University of the Desert
Do Journalists Shape or Report the News?
Analyze the presence of negative stereotypes and biased reporting in news media, and how this affects one's understanding of other cultures. Learners read newspaper excerpts and quotes from famous personalities to discuss the power of...
Media Smarts
Definitions and Comments about the News
Enable your class to construct a definition of the word "news" and compare it those provided from other sources. The activity, worksheet, and discussion that ensues would make a strong introduction to any media study you undertake.
American Bar Association
News Literacy Model Curriculum in Social Studies
Scholars investigate news literacy in the twenty-first century. They use technology, legal decisions, writings, and digital privacy to analyze the topic. Using what they learned, a group assignment looks into both the challenges and...
Curated OER
Television News
Different media sources portray news in a variety of ways. In groups of three, learners look at different news sources, bringing in all the findings the next day. Three handouts help scholars compare sources, define specific terms used...
Curated OER
News Journalism Across the Media: Introduction
Although students are aware of news as information that influences their perceptions of the world, they are often unaware of the various ways to present that information. Encourage them to investigate, discuss, analyze and make valuable...
Curated OER
News
How does broadcast news differ from accounts reported in newspapers? On the radio? Through the Internet? Middle schoolers discuss the news and speak about the differences between news in print and broadcast news. Given a list of six...
Curated OER
Radio News
Part of a larger unit from the Media Awareness Network on media literacy, this particular lesson plan focuses on the medium of news radio. Small groups participate in discussions on their radio listening habits as well as the...
PBS
The Media and the War: The Penny Press, Walt Whitman and the War
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...
Curated OER
Press Review
How can word choice affect a political speech? Middle and high schoolers examine the text of the 1999 State of the Union Address, and then determine how newspaper articles and television reports describe and analyze the event. Use this...
American Press Institute
High Five: Media Literacy and Newspapers
Teach the five different types of media with the first of three in a media literacy unit. Learners create and propose a final newspaper project, which must address information covered throughout the unit.
Curated OER
Chicago Tribune vs. US (1942): When Does Freedom of the Press Go Too Far?
Students define freedom of the press in peace and war time. As a class, they identify the need for the public to be informed, but discuss where the line should be drawn to protect national security. They develop their arguments and...
BBC
Writing a News Report
Young journalists try their hand at writing a news report. They go through the process of developing ideas, and collecting and organizing their information. The headline everyone works with is, "Mystery Disappearance of English Teacher:...
Minnesota Literacy Council
Introduction to Historical Thinking
Christopher Columbus: hero or villain? Prepare class members for the debate with activities that asks them to think critically about how history is reported.
Curated OER
Mining Mass Media
Students take a closer look at the attributes of electronic media. For this journalism lesson, students compare and contrast electronic and print versions of the same news stories. Students then write their one broadcast news stories.
Curated OER
A Free and Open Press: Evaluating the Media
Students compare and critically evaluate the different media as sources of news, develop criteria for defining "news", experience the editorial process of selecting news stories and detect bias in news reporting.
Curated OER
Freedoms of the Press
Young scholars examine journalism ethics. In this journalism lesson, students complete a think, pair, share activity about the journalistic code of ethics. Young scholars then discuss an ethics scenario.
Curated OER
Shaping the News
High schoolers explore television journalism. In this journalism lesson, students discuss the attributes of television broadcasting. High schoolers then review their journalism code of ethics and then conduct research for stories that...
Curated OER
Spin and Bias in the Media
High schoolers compare different types of media. In this media comparison lesson, students will assess the where all types of media gets its information by viewing a video of a news story and critiquing it.
Curated OER
Darfur: Violence and the Media
Learners read an article on Darfur prior to class, discuss the conflict in Darfur, visit a series of websites, and complete a worksheet evaluating the reporting and sources used. They view films on genocide to decide if the Darfur...
Curated OER
Mixed Up Media
Students explore online journalism. In this journalism instructional activity, students discover how electronic medias are changing journalism, examine the conventions of electronic media, and discuss the authority and reliability of...
Curated OER
Who, What, Where, When, Why, How
Students take a closer look at the organization of news stories. In this journalism lesson, students identify the elements of news stories and then write their news stories on the same topics using different types of leads.
Curated OER
Writing a News Report
Students explore journalism by analyzing current events. In this news report lesson, students identify important questions to ask during an interview and discuss a fictitious news story about a missing teacher. Students read published...
Curated OER
In the News
Young scholars research a report using a local or national news story. They exchange reports with a partner in order to examine an issue. They work together to create a report on a global issue.
Learning Station
New Report
In this news story worksheet, students read a news report from a newspaper. Students note the order of events and underline those connecting words and phrases that show this order.