Recommended for students in grades 4-6
Program Overview
AEI Kids’ News is a premier enrichment program designed for students in Grades 4–6. This course transforms the classroom into a global newsroom, where students engage with the most pressing issues of the 21st century.
The Goal: To move beyond passive reading and empower students to become independent, analytical thinkers who can discuss complex current events with maturity and confidence.
Core Learning Pillars
In this series, students will:
• Improve critical and analytical thinking through real-world case studies.
• Enhance public speaking and discussion skills in formal academic settings.
• Learn to navigate complex news articles and master advanced journalistic vocabulary.
• Develop a deep interest in global citizenship and international relations.
• Improve academic writing skills, focusing on evidence-based claims.
• Gain the maturity to discuss sensitive topics like climate change and resource scarcity.
• Become independent thinkers who can analyze multiple perspectives.
This course contains some academic elements, including writing, but the main focus is on encouraging students to learn about the world and enjoy the process.
Therefore, courses in this series are designed to be more engaging and less academically demanding than our traditional core subjects.
After-class Homework
Homework involves students reading and researching selected articles to prepare for the following week’s debate. For example, if next week's topic is Water Wars, students will be assigned to research the Nile Basin and the impact of dams on downstream countries like Egypt and Sudan.
Themes
As part of the course, students will explore contemporary global trends and challenges, including: Transboundary Water Conflicts (Water Wars), Eco-Anxiety and Climate Resilience, The Space Frontier, Space Junk and the Kessler Syndrome, Global Resource Diplomacy, and the Future of STEM.
General Course Structure
The AEI Kids' News course is 2 hours long. Students typically follow this structure:
| Time (minutes) | Lesson |
|---|---|
| 30 | Homework article discussion and research sharing |
| 30 | Deep-dive into the weekly news article and vocabulary |
| 5 | Rest |
| 30 | News-related writing exercises (Evidence-based claims) |
| 25 | Socratic debate or thematic problem-solving activity |
Students beginning this course will typically study the following:
| Class | Lesson |
|---|---|
| 1 | Astronauts Return Home |
| 2 | Kids in Space |
| 3 | Eco Anxiety |
| 4 | Climate Change and Kids’ Health |
| 5 | Tariffs |
| 6 | Children in the Middle East and North Africa |
| 7 | New Laws Helping Kids |
| 8 | Kids Inside a Claw Machine?! |
| 9 | Governments Do The Right Thing |
| 10 | Brain Rot |
