Newseum
Editorials and Opinion Articles
Reading the news is fun, and that's a fact! With the lesson plan, scholars differentiate between fact and opinion as they read editorial articles. They complete a worksheet to analyze the information before writing their own editorials...
Curated OER
Introducing Jane Eyre
"How can a magazine reflect a particular time and culture?" Using this prompt, your class explores the Victorian Era as it relates to Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. They can also play the "Victorian Women's Rights" game for the year 1840...
Curated OER
Showdown on the Frontier
Especially critical following a series of shootings in schools, theaters, and religious buildings, it's safe to say that we need to evaluate the current laws on gun control. Eighth graders read a New York Times article in order to better...
Curated OER
The Electric Hearth
Students examine popular media. In this media awareness instructional activity, students keep logs of their interactions with media and then write an essay regarding the data.
Media Smarts
Teaching TV: Enjoying Television
What makes a TV program enjoyable? As an introduction to media analysis, kids identify their favorite programs and the elements they find engaging.
Curated OER
Gender and Media Introduction
Students analyze media clips and discover how the media helps us form ideas about men and women and their roles in society. They discover some of their own preconceptions about these roles and answer questions.
Curated OER
A Better Class of Journal-ists
Young academics create a current events journal by skimming newspapers for articles that fit defined guidelines for informational texts. After cutting out two articles each week to add to their journals, they write a brief description of...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: “Making History” by Marilyn Nelson
What makes an event newsworthy, worth a reference in a news magazine or textbook? Who decides? These are questions Marilyn Nelson asks readers of her poem "Making History" to consider. To begin, class members list details they notice in...
Curated OER
Developing a Media Portfolio
students discuss the vehicles used by media to feed images to consumers. In small groups, 9th graders are given magazines and asked to pick out the ads that appeal to them. They write responses to the questions:
Curated OER
Ad Creation from Admongo.gov
Learners explore consumerism by completing a worksheet. In this advertisement lesson, students discuss the relationship between the media and consumerism while analyzing advertisements from the Internet, magazines and T.V. Learners...
Curated OER
Ad Awareness from Admongo.gov
Students explore mass media by completing worksheets in class. In this consumerism lesson, students discuss the meaning behind advertisements and how they are used in television, the Internet and print. Students analyze a group of ads in...
Curated OER
Beauty Is Skin Deep
Students reflect upon the the experiences of superficial comments based upon physical appearance. The expectations of others is discussed in class. Also the influences of media is stressed and its expectations are demonstrated as either...
Curated OER
That Is Not My Opinion!
Being an informed citizen requires distinguishing fact from opinion and understanding persuasion methods. Secondary learners evaluate newspaper editorials. They read opinion pieces, identify the writer's purpose and position on an issue,...
Curated OER
Staying Informed
Students identify the various ways the American public can stay informed on the news. In groups, they brainstorm reasons why the public should not stick to one source for their news. They use this information to examine their own current...
Curated OER
Media Stereotypes: How Differences Divide
Students differentiate between generalizations and stereotypes and compare and contrast gender representation. Finally, they critically analyze media for gender stereotypes. They look at magazines and create collages to focus in on the...
Curated OER
Using a Graphic Organizer to Critically Observe Televised News Broadcasts
Students compare two television news broadcasts. They discuss how to organize information when comparing two objects and read and discuss two books to create a Venn diagram to compare both books. After creating the diagram, they view...
Curated OER
Wisdom of the Ages
Students reflect on the different stages of life that humans pass through. They challenge common sense assumptions and critically engage media representations of people at different ages. They determine that media have embedded values...
NPR
Distracted by Everything - Being Wired at All Times
This multimedia activity challenges media-savvy learners to look at the critical issue concerning the inundation of technology and multitasking in the classroom, and its effects on the education of themselves and others. The tasks...
Curated OER
Blogging to Create a Community of Writers #6: Writing a Review
Looking for a good social media lesson for your class? Then, this lesson is for you! They study various written reviews, then must choose an item to review of their choice. They can choose from: a book, restaurant, CD/musical...
Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind Curriculum Activity: Performing Arts
The classical arts have made a lasting impact on our society and your advanced learners get to find out why. The activity starts as the children create a list of the arts found in society, they discuss how these art forms impact their...
Curated OER
Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe: What is Beautiful?
Young scholars consider the notion of beauty and what impact the media and popular culture have on it. In this cross curricular lesson, students examine print ads, write down and share their thoughts on them. Then young scholars form...
Curated OER
From Greece to Main Street
Learners consider the influence of the Greeks on American architecture. In this American Greek Revival architecture lesson, students identify the attributes of architectural style as they compare the Parthenon with the Lincoln Memorial....
Curated OER
Understanding and Fighting Stereotypes through Words and Images
Use some provocative modern art to get your class considering stereotypes and the impact they have on us all. Your class will discuss the print art Indian Look-Alike by Melanie Yazzie and stereotypes in general before conducting research...
ReadWriteThink
Persuasive Techniques in Advertising
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.