And Another Thing CURRENT EVENTS, School Supplies (WEEKLY)

📌 No "Add to Cart"? Read this. ⤵ 1. BE A MEMBER. ✨ First join the (free) Weekly Membership, you can do that HERE. If you've done this previously, skip to Step 2. 2. Log in 📧 Use the email you joined And Another Thing with. 3. Add this week’s Current Event to your cart. 📰 Yes, even though it’s free for Weekly members. 3. Check out. 🛒 That’s the step that loads the file into your Digital Library on your account so you can download whenever you need it. 💡 Why do we do it this way? So your Downloads area only has the resources you want — no clutter. ⏳ Heads up: Each Weekly Current Event is available for 7 days only. On Sunday, it changes over — so if you want this one, checkout before then! - - - ABOUT THIS WEEK'S CURRENT EVENT ARTICLE ⤵ ✏️ Where Your School Supplies Come From An eraser is named after rubber, yet the pink nub on your pencil usually is not rubber at all. This issue traces two everyday questions, why erasers stopped being real rubber and where the rest of a backpack actually comes from, and helps students see the global journey packed inside their school supplies. Students will explore where their school supplies come from through: Why erasers were once natural rubber, how they got the name, and why vinyl and factice replaced it after concerns over cost and latex allergies How natural rubber is tapped from tropical trees, why almost all of it grows in Southeast Asia, and how leaf fall disease and climate now strain the supply Why a single pencil combines a forest, a mine, and a metal, from softwood and graphite to its aluminum band Where common supplies begin, including colored pencils grown in Brazil, graphite mined in China, and backpacks spun from petroleum A great tie-in for: agriculture, plant science, earth science, global supply chains, and materials science. Utilizing current events in agriculture is always just another thing to do that you probably don't have time for. We got you. Hitting those literacy standards just another thing to do? We got you. The Student Handouts consist of reading passage, an informational graphic, associated vocabulary, comprehension questions, and a word puzzle. All answer keys included. Use it as a Bellringer Activity, Class Finisher, or save it for a Sub or on those interrupted/shortened schedule days that inevitably come up. Want more? Upgrade to Monthly or Annual Membership to get: More Word Puzzles: all 4 types of puzzles (with answer keys of course) Bellringer Slide: introduces the reading passage and provides thought-provoking questions Resource Page: extend the discussion or make it an activity with these verified links to explore the subject further Spanish Version: give your ESL students their own version of the reading passage, graphic, vocabulary, and comprehension questions (answer key in Spanish too)