11AP Current Events Assignment1. Read an article about an event either occurring within or involving the United States. Please staple

the article to your paper.2. Summarize the event – Answer the following questions in a short paragraph:

a. What is the title of the article?b. Who is the writer?c. Who is the writer’s audience?d. What are some of the specifics of the topic? What happened? Who was involved? When did

it take place? Where did it take place? Why did it happen? How did it happen?3. Read 2 editorials related to the event. Please print out editorials and staple them to your paper. 4. On the same sheet of paper as your summary, answer the following questions for EACH editorial:

a. What is the title of the editorial?b. Who is the writer?c. Who is the Audience?d. What is the topic of the article? (Subject)e. What is/are the specific issue(s) about this topic that the editorial addresses?(Subject) f. What is the Occasion for the editorial?g. What is/are the Purpose(s) of the editorial?

5. Answer the following questions, comparing and contrasting BOTH editorials.a. Which of the three appeals are used in each editorial? Is there a dominant appeal in each

piece? Between the two editorials, which has the better appeal and why is it better?b. Which editorial has the better diction? How does the diction help convey the purpose?c. Choose one sentence from either editorial that helps convey the purpose. Explain how the

sentence helps convey the purpose.d. If either editorial uses figurative language, choose one example. Explain how the

figurative language helps convey the purpose. If there is none, please indicate that with N/A.

e. Choose one of the editorials. What is its tone? Provide 2 examples from the text as proof of your claim. Is there a shift in tone, why does it happen? If there is, provide 2 examples from the text as proof of the new tone.

f. Overall, which editorial is better written? Using the answers from questions 1-6, write a paragraph that explains why the editorial is better written.

6. Present your answer to these questions on your designated advisory day.

Approved websites:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/ http://www.cnn.com/ http://news.google.com/

http://www.mercurynews.com/ http://www.sfgate.com/ http://www.nytimes.com/

http://www.npr.org/sections/news/ http://www.usatoday.com/news/

http://www.boston.com/news/ http://www.scientificamerican.com/section.cfm?id=news

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/ http://www.reuters.com/news

http://www.bbc.com/news/world/us_and_canada/ http://www.latimes.com/

http://online.wsj.com/home-page http://alltop.com*

If you choose to use a different source, please run it by me first.