Food insecurity, whether as a result of food scarcity or a lack of nutritious food, is a growing and serious problem in the world today. After discussing the concept of food insecurity, learners listen to an NPR radio broadcast on the...

Help your 21st century learners develop their media smarts with this resource that has them examine the persuasive techniques advertisers use to influence specific demographics and then to use these techniques to craft their own ads.

Students discuss and research how a news program is produced. They watch a web based video before working in small groups to produce a news program. They role play different jobs as they produce the program to share with at least one...

Students monitor current events using on-line and traditional resources. They explore issues such as what trends they see developing in specific news issues over time and how different news stories might be interrelated.

Learners write an editorial column for a newspaper. For this journalism lesson, students discuss and analyze editorials in print and broadcast media. Learners will compare the differences in these two formats of editorial...

Students examine journalism in extreme conditions. In this war-zone journalism instructional activity, students research media coverage of Vietnam, Grenada, the Gulf War, and military actions in Somalia and Kosovo. Students compare...

Students evaluate a radio broadcast by correspondent Edward R. Murrow as a primary historic source. The broadcast, popularly known as "Orchestrated Hell" recounts Murrow's experiences with a Royal Air Force bomber crew on a raid over...

Learners read an article from USA Today about technology and the music business. In this news article lesson plan, students read an article about failed musicians and their new roles in music and technology. Learners discuss the article...

As part of a study of the importance of the First Amendment, expert groups research different historic case studies of investigative reporting, and then the experts share their findings with jigsaw groups. The case studies include Nellie...

Many of the issues facing 21st Century learners are challenging and even discussing these issues can be a challenge. So how do teachers prepare learners for these difficult conversations? How do instructors create a safe classroom where...

Students prepare a classroom weathercast and present a broadcast.

What was the Untied States like in 1938? What were the concerns of Americans in the post World War I era? What were their fears? What were their sources of news and entertainment? To understand the reaction to Orson Welles' radio...

Use a Huffington Post article focused on false pictures of Hurricane Sandy to launch a discussion about the reliability of online information. Groups compare and contrast how print and broadcast media regulate...

In this online interactive grammar skills lesson, students examine 10 sentences and identify the part of each sentence that is grammatically incorrect.

For this describing trends worksheet, students read information about broadcast TV plus cable and satellite TV, observe an annual use of the media graph and describe the trends. Kids also read a text about advertising, interpret a graph,...

Students rotate in groups of three to broadcast the morning news/announcements over the school pa system. They meet with the principal once a month to find volunteer opportunities. They also are responsible for organizing sports teams...

Students investigate real world examples of media law issues. In this media law instructional activity, students read Janet Cooke’s feature and respond to the writing. Students read articles by Stephen Glass to highlight facts...

Uncle Sam wants you! During World War II, the US government and military created a propaganda campaign to gain public support. The activity uses primary documents such as photos to explain how and why the propaganda campaign was...

Learners explore 1920s America. For this American history lesson, students research primary and secondary sources in order to examine the events and noteworthy people of the time period. Learners use their...

Students research the McCarthy hearings to determine the following: time frame of hearings, how they were broadcast, how the press reacted, and how the American people reacted in light of the Korean Conflict and the Cold War.

Students use an online database to research the life and words of Edgar Allan Poe. Using the information they collect, they write a newspaper article or obituary about the famous writer. In groups, they work together to develop a radio...

Students explore U.S. History by reading biographical text in class. For this Benjamin Franklin instructional activity, students read about the famous American's first job and the transition he underwent from printing to politics....

Young scholars create a weekly current event podcast. In this podcast lesson, students find current events for the week and write out a script to explain this event. They add in music and sound effects and record their final product. 

Free speech, privacy, and cyberbullying are the focus of a series of activities that prompt class members to engage in discussions about these interrelated topics. They view a segment from PBS’s series on bullying, read...