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CURRENT EVENT INSTRUCTION AND THE GIFTED STUDENT

Incorporating Current Event Instruction To Enhance the Critical Thinking Skills Of Gifted
Students Within the Social Studies Classroom
An Action Research Project
Kathryn Christensen
Michigan State University

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Abstract
This action research project looked at the relationship between current event instruction and high
level thinking skills of gifted students within the Social Studies classroom. Seven gifted
students, all in the 8th grade and between the ages of 13 and 14 were the focus of the study with
research occurring in an 8th grade Social Studies classroom at a Michigan-based charter school.
A qualitative constant comparative model was used, along with a triangulation of data that
included a pre-test, student reflection, student work and a post-test. Pre- and post-tests asked the
students to connect a historical topic to the modern society, with the researcher counting the
frequency as to the number of connections made between the historical topic and current events.
Findings suggest that there is a high correlation between the incorporation of current events in
the Social Studies classroom and the increased number of high-level connections between
current events and historical topics made by the gifted students. These connections often
included connections beyond the current events that were discussed in class.

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CURRENT EVENT INSTRUCTION AND THE GIFTED STUDENT

Incorporating Current Event Instruction To Enhance the Critical Thinking Skills Of

Gifted Students Within the Social Studies Classroom
As teachers we spend a lot of energy focused on the low performing students, many times
at the expense of our high-performing ones because, as the argument goes the high performing
kids are more likely to be successful regardless. Yet the question remained, how much potential
are they losing because teachers are not challenging them? What are some simple ways we can
push them beyond their best and provide them with real challenges? As an 8th grade Social
Studies teacher, I wanted to go beyond giving them more challenging readings. My problem is
the need to increase the critical thinking skills of the high achieving students and I overcame this
by incorporating current events into the history classroom. Which led me to ask, to what extent
would incorporating weekly current event readings and discussion groups impact critical
thinking in high-performing students?
This question was especially meaningful to me for two reasons. The first was related to
the way my schools curriculum is structured. I teach at a standards based school, which means
that I assess based on pre-ordained objectives as opposed to merely memorizing concepts. For
8th grade, the objectives are rigorous and several of them require students to make modern day
connections by showing the relationship between the historical event and current events. At the
same time I was concerned with the high-achieving students and their growth. The students
finished their second round of NWEA testing one month prior to the start of this research.
NWEA is a standardize test we use to measure growth three times a year - where none of the
students in the 90th or higher percentile grew in reading. As a social studies teacher I wanted to
find a way to incorporate high level reading, comprehension and critical thinking into the

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classroom and it was with this in mind that I chose to use current events as the focus of this
research.
Definitions:
Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) An organization that creates nationally normed
standardized assessments
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) a computerized adaptive assessment which provides
the teacher and student detailed information about the students progress in Reading, Language
Usage and Math.
Gifted and Talented For the purposes of this paper the gifted and talented is defined as students
who scored in the ninetieth percentile in all three MAP content areas: Reading, Language Usage
and Math.
Theoretical Framework
This study was developed around the theoretical framework of Social Constructivism.
Social Constructivism views learning as a collaborative endeavor and sees the teachers role as a
facilitator (Atherton, 2011). Therefore, my role is to provide the articles and to create questions
for group discussion through which I hope to push students beyond the rote memorization they
are so good at and cause them to create new connections. Currently, when I give my students
opportunities to connect historical events to the modern world their answers are relatively
shallow and usually from experiences in school.
Social Constructivism relies on the notion that collaboration with peers is key to creating
a successful learning experience. If a student was to read a current event on their own they

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would not construct as deep of a meaning than if they worked with others to construct a meaning.
It is through the discussion with their peers that students are able to verbalize their own
understanding, question their group members, and be challenged by their peers in return which
ultimately leads to a deeper understanding of ideas being discussed. As the purpose of this study
is to find strategies to deepen the critical thinking of gifted students, it stands to reason that a
social component is key and therefore, all current event reading and discussion is done in groups.
The second component of Social Constructivism states that the teachers role is that of
facilitator as opposed to a dispenser of information. The job of a facilitator is to guide a group to
a common goal, without taking a specific position on the topics discussed. Therefore, it is not
my job as the facilitator to tell students what the current event means within the context of the
history that we are studying; rather I provide the questions students can use to get there. While
this can be frustrating for students who prefer the more comfortable model of teacher as
information depositor, by taking the teachers ideas out of the mix it allows for the students to
have a more organic experience. It also allows for the discussion within the group that was
discussed above to occur. Ultimately it is this experience that allows for growth in a students
critical thinking.
Literature Review
Current Event instruction is often considered a staple for a Social Studies classroom. For
this action research project the topic is current event instruction and critical thinking skills of
gifted students. Current event instruction includes the incorporation of news articles and the
discussion of local, national and world events within the classroom. For the purpose of this
research, gifted students are those who score in the ninetieth percentile or higher in reading, math

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and language usage on the nationally normed Northwest Evaluation Associations Measures of
Academic Progress test, or MAP. In this research I am looking for the connection between
incorporating current events into the Social Studies classroom and the critical thinking skills of
my high-ability students.
The topic for this research is inspired by the fact that I teach at a very high performing
school. Twenty-five percent of eighth graders are in the ninetieth percentile or higher in reading
according to our latest MAP results. This is compared to the sixteen percent that are considered
at or below grade level. While students who are below grade level are always a concern, all our
data has shown appropriate growth for these learners. The one group of students who have not
shown adequate growth is the high ability students. When one considers that a quarter of our
students are now not showing adequate growth, then we have a problem. As a Social Studies
teacher direct instruction of reading is not in my curriculum and yet, it is quite clear that what I
do in my class can enhance students reading and critical thinking skills. When looking at my
areas of weakness I quickly realize that the area I can improve on is the incorporation of current
events. Therefore, the topic for this research is to discover how the incorporation of current
events can enhance the critical thinking skills of high performing students within the Social
Studies classroom.
For this literature review I looked at ten articles that related to my topic. Upon reviewing
the literature it was discovered that very little has been done on the impact of current events on
high ability students. Therefore, I split the research into three main themes: describing the gifted
student, strategies for the gifted student and the benefits of current event instruction. Four
articles focus solely on current event instruction, with the remaining six articles centering on
high-ability students. Within these six articles three focus on general strategies for high-ability

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students, such as ability grouping, one on the gifted within a middle school classroom and two
target high-ability students within the Social Studies classroom. The goal was to find common
ground, a place where current events and high-ability students merge. This common ground is
most directly found in strategies for high ability learners in articles such as Laura McGrails
article titled Modifying Regular Classroom Curricula for High Ability Students (1998).
Describing the Gifted Student
In conducting a study that is geared towards gifted students it is helpful to determine
what it means to be gifted but finding a universally accepted definition is fruitless. Lewis
Terman defines gifted as the top one percent level in general intelligence ability as measured by
the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale or comparable instrument, whereas another researcher
Joseph Renzulli defines gifted as an interaction among three basic clusters of human traits
these clusters being above general abilities, high level of task commitment, and high levels of
creativity (Miller, 2011, p. 14). If one allowed themselves they could get lost in the definitions:
therefore, it is perhaps best to develop a description of what a gifted student looks like.
The gifted and the academically advanced have several similar traits as both are bright,
curious, and motivated students that are driven to high achievement. Both groups tend to set out
high goals and usually have a plan to achieve these goals. The gifted and the academically
advance have good study methods, are persistent and confident in their ability to do well and
finally, both groups of students are perfectionists who see anything less than perfect as a failure:
often they experience guilt when they do not meet their high expectations, which can damage
their self-esteem.

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The differences between these two types of students are subtle with one distinguishing
factor being the type of questions they ask. A gifted student will ask questions about concepts,
theories and abstract ideas and will tend to thrive on complexity whereas the academically
advanced are more apt to ask questions with concrete answers. While both groups can be selfcritical, the gifted student will be more self-critical than the academically advanced. The gifted
student will also express curiosity on many things, whereas the academically advanced will focus
on fewer things and tend toward those items they have already mastered. Finally, the gifted can
be underachievers as it is estimated that they often have already mastered half of the material
given to them and therefore boredom can easily set in (Taylor, 2007).
Strategies for Gifted Students
Many educators believe that advanced or gifted students do not need modifications in
instruction. Yet, this thinking could mean that these gifted students are not reaching their full
potential (Hackney, 2010). Just as differentiation is often the battle cry for reaching low
performing students, it is also the key to challenging our gifted and academically advanced
students. Laura McGrail promotes three general strategies that can be used to accommodate
gifted students: Assignment Modifications, Scheduling Modifications and Lesson Modifications.
For the purposes of this literature review, we will focus on scheduling modifications and lesson
modifications.
Scheduling Modifications has to do with a concept commonly known as ability
grouping. There is a general consensus that heterogeneous cooperative learning groups are often
counterproductive for high-ability students. This is especially the case when students are
working on low level skills such as drill and practice math computation and comprehension

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questions in reading. If the activity being done is a critical thinking activity, such as answering
open-ended thinking questions, placing gifted students in heterogeneous groups is best (McGrail,
1998).
In a Social Studies class heterogeneous groupings should occur when students are asked
to analyze complex information. Examples would be when they are connecting historical fiction
to the historical standard being taught at the time or relating information gathered from primary
sources to concepts that are covered in class (Hackney, 2010). Critical thinking activities in the
Social Studies classroom also include historical thinking which is a process of using historical
information including deciphering content, perspective, point of view and perceived facts
(Pelligrino, 2007). When utilizing ability groupings a Social Studies teacher has to be intentional
about the activity that they are having students perform. If ability grouping is paired with
appropriate instruction and activities, it is then that growth will occur (Tieso, 2003). The
implication of this within the classroom is that a teacher should be aware of when to ability
group their students, and when to allow for heterogeneous groups.
Lesson modifications are either the acceleration or enrichment of material that relates to
the standard being taught (McGrail, 1998). Lesson modifications can be incorporated into the
teachers full-class lesson plan. One strategy promoted by several who study gifted students is to
use open-ended questions which can be done through class discussions or assignments at the
beginning or end of class. Open-ended questions stimulate higher order thinking skills such as
comparison, synthesis, insight, judgment, hypothesis, conjecture, and assimilation as well as
provide opportunities to consider and express personal opinions (McGrail, 1998). Open-ended
questions also results in higher student enjoyment of an activity which results in higher
engagement levels and ultimately more learning. Incorporating various thinking skills and

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problem based learning with creative problem solving being emphasized is key for reaching
gifted students (Hackney, 2010). This can be incorporated right into a teachers full-class lesson
plans if a teacher makes a conscious effort to use Blooms Taxonomy in lesson development.
By being sure to incorporate activities at all six levels of thinking a teacher will be helping
students of all abilities. (McGrail, 1998).
The Benefits of Current Event Instruction
The importance of Current Event instruction within the Social Studies classroom is
almost universally acknowledged by Social Studies teachers. Incorporating current events into
the classroom makes social studies teaching more interesting and effective (Devechi, 2007). This
effectiveness comes from the acquisition of skills students can gain through the study of current
events. One immediate, and perhaps most obvious, skill is reading, but for gifted students
reading comprehension is rarely the concern.
Perhaps the most significant skill that can be built by inclusion of current events is that of
critical thinking. Current events can build critical thinking skills such as determining cause and
effect, comprehending abstract concepts, and inquiry (Haas, 2000). Current events are also a
great forum for honing problem solving skills as they can use them to work on defining a
problem and then gather information in regards to the problem, to then be wrapped up by
drawing conclusions (Haas, 2000). Effective current event instruction also incorporates the idea
of evaluating and assessing a news source, which is another form of critical thinking (Turner,
1995). Several of these critical thinking skills are skills that will appeal to gifted learners.
Drawbacks have been shown in regards to incorporating current events into the
classroom. One recurring trend is for teachers to say that the curriculum does not allow for time.

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Educators also cite the violent nature of many current events as a deterrent. A third argument
against the incorporation of current events is that students have difficulty finding news worthy
topics. Finally, teachers worry that several students do not see the relevance of the topic
discussed, especially in relation to them (Haas, 2000). Yet, none of these arguments deny the
ability of current events to enhance critical thinking. Therefore it is reasonable to conclude that
the incorporation of current events can enhance the learning experience of gifted students within
the classroom.
Summary
For this review, two different topics were brought together: gifted students and current
event instruction. The majority of the literature was on the gifted students, both what makes a
student gifted and the strategies that are most effective for teaching them. While defining a
gifted student is an impossible task, through synthesizing the various descriptions it can be said
that a gifted student has characteristics that go beyond being just the academically advanced.
These students have similar personality characteristics, such as high expectations for themselves,
being highly self-critical, and very creative. Strategies for these students require the
incorporation of high level thinking skill activities, which can be done within regular classroom
instruction. While some researchers advocate for homogenous groupings, teaching gifted
students does not always have to rely on that strategy. If a teacher incorporates questions at high
levels heterogeneous groupings will be appropriate.
The next topic was current event instruction and the benefits that can be found in
that. Research has been limited on this topic and it appears that social concerns often
overshadow the academic gains that can be made by incorporating current events. From the little

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work that has been done one can conclude that current events are a great strategy for
incorporating high level thinking into the Social Studies classroom. It is here that we see the two
topics converge suggesting that the incorporation of current events into the Social Studies
classroom will be an effective way to challenge the gifted students which will enable them to
improve their critical thinking skills.
Method
Settings and Participants
The research for this study occurred within my first period eighth grade Social Studies
class at a Michigan-based charter school. This class meets for ninety minutes every other day
and has a total of twenty-five students, nineteen of which are girls and six are boys. Since my
research question is focused on students that are gifted, I chose six students to focus my study
on. These students all scored in the ninetieth percentile or higher in all three tested content areas;
Math, Reading and Language Usage according to the most recent NWEA data. All of these
participants are in the eighth grade and are in the 13-14 year old range. Each student is in the
advanced math class. The group consists of five girls and one boy, which is consistent with the
ratio of boys to girls within the class as a whole. Four of the students are Indian, one is Pilipino
and one is white which is also consistent with the diversity found within the class. In order to
protect the identity of these students I used pseudonyms. The study was completed over two
weeks during the unit on ideals found in the Declaration of Independence.
Research Approach and Design
The research approach is qualitative, with the constant comparative model being used. I
used a variety of methods to collect data including pre- and post-tests, observations of group

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discussions, and student reflections throughout the data collection period. The goal of the
research was to see evidence of higher critical thinking on the post-test where it was expected
that critical thinking will take the form of logical connections between the current events and the
historical topics discussed. In order to determine whether or not the incorporation of current
events played a role in the post-test results, I chose to collect data through these various forms.
This is also to ensure the trustworthiness of the data as several data points will be used.
Data Collection Methods
The three data collection techniques I used were field notes, a pre- and post-test, and a
journal reflections completed by students during the process. Field notes were taken during
small group discussion of the current event articles being discussed. The focus was on key ideas
that the students discussed, with particular attention paid for when a student makes a connection
between the content of the current event with a topic that has been discussed in class, for a
conclusion to be drawn based on the material being read and discussed, and for the student to
back up the information with appropriate evidence. I also took notes on the interaction between
the students as they participated in the group discussion. The frequency of these events will be
counted to determine the process that students use to get to their high level responses. The
students did two reflections throughout the process, the first after receiving the results of their
pre-test and the second directly after participating in group discussion of the current event. The
pre- and post-test, were on different historical topics yet required the same skill of making
connections to the modern day world. The focus while looking at the pre- and post- tests was on
the number of connections made to the modern world, the depth of these connections and the
evidence that was used to support the connections. By using these different data collection

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techniques trustworthiness of outcomes are established and I am able to identify any factors
beyond the incorporation of current events that could be affecting the results of the post-test.
Data Analysis
Since I used constant comparative model, my data analysis will be an inductive analysis.
This was accomplished by first using a coding scheme in the hopes of finding patterns. For the
field notes I divided observed behaviors into one of four categories: supporting a claim with
evidence, making a connection between the current event and the Declaration of Independence,
drawing a conclusion not related to topic, and general behaviors. By comparing the information
gathered through each method I was able to draw conclusions.
Limitations
This study does have limitations. There is a relatively small sample size and therefore
any conclusions drawn can only be applied to my eighth grade Social Studies classes. Another
limitation is the lack of a control group due to the structure of the environment the study takes
place in. The small number of students eligible for this study is also a factor. This study will also
only be focus on the immediate effects of incorporating current event instruction since the data
collection period will be a relatively short window. Further study over a longer period will have
to be conducted to determine long term effects of current event instruction on gifted students.
Findings
The first theme to come out of the data was the frequency of connections students made
between the historical event discussed and modern society. This allowed the researcher to look at
high-level connections that students make without requiring the connections to contain a specific
current event. The next theme looks at the frequency of use of a current event in student

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responses to a high order thinking question. Finally, the third theme focuses on the level of
connection between the ideals in the Declaration of Independence and current events as found on
the post-test.
Connections to Modern Society
One of the first things looked at was the students ability to make connections to modern
society. At this point it was not a concern as to how high level and specific the connection was,
but rather were the students able to take the historical information and make the connection. On
the pre-test given, 1 out of the 7 students when answering the question: Formulate a theory as to
why the colonists not only reacted strongly to Great Britains policies but ultimately went so far
as to declare independence. Justify your theory by using historical facts, personal observations
and current events made a connection to modern society. Towards the end of her response
Student Two wrote:
In modern times, America has a fully-functioning democracy and is free from
Britains control. It is stronger than England, in some ways such as the economy.
The American dream has been realized in some ways, we have a free country and
a democracy. Many other ideas have changed, but these remain the same.
Once the students had completed the current event activity they completed a reflection
that asked them Did the article help you think deeper about the ideals in the Declaration of
Independence? Explain. Within this open ended response, 7 out of 7 students stated in their
reflection that the current event helped them make a connection to modern society. This was
further enforced by the results of the post-test where the question was: How are the ideals found
in the Declaration of Independence still debated and discussed in the modern world? 7 out of 7

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students were able to make a connection between the ideals found in the Declaration of
Independence and modern society.
Incorporation of Current Events
The next thing that was looked at was the frequency as to which students made
connections between the historical event discussed at current events. On the pre-test given, 0 out
of 7 seven students made a connection to a specific current event. This increased greatly on the
post-test where 7 out of 7 students made connections to a specific current event. 5 out of 7
students used the article that was read in class, whereas 2 out of the 7 did not use the article,
instead opting to use other current events such as the Arab Spring and the current primary
elections. Out of the 5 students who used the article in their answer, 3 students incorporated
additional current events into their response.
High Level Connections
The purpose of the question given to the students on the post-test was to see what
connections they could make between current events and the ideals found in the Declaration of
Independence. The ideals that were presented to the class as a whole were all men are created
equal, natural rights such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and the ideal that
government comes from the consent of the governed. The current event that was presented in
class was on the topic of affirmative action where the most direct connection between it and the
ideals was equality. 7 out of 7 students were able to make and explain this connection during the
current event activity in class.
On the post test, where the question was structured in a way to give the students more
intellectual freedom, the connections were more varied. A total of 12 connections were made. 7

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out of 12 connections used the ideal of equality, which since this was the ideal directly discussed
in the context of current events in class is considered an expected response and therefore not high
level. Out of those 7 connections to equality, 4 used the article discussed in class to make this
connection whereas 3 of the connections used a different current event to connect with the ideal
of equality. Where a student can use equality and connect it do a different current event it is
considered a higher level of thinking. 2 connections were made using the ideal of natural rights,
with 1 using the article in class and 1 using a different current event. Finally, there were 3
connections using the ideal consent of the governed, none of which used the article discussed
in class.
Table 1
The Number of Connections Made Between Ideals Found in the Declaration of
Independence and Current Events
Ideals
In-Class Article
Other Current Event
Equality
4
3
Natural Rights
1
1
Consent of the
0
3
Governed
Summary
The number of connections made between the topic discussed in class and current events
increased significantly from the pre-test to the post-test. On the pre-test no student made a direct
connection to a current event, compared to the post-test where every student made a direct
connection. On the post-test students were able to make connections to current events beyond
what was discussed in class, with 7 of the 12 total connections being made were from a current
event besides the one discussed in class.

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Discussion
Interpreting With Theory
The findings in this study are reinforced by the Social Constructivism Theory. Social
Constructivism relies on peers having social interactions in order to construct meaning. Students
worked with their peers on the current event activity and this discussion with peers allowed the
students within the groups to form higher level connections between the ideals found in the
Declaration of Independence and the Current Event Article. One of the questions that the teacher
as facilitator asked on the worksheet completed by students was How does this article relate to
what is being currently discussed in Social Studies class? During the activity the students
targeted for this study were put into their own groups. With seven students being studied, they
were then divided into two groups to help allow for more participation by each student. In
Group A Student Two, Student Three, Student Four and Student Seven worked together and in
Group B Student One, Student Five and Student Six collaborated. Upon discussing the answer
to this question in Group A Student Four suggested that there was a connection between the
affirmative action case in the article and the concept of Independence. The rest of the group
listened to Student Four and when she was finished sharing her idea Student Two thoughtfully
responded with I see it more like them being equal, a response which was the connection that
needed to be made. Student Seven then adamantly agrees which caused Student Four to ask for
clarification on why. It was interesting to note that this was done in a tone of genuine desire to
understand the idea and not out of defense. Student Two then continued to explain her thoughts
which led to the whole group continuing the discussion in the appropriate direction. Through
this social collaboration all four of these students were able to make a high level connection.

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Student Three, whose initial instinct was an incorrect answer was guided towards the correct
answer and ultimately was able to clearly state the connection on her own:
Just like Jefferson wrote the Declaration because the colonists were being
denied their equal rights by the British, the Supreme Court is decided to revisit
this case because it believes the University of Texass race admission policy is
going against every student to have a equal chance of applying to the University
of Texas
After this same activity students were asked to reflect on the experience of working on a group
and whether or not it helped them. Six of the students stated that it did help them with Student
Six writing:
I honestly feel that working in groups helps me, even a slightest bit. I feel this
because I get to see others viewpoints and opinions about different things. This
helps me justify even more deeply as well as get help in answering questions that
I perhaps struggle with.
One student disagreed with this viewpoint but was able to say that he did not think it was the
actual group aspect of it, but the members of my group which helps to remind us that group
dynamics will matter when working with a Social Constructivist framework. It should also be
pointed out that he was the only male in the group which does contribute to group dynamics
especially at the 8th grade level. Overall though, the group experience enhanced the students
answers within the group discussion as well as their answers to the current event question and
was recognized as being helpful in the majority of reflections.

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Social Constructivism also promotes the idea of a teacher as facilitator, which was the
approach that the teacher took during this study. The teachers role was to merely give the
students the tools that they needed to reach the skill desired, these tools being the current event
article to be discussed and questions to be answered. While the teacher was available for
questions if needed, only one question was ever asked of the teacher throughout the process by
any of the students in the study which was stemmed from Group As slightly unfocused, though
technically not off topic, discussion of the difference between colleges and universities. All of
the students in the study are gifted, and as a result are not prone to ask questions. Through
observations it was seen over and over that a teachers input was not needed as they were able to
question themselves and each other enough to get to where they needed to go.
None of this would matter though if the final findings did not show that deeper
connections were made. Before this activity was conducted in the classroom none of the
students were making any connection between the historical information in class and current
events as opposed to after this activity where all of the students made connections between the
historical information and current events. Students were also making connections beyond the
article that was read in class on their post-test. As you read their post-tests it feels as if the flood
gates had finally opened as several of the students took their ideas and ran with them. The fact
that five out of the seven students pushed their connections beyond what was discussed in class
and found connections between the ideals in the Declaration of Independence to current events
that ranged from the Arab Spring to the primary elections to the fight for gay marriage was an
exciting development. This fact highly suggests that by allowing students to use one current
event to find connections they are then more able to see the connections in other current events.

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Reflecting with an Action Plan

It seems clear that incorporating current event instruction will allow for gifted students to
make the high level connections that we often hope that they would make. Current Events allow
students to have the opportunity to be exposed to what is occurring in the world and when you
connect that to the history that is being studied they are able to get a more complete vision of the
world. Therefore, based on my findings it is my plan to incorporate current event instruction on
a regular basis in the Social Studies classroom to give all of my students the opportunity to be
exposed to the benefits of current event instruction. As the teacher facilitator it will be my job to
be purposeful about the current events that are selected so that the students will be able to make
meaningful and reasonable connections. While for several students the goal of current event
instruction will be to expose them to this format of informational text and to work on their
comprehension skills, I will keep in mind the goal I have for my gifted students, which is to
increase their critical thinking skills. One way I will ensure this goal is kept in mind is to have
my gifted students work together on current events so they can continue to challenge and
question each other about topic being discussed. By placing the students in these homogeneous
groups it will mean that they will not be required to spend as much time on the comprehension
aspect of current events as comprehension is not the goal for these students.
Another way that these findings are helpful is to use them in discussions with the parents
of high achieving and gifted students as they look for ways to enrich their students education.
When a parent comes to a teacher looking for ways to enhance their students learning at home, it
can now be said with confidence that allowing students to watch and read current events with
their parents supervision will be beneficial. It will have to be emphasized the importance of
discussion with the student and so as a teacher I can suggest talking points to the parents such as

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asking their students their opinion on the current event, with justification being expected, as well
as asking them to make the connections to what is being studied in school.
Conclusion
Continued research into this area is recommended. This research was done over a
relatively short time span of two weeks and therefore it is recommended that research into long
term impact of continued Current Event study on the gifted should be conducted. If such
dramatic results could be seen from one instance of incorporating a current event it should stand
to reason that a years worth of current events would have even more of an impact on the critical
thinking skills of gifted students. Future studies would benefit from incorporating a control
group of gifted students as well as more reflective elements where students will share where they
receive their current event news from. This way any outside determining factors, such as current
events incorporated into other classes or the news-watching habits of the students parents, can
be identified.
The action research process was a very enlightening one for me as it gave me the
opportunity to truly and purposefully analyze several different data sources, ultimately allowing
me an opportunity to be a reflective practitioner. In other words, it reinforced for me the
importance of not only incorporating formative assessment into my classroom, but using these
formative assessments in a more purposeful way. While intuitively I know that learning is
occurring from the end of objective assessments I routinely look at, I rarely analyze day to day
activities to the extent that I did during this action research project. Through this action research
process I was able to see the learning occurring and the development of ideas as they progressed
through each stage of activities a very exciting thing indeed.

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CURRENT EVENT INSTRUCTION AND THE GIFTED STUDENT

Reference List
Atherton J S (2011) Learning and Teaching; Constructivism in learning [On-line: UK] retrieved
12 February 2012 from http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/constructivism.htm
Deveci,H. (2007). Teachers views on teaching current events in social studies. Educational
Sciences: Theory & Practice, 7, 446-451.
Haas, M.E. Laughling, M.A. (2000) Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American
Educational Research Association Teaching current events: Its status in social studies
today. New Orleans, LA.
Hackney, L. (2010) Teacher use and student perceptions of instructional strategies that promote
creative problem solving by students of advanced social studies classes at the middle
school level. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Walden University.
McGrail, L. (1998). Modifying regular classroom curricula for high ability students. Gifted Child
Today, 21, 36-39
Miller, S. A. (2011). Designing a middle school gifted education program of excellence using
current gifted programming models. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Lindenwood
University, Missouri.
Pellegrino, A.M. (2007). The manifestation of critical thinking and metacognition in secondary
American history students through the implementation of lesson plans and activities
consistent with historical thinking skills. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Florida
State University, Florida.
Street, C. (2002). Teaching with the newspaper. The Social Studies, 93, 131-132.
Taylor, M.L. (2007). The effects of ability grouping on gifted and academically advanced
students in rural schools. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Tennessee State
University, Tennessee.
Tieso, Carol L. (2003) Ability grouping is not just tracking anymore. Roeper review, 26. 29-36.
Turner, T. N. (1995). Riding the rapids of current events! The Social Studies, 86, 117-121.

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CURRENT EVENT INSTRUCTION AND THE GIFTED STUDENT

Appendix A
Friday, March 2, 2012
Dear Parent/Guardian:
I am a student in the Master of Arts in Teaching and Curriculum program at Michigan State
University. As part of this program, I am conducting an action research project. The name of my project
is Incorporating Current Event Instruction To Enhance the Critical Thinking Skills Of Gifted
Students Within the Social Studies Classroom. The purpose of this project is to determine the effects
incorporating Current Event Instruction has on gifted students.
First, let me assure you that your/your childs participation in this project is entirely voluntary.
You/your child may elect to withdraw from participation at any time without any consequence.
During this project, students will be reading current events and working in groups to make
connections between the current event and any historical topics we may be discussing in class. It will
take approximately 1 month to complete this project. There is no discomfort or risk expected from
participation in this project.
Your childs confidentiality and anonymity will be protected. All information collected will
remain confidential except as may be required by federal, state, or local law. After the project has been
completed, any data collected will be labeled in such a way as to conceal the participants identities. All
data will be stored in a secure, locked location, and then destroyed three years after collection.
Any questions regarding this study should be directed to me through phone or e-mail. Please sign
and return the bottom of this letter if you will allow your child to participate in this project.
Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Ms. Kathryn Christensen
(248) 310-1170/78.kchristensen@nhamail.edu
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Statement of consent (If the participant is a parent or guardian)
I have read and understood the above consent information. My questions about the research have been
answered. I understand that I may withdraw my consent and discontinue my childs (wards)
participation at any time without penalty. I have received a copy of this form. I agree to my childs
participation in this study and my child also gives her/his assent.
Childs Name ____________________________________
Signature of Legal Guardian __________________________________ Date ___________

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Investigators signature _______________________________________ Date __________

Appendix B
Pre-Test Question
Formulate a theory as to why the colonists not only reacted strongly to Great Britains policies but
ultimately went so far as to declare independence. Justify your theory by using historical facts, personal
observations and current events.
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Appendix C
Field Notes
March 14, 2012
Group A:
Student 2, Student 3, Student 4, and Student 7
-

Very quiet; not much discussion. Personality is playing a role

Student 7: Is there a difference between colleges and universities? (Asks Teacher)
Group allows each other to figure it out.
o Elaborate even when not required
o Student 7: restates what she wants clarified.
Group does not get distracted when class gets off topic
Student 4: declaring independence as her connection between current event and class
topic
o NOTE: Incorrect answer
o Group declare her wrong.
Student 2: I see it more like them being equal
Student 7 adamantly agrees
Student 2 further explains idea.
Student 2, 7 and 4 engage in discussion ultimately pushing student 4 to
correct answer
Off Topic about handwriting (compared to other groups who are talking about boys)
Connect article to concept of respect
o Student 4: lets focus on respect and extend from there
o Group makes following connection: Respect for peoples rights
Student 7 grabs a dictionary, wants to make sure the word they are using is being used
correctly

Group B:
Student 1, Student 5, and Student 6
-

Not much discussion initially

Student 6: asks groups what the main idea is
Student 1 is holding back, not sharing ideas
Group is working very fast and mainly independent through comprehension aspect of
activity. Assuming they know the answers?
o Student 6 comes up with the idea, then remembers to go for evidence.

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Not appearing to discuss the evidence

Reach Connection to modern day question, group discussion increases
o Student 1 makes connection to Declaration of Independence
Answer: equality
NOTE: correct answer
Student 6 connects the ideas of rights to respect
o In explaining she talks about the article to the concept to the moral virtue of
respect without the article, to moral virtues with article.
o Causes Student 5 to change his answer from perseverance to respect
Once finished they return to answers and analyze what they already wrote

Appendix D

Current Events

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Current Event Article Title:
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Directions: Read the provided current event. Read and follow each of the steps below.
Step One: Read and Highlight 5 significant portions of the Current Event Article. Number each
highlighted portion.
Step Two: Next to each corresponding number write 1-2 sentences telling me why your group
decided to highlight that number.
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Step Three: Now that you have read the article it is time to make sure we have all the facts straight.
Complete the following graphic organizer.
Question:

Who is involved?

What is topic?

Where are the events occurring?

Answer:

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When did these events take place?

Why are these events occurring?

Step Four: As a group, decide how this relates to what is being currently discussed in Social Studies
class.
Current Social Studies Topic:
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How does this article relate to what is being currently discussed in Social Studies class?
And you bet you have to explain EVERYTHING!
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Appendix E
Post-Test Question
How are the ideals found in the Declaration of Independence still debated and discussed in the modern
world?

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