OLSBC students began the fall quarter News and Daily Living course with an introduction to news apps and websites. Every student downloaded a news app to their phone or chose a news website to use on their laptops; their selections included sites like CNN, Apple News, KING5 and the BBC.
They were given time to explore the site they had chosen, paying attention to the way news articles were organized into different sections. Then they looked at some of the articles in each section. Were they about events that had happened in this country? In other countries? Or something closer to home, in the Seattle area?
Their next task was to pick one article, write out the headline on a piece of paper and post it on the whiteboard under one of three signs: World, National or Local. The students chose articles on topics such as TikTok’s violation of children’s data privacy, a black bear sighting at Disney World and the Mariners’ chances of making the playoffs.
When all of the headlines were up on the board, each student told the class what their article was about, and the group discussed whether they thought the article had been placed in the right category. A few headlines were moved around.
At the conclusion of the activity, the students learned that their wall of news stories looked just like the wall created every day at large news organizations, where editors decide which articles to publish in the limited amount of space they have.
About Our News & Daily Living Course
News & Daily Living is taken in the second year of the OLSBC program and discusses types of news and how it affects your daily life. This course covers the correlation between reality and representation, and how various points of view enter into the elements of news and applying it into an article.
About OLS Bellevue College
Occupational & Life Skills Bellevue College (OLSBC) is an associate degree program for students with learning disabilities. In our uniquely supportive skills-based program, students apply academic knowledge through community activities, service learning and social experiences. Students identify a career pathway, gain marketable, workplace-ready competencies, develop better interpersonal skills and complete an internship in alignment with their career goals.
Learn more about our program at an upcoming Information Session, open to all prospective students, family members/guardians, educators, counselors and other service providers. Come learn why OLS Bellevue College is one of the best colleges for students with learning disabilities.
Last Updated November 30, 2023