Beacon Journal staff report
As the 2016 presidential campaign continues to stir controversy and promises some of the biggest primary election turnouts in recent history, students also are finding themselves drawn to the discussion.
To guide students in intellectually stimulating conversations that also result in academic progress, the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education has developed a provocative six-week series of lesson plans for teachers that asks students to compare the public conversation with the quality character traits that are taught to young people in Ohio.
The OCLRE work was done by Ryan Suskey, director of professional development and programs.
The Beacon Journal/Ohio.com and some other Ohio news organizations are participating with OCLRE by publishing questions and news stories that stir conversation. The Beacon Journal’s presentation can be found under the title “Think about it,” on its new website for politics, www.ohio.com/politics.
Ohio.com will have daily material that allows for in-depth discussions about the topic of the week. The printed material will appear Tuesdays in the Beacon Journal. The series will be repeated in the summer and again beginning in September.
Students are encouraged in the series to take responsible action by writing letters or making videos to express their observations and hopes. The Beacon Journal is committed to sharing some of those online and in print.
Attached to this article are the lesson plans and images of the pages published in the Beacon Journal. All of the material is available to anyone interested. The material is written at a level suitable for middle and high school, but also is suitable for adult groups.
Schools in need of additional information or that want to share student letters and videos should contact the Beacon Journal’s coordinator for Newspapers in Education, Tara Kerscher, tkerscher@thebeaconjournal.com