Alberta Social Studies 20-1/20-2 Current Events Lessons

16 current events lessons for Alberta Social Studies 20-1/20-2 (Perspectives on Nationalism). Each lesson has readings at three grade levels, discussion questions and a critical thinking task.

16 lessons

  • New

    What Does the UN General Assembly Accomplish?

    Related Issue 3

    The UN General Assembly's high-level week produces declarations, speeches and private diplomacy, but what does it actually accomplish? In this current events lesson for Grades 6-12, students weigh…

    Peace & ConflictInterdependenceLegitimacy
    East Asia & Pacific · Europe & Central Asia · Latin America & Caribbean · Middle East & North Africa · North America · South Asia · Sub-Saharan Africa

  • USA and Denmark Agree to Greenland Deal

    Related Issue 3

    Greenland has a population of only 57,000 but has been at the centre of a major security debate for the last few years. This lesson uses the US-Denmark-Greenland…

    Peace & ConflictSecuritySovereignty
    Europe & Central Asia · North America

  • Is Canada Joining the EU?

    Related Issue 3

    The EU has invited Canada to become its first "associate member", a status that doesn't exist yet. This lesson uses that offer to ask what a country actually…

    Economics & DevelopmentInterdependenceSovereignty
    Europe & Central Asia · North America

  • Ukrainian Refugee Crisis

    Related Issue 2

    Over five million refugees. Another three million displaced inside Ukraine. But the numbers hide something: displacement has not meant one thing. Kyiv's population came back. Kharkiv's has left…

    Rights & JusticeEqualityIdentity
    Europe & Central AsiaMini-unit: Ukraine War · Lesson 4
  • Free lesson

    Ukraine Resists Russian Invasion

    Related Issue 2Related Issue 3

    Experts expected Ukraine and its capital, Kyiv, to fall within days. It didn't. This lesson examines the different explanations for Ukraine's defense and asks how much of Ukraine's…

    Peace & ConflictInterdependenceSovereignty
    Europe & Central AsiaMini-unit: Ukraine War · Lesson 3

  • Russian Invasion of Ukraine

    Related Issue 2Related Issue 3

    In February 2022, Russia said it had launched a limited operation while analysts saw a bid to seize Kyiv within days. Students weigh Russia's stated aims against its…

    Peace & ConflictPowerSecurity
    Europe & Central AsiaMini-unit: Ukraine War · Lesson 2

  • Mecca Joint Defense Agreement

    Related Issue 3

    Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have signed a defence pact stating that an attack on one is an attack on all. A three-level lesson on why states pool…

    Peace & ConflictSecuritySovereignty
    Middle East & North Africa

  • Background to the Ukraine War

    Related Issue 2Related Issue 3

    How did the largest war in Europe since 1945 begin? Students trace Ukraine's path from independence to invasion, touching on the Budapest Memorandum, NATO expansion, Euromaidan, Crimea, and…

    Peace & ConflictNationalismSovereignty
    Europe & Central AsiaMini-unit: Ukraine War · Lesson 1

  • Cockroach Protests in India

    Related Issue 1

    When a leaked exam forced more than two million Indian students to re-sit, a satirical youth movement rose up and toppled a cabinet minister. Students weigh the movement's…

    Rights & JusticeIdentityLegitimacy
    South Asia

  • Ukraine’s Military Shakeup

    Related Issue 3

    In one week in July 2026, Ukraine replaced its defence minister, its commander-in-chief and its chief of the General Staff. Ukrainian protesters opposed one of those decisions and…

    Peace & ConflictLegitimacyPowerSecurity
    Europe & Central AsiaMini-unit: Ukraine War · Lesson 5

  • US-Saudi Nuclear Deal

    Related Issue 2

    The United States and Saudi Arabia signed a nuclear cooperation agreement in July 2026. This lesson uses it to examine what a country trades away when it buys…

    Economics & DevelopmentInterdependenceSecurity
    Middle East & North Africa

  • 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey

    Related Issue 3

    A tense NATO summit in Ankara puts one question in sharp focus: what holds a military alliance together when its most powerful member publicly doubts its value? Students…

    Peace & ConflictInterdependenceSecurity
    Europe & Central Asia · North America

  • World Cup: USA’s Balogun has Suspension Lifted

    Related Issue 3

    When the US President phoned FIFA to reverse a player's red card at the 2026 World Cup, sport's promise of neutral, independent rules collided with political power. A…

    Peace & ConflictLegitimacyPower
    Europe & Central Asia · North America

  • Venezuelan Earthquakes

    Related Issue 3

    Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela in June 2026, killing thousands and testing responders at every level. This classroom-ready lesson uses the disaster to explore a bigger question: what…

    Environment & SustainabilityEqualityInterdependence
    Latin America & Caribbean
  • Free lesson

    Rodrigo Duterte ICC Trial

    Related Issue 3

    When governments abuse human rights, who stops them? This lesson uses the Duterte drug war case to examine how NGOs and international courts work together, and where each…

    Rights & JusticeInterdependencePower
    East Asia & Pacific

  • Canada Pipeline Debate 2026

    When environmental and economic security collide, whose definition wins? This lesson uses Canada's 2026 pipeline debates (Coastal GasLink, the Alberta-BC crude pipeline, and the Bridger expansion) to teach…

    Environment & SustainabilityIdeologySecuritySovereignty
    North America

Lessons are matched to this course from the curriculum links in each lesson’s teacher notes, which list the specific outcomes.