Students study online resources to examine the ancient Olympic Games and athletes. They investigate the qualities of ancient Olympic athletes and role interviews with the athletes.

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...

Students explore the ancient past. In this ancient civilizations lesson, students research ancient events and write newspaper articles about the events. Students work in teams of 4 to produce group newspapers that feature their findings....

Roll the presses! Or at least have your class members participate in the time-honored tradition of the student press by creating their own newspapers or journalist pieces on a social problem. After conducting research and collaborating...

Ripped from the headlines! Discuss topical social issues like racism, discrimination, and diversity while exploring the concept of citizen journalism. Begin with a professional-looking presentation on the history of citizen journalism....

Students brainstorm a list of news sources. They interview people about today's media and discuss their results. After watching segments of a film about Walter Cronkite, they role play as reporters and subjects from an historic period...

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...

The Mexican-American war marked a significant moment in United States history, as well as in the history of American media. The mid-nineteenth century saw the introduction of the Penny Press, which provided many American citizens with...

The debate over the integrity of stories in media is not new. Young journalists analyze historical sources that reveal freedom of the press controversies and draw parallels to challenges freedom of the press faces today. 

Seventh graders investigate the meaning and impact of "yellow journalism." They determine how it affects people and how it played out in the USS Maine incident during the Spanish American War by reading articles and watching a PowerPoint...

Seventh graders produce a newscast from an Ancient Roman city. In this journalism and history instructional activity, 7th graders work in groups to dramatize a historical event from the Roman Empire. students sequence the events,...

Hey, what's so funny? Explore the use of satire in a variety of media with a hands-on lesson. Fourth in a five-part journalism series from iCivics, the activity introduces satirical language in print and online. Pupils work alone or in...

Students assess, by analyzing historic New York Times front pages, how print journalism reflects the values and language of the society in which it is created.

Students use video and the Internet to research the life of Nellie Bly, a famous female reporter from the 19th century. They research a writer and present their information to the class in the style of a news reporter.

Help your secondary reader/writers assess texts by studying press releases from Statistics Canada and drafting articles based on them. They then compare the press release, their own articles, and actual news stories they find online. I'd...

What is the role of a newspaper's Op-Ed page? High schoolers explore the New York Times' "Op-Ed at 40," an interactive feature that lets them browse through 40 years worth of op-ed features, and consider the purpose and value of this...

Has life changed for American women in the last century, or are there common themes between the lives of 21st century women and the struggle of suffragettes from the 1910s? Explore the ways media reflects the position of women...

It's easy to criticize those in power until you're sitting at their desk, faced with the same decisions. A history activity prompts secondary learners to research the Roosevelt presidencies through the lens of leadership and...

After listening to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" speech, young historians research information about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, possible motives for the attack, and the consequences of the attack. Scholars...

Following brief instruction about the Iran Hostage Crisis during Jimmy Carter's presidency, small groups read three-page sections from the diary of hostage Robert C. Ode. They write editorials from the perspective of either U.S. citizens...

Students investigate the effects of television and radio on culture. In this journalism instructional activity, students consider how electronic media has shaped journalism as they create timelines that feature the changes and compare...

High schoolers examine the history of the black press. In this media awareness lesson, students watch videos and conduct research regarding the history of the black press in America. High schoolers explore media careers as they read...

Seventh graders write and publish a press release. In this news writing lesson, 7th graders analyze press releases from various online sources. Students write a press release about a major event in their school.

Students look for news stories on the Web that highlight some of the prominent issues in modern American history they outlined in Lesson One. They see the connection between historical issues and current events.