W. W. Norton
W. W. Norton & Company: Lit Web: Types and Functions of Secondary Sources
Information about secondary sources as they are used when writing a research essay.
US Government Publishing Office
Ben's Guide to u.s. Government: Learning Adventures: Branches of Government
Introduction to a learning adventure on the Constitution and branches of government. Students click on their age group icon to find information on which part of the Constitution spells out the powers of legislative, executive and...
US Government Publishing Office
Ben's Guide to u.s. Government: Judicial Branch (6 8)
This site from Ben's Guide to U.S. Government provides a brief overview of the judicial branch of the federal government. Discusses the origin of the judicial branch, the concept of judicial review, and functions of the judicial branch....
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: How to Choose Your News
Damon Brown gives the inside scoop on how the opinions and facts (and sometimes non-facts) make their way into the news and how the smart reader can tell them apart. [4:48]
CommonLit
Common Lit: Units: Teaching Units
Complete teaching units (12) by grade level. CommonLit units are crafted to be both engaging and rigorous, featuring a variety of literary and informational texts from diverse sources. Reading, writing, and discussion are prioritized in...
US Government Publishing Office
Ben's Guide to u.s. Government: The Senate
Information about the qualifications and duties of the United States Senate.
US Government Publishing Office
Ben's Guide to u.s. Government: Legislative Branch
This site designed for students, clearly describes congressional powers and provides excellent accompanying links.
The Washington Post
Washingtonpost: Rewriting the Rules
Washington Post article dealing with ethics and guidelines of journalists reporting hard news. Provides material for debate and discussion. Interesting article.
Library of Congress
Loc: American History Through Congressional Documents: 1774 1873
Timeline of American history as seen in Congressional documents, 1774-1873.
PBS
Pbs: Passing a Bill Through Congress
Student handout provides the steps for how to pass a bill through Congress.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Independent Research Project
Students will use the Internet to gather key facts using a variety of online resources and present their findings in a word processed paper in APA style.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Writing About Issues in the Media
In this activity students analyze media coverage of current issues and present their findings in a formal research paper and class presentation.
Other
Ryerson University: Library: Research Help Guide: Evaluate Your Sources
Resources to help students evaluate the materials they use in their research.
iCivics
I Civics: News Feed Defenders
NewsFeed Defenders is a challenging game designed to sharpen students' news literacy skills. Students will join a fictional social media site focused on news and information. They will learn elements of high-quality journalism to be able...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Approaches to Knowledge
An article addressing how knowledge is acquired from different media formats. The article also discusses how scholars from the past asked questions about knowledge and launched their own investigations.
Library of Congress
Loc: George Washington to the United States Senate, 1789
A summary of Washington's task to appoint Supreme Court and other federal judicial officials, appointments which he based on relevant experience, their support for the constitution, and on where they lived. Includes images of a...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Write Your Own Flight Story
Online writing prompt for young journalists to-be. Excellent for diagnostic or even more advanced teaching of journalism.
Other
50 Places to Shop for Stories
Aimed primarily at practicing journalists in small towns, these 50 suggestions for finding story ideas are still quite useful for a school newspaper.
Other
Public Relations Writing: How I Grade a Press Release.
Specialized but useful rubric geared towards examining journalistic style writing. Provides evaluation guidelines that one teacher uses, with a rubric to evaluate.
Other
America's Future: Behind the Headlines: The Constitutional Powers of Congress
A short summary of the powers Congress does and does not have, with an emphasis on the Constitutional basis of each. [Published Jan. 24, 1999]
Other
Govspot: Legislative Branch
This site has an outline from Govspot of the Legislative Branch of the United States. This site links you to every part of the Judicial Branch of the United States.
Other
How to Detect Media Bias & Propaganda [Pdf]
A portion of a larger book, this site is critical of journalism as it is presently practiced. This portion offers characteristics of critical news consumers.
Other
Media Education Foundation: Deconstructing an Advertisement [Pdf]
Outline of the steps involved and the questions to ask in critically assessing a print advertisement.