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Use these questions to help students understand today's featured news stories

Today's Daily Discussion includes the Media Literacy Question of the Day

CNN Student News  — 

April 30, 2013

Media Literacy Question of the Day

In what situations might it be difficult to find an opposing viewpoint for a news story? How might a reporter handle this situation?

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Daily Discussion Questions

What is meant by the term “civil war”? When did the Syrian civil war begin? What are some recent developments in this conflict? Why do you think the international community has concerns about the possible use of chemical weapons?

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Whom has President Obama nominated for transportation secretary? What are some federal agencies under this department? What do you think their functions are? Can you think of any transportation issues facing America today? Explain.

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Why is the federal government changing the design of the $100 bill? What are some of the changes? What are your thoughts on this new design? Do you think the changes will slow down counterfeiters? Why or why not?

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What announcement did professional basketball player Jason Collins make recently? What was one other player’s reaction to this? Do you think Collins’ announcement is significant? Why or why not? What are your thoughts on Collins’ announcement?

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What are some of the capabilities of the robots seen in the FIRST Robotics competition? What might be the benefits and drawbacks of using a competition to increase interest in science and engineering fields? If you could design a robot, what purpose would it have? What do you think might be the challenges of designing robots?

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What can the bionic arm seen in the program do? What do the people in the program say about this arm? What challenges and benefits might there be for someone learning to use this arm?

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