National & Civic Issues: Police in the Community

Central Research Question: Should the police be monitered?

Grade 7 Articles with Reading Levels: 7.0-7.9	Grade 8 Articles with Reading Levels: 8.0-8.9
Article Name: Police Department to Get More Body Cameras Following Shooting Source: Washington Post via Newsela (Newsela staff version 1040 Author: Wesley Lowery and Elahe Izadi Date Published: April 10, 2015 Guiding Question: Will body cameras make a difference in the number of police shootings? Grade Level: 7.0 Article Name: Ferguson’s Police and Courts Targeted African-Americans, Report Says Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch via Newsela (Newsela staff version 1010) Author: Stephen Deere and Chuck Raasch Date Published: March 5, 2015 Guiding Question: Did the Ferguson police department unfairly target its black community? Grade Level: 7.0 Article Name: Obama Calls for More “Fair and Just Law Enforcement” Source: Associated Press via Newsela (Newsela staff version 1070) Author: Nedra Picker and Eric Tucker Date Published: March 4, 2015 Guiding Question: What steps can police take to rebuild trust in their communities? Grade Level: 7.0	Article Name: LAPD Helicopters Let Criminals Know the Skies Have Eyes Source: Los Angeles Times via Newsela (Newsela staff version 1100) Author: Kate Mather and Richard Winton Date Published: March 15, 2015 Guiding Question: Does using helicopters to fight crime increase safety, or just invade privacy? Grade Level: 8.0 Article Name: In Wake of Lethal Confrontations, Police and Young Black Men Try Talking Source: Los Angeles Times via Newsela (Newsela staff version 1140) Author: David Zucchino Date Published: February 8, 2015 Guiding Question: Can proactive dialogue between police and black men save lives? Grade Level: 8.0 Article Name: Bracing for a New Civil Rights Movement Source: Los Angeles Times via Newsela (Newsela staff version 1110) Author: Tina Susman Date Published: December 8, 2014 Guiding Question: Are the “black lives matter” protests the beginning of a new civil rights movement? Grade Level: 8.0
Below Grade 7.0	Above Grade 8.9
Article Name: Many Agree Police Body Cameras are a Good Idea, but the Cost Is a Struggle Source: Stateline.org via Newsela (Newsela staff version 940) Author: Jake Grovum Date Published: May 11, 2015 Guiding Question: Should the police be monitored? Grade Level: 6.0 Article Name: Working in Secret, This Federal Unit Helps Communities Solve Conflict Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch via Newsela (Newsela staff version 950) Author: David Hunn Date Published: October 16, 2014 Guiding Question: Can government mediators bring peace to places like Ferguson? Grade Level: 6.0 Article Name: Some Police Departments Say Body Cameras are a Big Success Source: McClatchy-Tribune via Newsela (Newsela staff version 790) Author: Richard A. Serrano and Joel Rubin Date Published: September 3, 2014 Guiding Question: Should the police be monitored? Grade Level: 5.0	Article Name: The Pros and Cons of Police Body Cameras Source: ABC 15 Author: Joe Bartels Date Published: August 5, 2015 Guiding Question: Should the police be monitored? Grade Level: 10.7 Article Name: Of All U.S. Police Shootings, One-Quarter Reportedly Involve the Mentally Ill Source: National Public Radio Author: Eric Westervelt Date Published: July 4, 2015 Guiding Question: Why are mentally ill people so often the victims of police violence? Grade Level: 11.0 Article Name: LA Police Unit Intervenes to Get Mentally Ill Treatment, Not Jail Time Source: National Public Radio Author: Stephanie O'Neill Date Published: July 4, 2015 Guiding Question: Is sending mentally ill people to treatment instead of to jail working? Grade Level: 10.8 Article Name: Nationwide Crime Spike has Law Enforcement Retooling Its Approach Source: National Public Radio Author: Martin Kaste Date Published: July 1, 2015 Guiding Question: In trying to prevent violence, is the LAPD being too aggressive? Grade Level: 11.0