Current events are a very important part of my syllabus in all classes. I present authentic material on a regular basis in classes of all levels, and I do several activities in class based on such material. In my advanced classes, though, they are the heart of the lessons.
I have class discussions and activities on politics, economy, science, art, music and all the AP themes. Sometimes I also create videos on the latest news to present to classes and have students read/hear about some relevant current events and then do some language activities based on what they learned.
If you would like to see some samples, you may check the link below and use them with students in levels IV, V and Advanced Placement. You may create similar videos yourself or have your students work on such content as a project, every few weeks or so.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKZO5x6rEzd6Ya6_eOfP3HhRCKCGHhBDR
