Learning Network: Helping Students Connect Their Studies to the World Today

View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Friday, December 8, 2017 [NYTimes.com/Learning »]( Dear Readers, Every day on The Learning Network we try to connect what’s happening out in the world with the literature, history, civics, science, math and art you’re teaching in the classroom. Our aim is to show students that the same questions they’re grappling with in the context of, say, Shakespeare or the Civil War are still evident today, in everything from politics to pop culture. This week, though, we’ve gone a bit further. We’ve just announced a new [Student Challenge]( that invites teenagers to make those kinds of connections for themselves – and we’ve published a [related lesson plan]( to get them started. We hope you’ll invite your classes to use whatever you’re studying this semester and join in. The deadline is Jan.16, 2018.  For just one example of parallels between history and today, take a look at another resource we published this week. Our collection on [teaching about Japanese-American internment  during World War II]( uses Times reporting from the 1940’s to pose questions about how and why it happened, but also to ask about echoes of the internment in national security debates today. How do you help students make these kinds of connections? Let us know by posting a comment on our [lesson plan](. Thank you! Katherine Schulten, Editor ADVERTISEMENT Resources for Teachers Contests [Student Challenge | Connect What You’re Studying in School With the World Today]( An invitation to match something that you’re studying with something published recently in The Times, and to tell us why they go together. [Making It Relevant: Helping Students Connect Their Studies to the World Today]( Four ideas for showing how the themes, issues, questions and ideas students explore in school play out in the news and in our culture. U.S. History [Teaching Japanese-American Internment Using Primary Resources]( In this lesson, students use original Times reporting and other resources to investigate the forced internment of Japanese-Americans. ADVERTISEMENT Activities for Students Current Events Conversation [Laptops in Class, Trump’s Use of Twitter, Best 2017 Books and More: Our Favorite Student Comments of the Week]( Our favorite student comments from last week, and an invitation to join the conversation this week. Teenagers in The Times [November 2017]( Our roundup of the news stories and features about young people that have recently appeared across sections of NYTimes.com. Weekly News Quiz [Michael Flynn, Trump’s Tweets, the Pope’s Speech]( Have you been paying attention to the headlines this week? Take our 10-question quiz and see. Country Of The Week [Can You Find Zimbabwe on a Map?]( What else do you know about Zimbabwe’s geography, politics and history? Take our quiz to learn more. What’s Going On in This Picture? [Dec. 4, 2017]( Look closely at this image, stripped of its caption, and join the moderated conversation about what you and other students see. Film Club [‘I Have a Message for You’]( A 92-year-old woman tells her extraordinary story of love, loss, guilt and redemption. Student Opinion [Should Free Speech Protections Include Self Expression That Discriminates?]( How will the Supreme Court rule in a high-profile case pitting claims of religious freedom against the fight for gay rights? Picture Prompts [Do Not Resuscitate]( Should doctors have tried to revive this man? Or honor the wishes of his tattoo? Picture Prompts [Flag]( What is this image saying? Article of the Day [‘In a Deadly Obsession, Food Is the Enemy’]( What are some of the most common misconceptions about eating disorders? Article of the Day [‘Afghan Girls’ Robotics Team Overcomes Setbacks to Win Contest in Europe’]( How and why is the team’s win a victory for girls everywhere? Student Opinion [Will You Follow in Your Parents’ Footsteps?]( According to statistics, how likely are you to end up with the same job as your parents? Student Opinion [What Habits Do You Have, and Have You Ever Tried to Change Them?]( What are the economic costs of your habits? Article of the Day [‘Wrenched From Scandal to Success, Trump Looks Ahead, and Over His Shoulder’]( How has Mr. Trump responded to the guilty plea of Michael Flynn and the prospect of a G.O.P. tax bill being passed into law? Picture Prompts [Wonders of the World]( What sites would you put on the list? Word of the Day [Words of the Week]( miscellany; complicity; herpetologist; unsightly; benediction HOW ARE WE DOING? 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