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Lesson Plan
Media Smarts

Authentication Beyond the Classroom

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
In an age of fake news, alternative facts, and Internet trolls it is essential that 21st Century learners develop the skills they need to authenticate the facts in viral news. Here is a great way to begin with a resource that provides...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fighting Fake News

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Fake news. Alternative facts. Internet trolls. In an age of Newspeak, it's increasingly important to equip 21st century learners with the skills needed to determine the legitimacy of claims put forth on social media, in print, and in...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Writing a News Article

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Join the newspaper business with a series of lessons and exercises focused on elements of journalism. The packet focuses on distinguishing fact from opinion, writing effective headlines, sequencing events, and editing and proofreading a...
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Organizer
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Scholastic

Comprehension During Independent Reading

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Ideal for a language arts class, literary unit, or independent reading assignment, a set of reading worksheets address a wide array of skills. From poetic elements to nonfiction text features, you can surely find a valuable resource in...
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Organizer
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Scholastic

Super Sentences & Perfect Paragraphs

For Students 3rd - 6th Standards
An extensive collection of lessons and activities includes many writing, grammar, and proofreading exercises. With templates and worksheets that cover several steps in the writing process, from sentence to paragraph to essay, this...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scapegoating and Othering

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Scapegoating and "Othering" is the focus of a series of activities that ask groups to consider how these behaviors contribute to hatred and intolerance. Groups are given a scenario and discussion questions based on the situation. Whether...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Expressing Your Views to the Letter

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Analyze the motivation, purpose, and value of letters to the editor by examining letters written in response to the violence at Columbine High School. For homework, middle and high schoolers write their own letters to the editor about an...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Jacket: Journal Templates Teacher's Guide

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Explore this story involving prejudice and racism to enhance learners' comprehension skills. The story The Jacket by Andrew Clements involves an African American boy who is falsely accused of stealing someone's jacket. This teacher's...
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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Teach Inferences in a Systematic and Engaging Way

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Benefit from specially designed materials to help you teach inference in a systematic and rewarding way!
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Determining Author's Point of View: The Sneeches

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Determine the author's point of view in a text. Young readers read Dr. Seuss' The Sneeches and identify the author's purpose in the story. They identify persuasive techniques in writing, asking and answering questions to better...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Eastside Literacy Reading Lesson - Fact or Opinion

For Teachers Higher Ed
Analyze critical thinking skills that involve the ability to distinguish between fact and opinion through self-reflection. Higher education students will collect a newspaper article, advertisement, magazine article, tabloid article,...
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Lesson Plan
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US House of Representatives

Black Americans in Congress Speak Their Mind

For Teachers 7th - 12th
New ReviewTo conclude their study of Black Americans in Congress, groups select a statement made by one of the Members, examine the Member's profile on the provided link, and create a display that includes state represented, years of service, an...
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Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Obstacles

Listening Critically

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Eschew obfuscation!! High schoolers learn techniques that permit them to listen critically, sort through verbiage used to hide meaning or mislead listeners, and determine the message's validity.
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Lesson Plan
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Beyond Benign

The Story of Cosmetics Video Assessment

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Does your shampoo contain carcinogens? Scholars learn how cosmetic companies create and market their products, many of which contain toxic chemicals. They examine the bias and consumer responsibilities in the industry.
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Lesson Plan
Newseum

Bias Through History: Analyzing Historical Sources

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Young journalists use the E.S.C.A.P.E. (evidence, source, context, audience, purpose, and execution) strategy to evaluate historical and contemporary examples of bias in the news. The class then uses the provided discussion questions to...
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Lesson Plan
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Facebook

The Verification Steps

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Provenance, source, date, location, and motivation. High schoolers learn how to verify the authenticity of news stories and posts by following a seven-step process. They then use the strategy to determine the original site that posted a...
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Lesson Plan
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Facebook

What Is Verification?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
One of the most important skills news consumers and social media users must develop is the ability to determine the veracity of stories they read or view. Here's an interactive lesson plan that teaches high schoolers how to verify news...
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Lesson Plan
Newseum

Persuasion Portfolios

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
After class members brainstorm a list of current social and political issues, groups each select a different topic from the list to research. Teams create a portfolio of at least 10 examples of stories about their issue, stories that...
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Lesson Plan
Newseum

Weighing the Arguments

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
To understand how personal perspectives can affect policy and politics, scholars examine the woman suffrage media map and historical artifacts to analyze arguments for and against women's suffrage. Class members then take on the role of...
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Lesson Plan
Newseum

Propaganda Through History: Analyzing Historical Sources

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Working in teams, pairs, or individually, scholars select one resource from a gallery of historical sources and consider which examples might be considered propaganda, the techniques used to persuade audiences, and evaluate how the...
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Lesson Plan
Newseum

You Can’t Say That: In My Opinion

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
As a part of a study of the First Amendment, high schoolers research a current news story that seems to involve one of the freedoms granted by the First Amendment. Investigators decide whether they think the action presented in the story...
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Lesson Plan
Newseum

Fake News Through History: Analyzing Historical Sources

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Unfortunately, fake news, fuzzy facts, and bogus news stories are not new phenomena. Class members use a "Fake News Through History" worksheet to analyze historical examples of false, invented, made-up news. Researchers share their...
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Lesson Plan
Newseum

The Fundamentals of News

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
A short video introduces middle schoolers to different media-related news terms. Viewers then complete a worksheet and discuss the differences between news and journalism, between facts and opinions.
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Activity
News Literacy Project

Is It “Checkable”?

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Upper elementary scholars test their checking skills with a lesson that challenges them to distinguish between fact and opinion. First, the class takes part in a discussion regarding a helpful flow chart. Next, learners follow the flow...