conversation by posting a comment under. (Please keep in mind not to publish your last identify.)

3. After you’ve posted, consider reading back to see what other individuals have explained, then submit an additional comment responding to somebody else. Use the “@” symbol to address that pupil immediately.

Each week, our collaborators, Visual Considering Approaches, will be facilitating a discussion from 9 a.m. until three p.m. Eastern time on Monday by paraphrasing comments and linking responses, all in an work to help college students go deeper. You may use their responses as versions for your personal.

4. On Dec. three, we will reveal far more information about the photograph at the bottom of this publish. How does reading through the caption and learning its “back story” assist you to see the picture differently?

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Far more?

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The Learning Network Blog: What’s Going On in This Picture? | Dec. 2, 2013

The Learning Network Blog: Test Yourself | Math, Nov. 27, 2013

Our weekly math issues are written by teachers at Math for America.

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Use our inquiries for check planning or just for exciting. You can also find far more:

The Learning Network Blog: Test Yourself | Math, Nov. 27, 2013

The Learning Network Blog: News Quiz | November 27, 2013

See what you know about the news below. To put together, you might scan the content articles or summaries on today’s paper. Very good luck!

The Learning Network Blog: News Quiz | November 27, 2013