Common Core Literacy in History/Social Studies Current Events Lessons

57 current events lessons for Common Core Literacy in History/Social Studies. Each lesson has readings at three grade levels, discussion questions and a critical thinking task.

57 lessons

  • New

    Brazil Election 2026 – Two Round Runoff

    In the Brazil runoff election on October 25th, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who led the first round with 47%, faces President Lula. In this current events lesson for Grades…

    Democracy & ElectionsIdeologyLegitimacy
    Latin America & CaribbeanMini-unit: Electoral Systems · Lesson 1
  • New

    What Does the UN General Assembly Accomplish?

    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
  • New

    Gerrymandering Lesson Plan: Who Should Draw the Lines?

    This gerrymandering lesson plan shows how district lines can decide an election, using maps drawn by both parties and Missouri's 2025 redraw. In this lesson for Grades 6-12,…

    Democracy & ElectionsEqualityPower
    North AmericaMini-unit: 2026 US Midterm Elections · Lesson 3
  • New

    Issues in the 2026 US Midterm Elections

    The economy leads the list of American voters' concerns, but according to an Ipsos/Reuters poll from September, 71% name something else, from democracy to immigration to healthcare. Using…

    Democracy & ElectionsIdeologySecurity
    North AmericaMini-unit: 2026 US Midterm Elections · Lesson 2

  • White House Press Ban

    A differentiated lesson on what freedom of the press protects, why it matters, and what people can do when they believe it has been violated. This lesson is…

    Rights & JusticeLegitimacyPower
    North America

  • USA and Denmark Agree to Greenland Deal

    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?

    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

    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

  • United Nations Adopts ‘Equal Earth’ World Maps

    On 4 September 2026 the UN General Assembly voted 164-1 to encourage equal-area world maps. This lesson turns that vote into a study of how a cartographic choice…

    Media & TechnologyIdentityPower
    Europe & Central Asia · Middle East & North Africa · North America · Sub-Saharan Africa

  • Supersized El Niño in 2026-27

    The UN's meteorological agency says this El Niño is almost certain to run through February 2027 and may be the strongest on record. But a stronger event does…

    Environment & SustainabilityEqualityGlobalization
    East Asia & Pacific · Latin America & Caribbean · North America
  • Free lesson

    Ukraine Resists Russian Invasion

    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

  • What are US Midterm Elections?

    Every two years, Americans elect a Congress that can reshape what a president is able to do, but without removing the president. This background lesson explains how that…

    Democracy & ElectionsLegitimacyPower
    North AmericaMini-unit: 2026 US Midterm Elections · Lesson 1

  • Russian Invasion of Ukraine

    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

    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

  • USA – Canada Trade War

    Hours before a midnight tariff deadline, Canada suspended trade negotiations with the United States and 50% tariffs took effect. Both governments blame the other. This lesson uses the…

    Economics & DevelopmentPeace & ConflictInterdependencePowerSovereignty
    North America
  • Free lesson

    EU Artificial Intelligence Law

    On August 2nd, 2026, the EU began enforcing the world's first binding AI transparency law. This free lesson turns that case into a full class on power and…

    Media & TechnologyGlobalizationPower
    Europe & Central Asia

  • Elon Musk: World’s First Trillionaire

    Elon Musk became the world's first trillionaire in June 2026 – but lost the title twelve days later. This lesson uses that rise and fall to ask whether…

    Economics & DevelopmentEqualityIdeology
    North America

  • Background to the Ukraine War

    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

  • Dr. Anthony Fauci Congressional Hearing

    A U.S. Senate committee voted to hold a former health official in contempt after he refused to answer questions. Students use the case to ask a bigger civic…

    Rights & JusticeLegitimacyPower
    North America

  • Ukraine’s Military Shakeup

    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

    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

  • Temporary Protected Status – USA

    In June 2026, the US Supreme Court ruled 6–3 in a case called Mullin v. Doe and allowed the government to end Temporary Protected Status for people from…

    Rights & JusticeEqualityLegitimacy
    North America

  • 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey

    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

    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

  • UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Resigns

    In June 2026, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigned less than two years after a landslide win and without losing an election. This ready-to-teach lesson uses his fall…

    Democracy & ElectionsLegitimacyPower
    Europe & Central Asia

  • Venezuelan Earthquakes

    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

  • 2026 European Heatwaves

    Europe's record-breaking 2026 heatwave put governments to the test. Students examine how different countries responded , from emergency health measures to school closures, and assess the debate between…

    Environment & SustainabilityInterdependenceSecurity
    Europe & Central Asia

  • Iran War Deal in Jeopardy

    A ceasefire deal was signed, then the two sides sat down to negotiate peace while openly threatening each other with force, and disagreed over whether a core promise…

    Peace & ConflictLegitimacySovereignty
    Middle East & North Africa · North America

  • Iran War Deal – June 2026

    A classroom-ready lesson on the 2026 US-Iran deal. Students explore why stopping the fighting is easier than building a lasting peace, weighing six issues that could make or…

    Peace & ConflictPowerSecurity
    Middle East & North Africa · North America

  • Comparing Independence Movements

    Four regions, one question: who gets to decide whether part of a country can leave? Students examine Scotland, Catalonia, Quebec, and Alberta to understand why independence movements arise,…

    Democracy & ElectionsIdentityNationalismSovereignty
    Europe & Central Asia · North America

  • World Cup 2026

    This classroom-ready current events lesson using the 2026 FIFA World Cup asks: to what extent are international sporting events political? Includes differentiated readings for Grades 6-12, discussion questions,…

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

  • Underwater Drone Development

    Australia, the UK, and the US have agreed to jointly develop underwater drone technology through AUKUS. What drives countries to cooperate on security? …and what are the trade-offs?

    Peace & ConflictInterdependenceSecurity
    East Asia & Pacific · Europe & Central Asia · North America

  • Nepal’s Gen-Z Revolution

    In 2025, Nepal's Gen Z took to the streets after the government banned social media… and brought down a Prime Minister. Six months later, a 35-year-old rapper won…

    Democracy & ElectionsIdentityLegitimacy
    East Asia & Pacific · South Asia
  • Free lesson

    Rodrigo Duterte ICC Trial

    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

  • USAID Cuts

    When the world's largest foreign aid donor shut down its aid agency, millions of people felt the consequences almost immediately. This lesson examines why it happened, what was…

    Economics & DevelopmentEqualityInterdependence
    North America

  • How democratic is your country? – EIU Democracy Index

    After eight years of decline, global democracy scores stabilised in 2025 – but what does that actually mean? This differentiated lesson for grades 6-12 uses the EIU Democracy…

    Democracy & ElectionsLegitimacySovereignty

  • Ebola Outbreak 2026

    When the WHO declared the 2026 Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda a global health emergency, it resurfaced ongoing questions about why outbreaks hit lower-income countries hardest. This…

    Economics & DevelopmentEqualityInterdependence
    Sub-Saharan Africa

  • 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

  • Hantavirus Outbreak

    How can a disease outbreak shows us the strengths and limitations of international cooperation and international organizations like the WHO? This differentiated lesson for Grades 6-12 explores globalization,…

    GlobalizationInterdependence
    Europe & Central Asia · Latin America & Caribbean · Middle East & North Africa · North America · Sub-Saharan Africa

  • Indian Census 2027

    India's first census in 16 years includes a controversial first: counting caste. This differentiated lesson explores what governments choose to count, who benefits from that data, and what…

    Rights & JusticeIdentityPower
    South Asia

  • High Seas Treaty

    The High Seas Treaty is now law, but who's actually responsible for enforcing it? A three-level lesson exploring ocean governance, sovereignty, and what international agreements can (and can't)…

    Environment & SustainabilityInterdependenceSovereignty
    East Asia & Pacific
  • Free lesson

    2026 Global Energy Crisis

    The Philippines: +72.6%. Japan: +8.2%. Same crisis, same global oil market, but very different consequences. This no-prep lesson uses the 2026 Hormuz crisis to explore why global shocks…

    Economics & DevelopmentEqualityGlobalizationInterdependence
    East Asia & Pacific · Europe & Central Asia · Middle East & North Africa · North America

  • The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Quits OPEC

    Should countries stay in organizations even if they feel the rules aren't fair? The UAE just walked away from OPEC after nearly 60 years. This lesson uses that…

    Economics & DevelopmentInterdependenceSovereignty
    Middle East & North Africa

  • Peru’s Disrupted 2026 Election

    What happens when you can't trust the results of an election, and how can you build that trust back? Peru's 2026 election hit turbulence before a single vote…

    Democracy & ElectionsLegitimacyPower
    Latin America & Caribbean

  • EU vs. Hungary’s Anti-LGBTQ Law

    The EU's top court ordered Hungary to scrap its anti-LGBTQ+ law. Can the EU actually enforce it? A lesson in three reading levels on rights, sovereignty, and supranational…

    Rights & JusticeEqualitySovereignty
    Europe & Central Asia

  • Anthropic’s Mythos AI

    Is AI getting too dangerous? When Anthropic announced in April 2026 that its new AI model, Mythos, was too dangerous to release publicly, it sparked a global debate:…

    Media & TechnologyPowerSecurity
    Europe & Central Asia · North America

  • ‘Lost Canadians’ Citizenship Law

    A new Canadian law has made millions of Americans eligible for citizenship by descent and thousands are already applying. This ready-to-teach lesson unpacks the "Lost Canadians" story through…

    Rights & JusticeIdentityNationalism
    North America

  • Hungary Election 2026

    Hungary's 2026 election ended 16 years of Orbán's rule in a historic landslide. Three differentiated readings explore legitimacy, power, sovereignty and what truly makes an election democratic.

    Democracy & ElectionsLegitimacyPowerSovereignty
    Europe & Central Asia

  • Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban

    In December 2025, Australia became the first country to ban under-16s from major social media platforms — putting the legal burden on tech companies, not families. This lesson…

    Media & TechnologyRights & JusticeIdeologyLegitimacySecurity
    East Asia & Pacific

  • Solar Farming Tractors in Malawi

    A UK university spin-out is bringing solar-powered micro tractors to rural Malawi — doubling crop yields and delivering electricity to communities with almost no grid access. This lesson…

    Economics & DevelopmentEnvironment & SustainabilityEqualityPower
    Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Free lesson

    Iran War Ceasefire

    A two-week ceasefire in the Iran War. One big question: why is stopping a war so much easier than making peace last? Current events lesson in three grade…

    Peace & ConflictPowerSecurity
    Middle East & North Africa
  • Free lesson

    Artemis Space Program

    Who goes to the Moon, and who makes the rules when they get there? This lesson uses the Artemis II launch to explore nationalism, sovereignty, and global governance…

    Media & TechnologyNationalismSovereignty
    North America

  • Elbows Up, Canada

    When the U.S. threatened tariffs and annexation in 2025, Canadians responded with rallies, boycotts, and a hockey phrase that went global. Explore nationalism and sovereignty through three differentiated…

    Peace & ConflictNationalismSovereignty
    North America

  • Shrinking Aral Sea

    Can the world help restore a sea that humans destroyed? This differentiated lesson uses the Aral Sea's unequal recovery to teach globalization and equality across three grade bands.

    Environment & SustainabilityEqualityGlobalization
    Europe & Central Asia

  • Kenya Gen-Z Protests

    Kenya's Gen Z protesters defeated a tax bill using TikTok, WhatsApp, and a shared generational identity. Explore civic power, rights, and accountability across three grade bands.

    Rights & JusticeIdentityPower
    Sub-Saharan Africa

  • Thailand Election and Constitutional Referendum

    Thailand voted yes to a new constitution — but does a yes vote mean the people are truly in charge? A differentiated lesson on sovereignty and legitimacy for…

    Democracy & ElectionsLegitimacySovereignty
    East Asia & Pacific

  • Social Media Addiction Case

    A landmark trial is underway in Los Angeles. A young woman named Kaley is suing Meta and Google, claiming their platforms — Instagram and YouTube — were deliberately…

    Media & TechnologyPowerSecurity
    North America

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