Teaching Tolerance
Journalism for Justice
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...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Yellow Journalism
What role did yellow journalism play in bringing the United States into war with Spain? As part of their study of the Spanish-American War, class groups examine newspapers of the times and other texts and then produce their own...
Newseum
Journalists Code of Ethics
Journalists are supposed to adhere to a Code of Ethics. To determine the degree to which reporters follow this code, individuals select three recent stories with photographs from newspapers, magazines, online news sites, or television...
Administrative Office of the US Courts
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier
Freedom of speech is not always free. Scholars investigate how the First Amendment provides for the right to express opinions. Through the court case Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, they analyze free speech using primary documents—and hopefully...
The New York Times
The Careful Reader: Teaching Critical Reading Skills with the New York Times
The 11 lessons in this educators' guide focus on using newspapers to develop critical reading skills in the content areas.
Curated OER
A Mayan Adventure - Special Assignment
Students role-play the role of a reporter for their school's newspaper. Pretending they are visiting Mexico and Central America, they research the answers to questions given to them by their teacher. They discuss their answers and the...
Curated OER
Freedom of Expression in Special Places
Young scholars analyze the judicial decision making process, and identify three places presenting First Amendment problems. They analyze how the 1st Amendment applies to school newspapers, and argue for and against limiting 1st Amendment...
Newseum
The Press and the Presidency: Friend or Foe? How the President Is Portrayed
In theory, news reports should be fair and unbiased. Young journalists test this theory by selecting a current news story covered by various media outlets about the President of the United States. They then locate and analyze five...
Newseum
Breaking News: Tracing the Facts
Breaking news reports can be short of facts. Young journalists select a pair of news articles about a disaster; one published within hours of the event and the second published the following day. They examine whether facts in the report...
Curated OER
Freedom of Expression in Special Places
High schoolers identify at least three places presenting First Amendment problems. They analyze how the First Amendment applies to school newspapers. Students argue for and against limiting First Amendment rights in school. They...
Curated OER
Athletic rules: Break them and who should suffer?
Students write an article that presents the student's view in the situation of a high school football team forfeiting all of its victories because of a paperwork glitch. Students research the rules of the state athletic association.
Curated OER
Lessons to be Learned: The Importance of Attribution, Accuracy, and Honesty
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...
Curated OER
What's the News?
Middle schoolers investigate current events. In this current events instructional activity, students identify current events from newspaper articles and place them on a timeline.
Curated OER
Spanish-American War
Middle schoolers view a video called Battling Beyond the Borders about the Spanish-American War. They discuss the role of newspapers in the war and then analyze political cartoons of the time, writing explanatory sentences about them.
Curated OER
Medium Studies
Students consider the evolution of newspapers. In this current events lesson, students investigate changes in newspaper production as they visit selected websites to educate themselves about the topic. Students then discuss...
Curated OER
Family Newscast
Young scholars report on family trends, functions of the family and various ways of selecting marriage partners. In this family lesson plan, students act as editors, commercial skits, and writers for a newscast about families.
Curated OER
Growing Files for Women's History
Students research a woman from their local community. They use primary source documents and old newspapers to gather information. They present the information to the class.
Curated OER
Propaganda Flyer
Fourth graders create a persuasive flyer to sway the opinion of the class on a controversial issue. They read assigned editorials representing the viewpoint that they must defend.
Curated OER
Cultural Corner- "Mexico"
Students use print and electronic resources to gather information about Mexico. They present a mini-museum to share with students, parents, and other interested classes around the district. They present their information in a video...
Curated OER
The Ancient Times
High schoolers create a newspaper sharing stories of Cleopatra before her death. They use the internet to research information about her and the time in which she lived. They share their newspaper articles with others.
Curated OER
Latin America: Our Neighbors at Home and to the South - Newspaper Project
Students work in pairs to create a comprehensive newspaper depicting the major themes covered during the study of Latin America. The activity includes writing, reading, social studies and technology.
Curated OER
Public officials, DUI and role models
High schoolers watch a video clip discussing the story about the mayor and answer the following: What kind of people should be role models for students today +++ Are they politicians and government employees, movie stars, or professional...
Curated OER
A Bison Web
Students view a documentary on the treatment of the buffalo. In groups, they create a website using ideas and solutions they developed. They must include graphics or animation and a multi-level webpage. They share their pages with the...
National First Ladies' Library
Vegas and the Mob
Students identify with and interpret the role of organized crime in the development of one of America's most vibrant cities. Then they look into the city's establishment and development, follow the role of organized crime in its...