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Understanding Propaganda
Students define propaganda and give examples from the mass media. In this propaganda lesson, students review examples of propaganda and then research versions of it in the mass media.
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Attention Seeking
Students compare the Ethiopia of the 1980's to today. For this current events lesson, students conduct research about the poverty-stricken Ethiopia exposed by the media in the 1980's with the conditions there today. Students discuss the...
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Through the Eyes of Others
Students consider perspective as they analyze a political cartoon. In this media awareness activity, students use the provided discussion questions to explore the meaning of the political cartoon "The Scream," by Edvard Munch.
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Violence on TV and Our Response
Students examine violence on television. For this media awareness lesson, students discuss the types of fictional and realistic violence shown on American television. Students participate in a Congressional simulation activity on the...
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Bias vs. Perspective: An Inevitable Aspect of Journalism?
Students explore the types of media that U.S. teens prefer the ways in which viewers identify and account for journalistic bias. They explore the ways in which media shapes one's opinion or affects their judgment.
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Benjamin Franklin: Colonial Printer and Journalist
Fifth graders explore how important print media is to everyone's daily life. Students use present daily newspapers and they are to reproduce weather forecasts.
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Stop the Bus: Confronting Our Assumptions About Muslims in America
Learners explore Virginia Interfaith Center's A More Perfect Union "Misunderstanding" Ad Campaign, view two episodes of PBS America at a Crossroads series, examine historical context of colonialism and geo-political tensions in Middle...
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The Campaign: Issues and Strategies. What do you think?
Young scholars research a candidate in an election and discuss how the media portrays that candidate and how the media influences voters. For this candidate lesson plan, students also distinguish fact from opinion, look at political...
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I Am a Person on Character
Sixth graders explore the portrayal of males and females in mass media. In this language arts lesson plan, 6th graders create a digital collage and write a description about themselves using similes and metaphors.
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What's in the News Today?
Students examine the media and the responsibility of reporting facts to readers. In this journalism lesson, students identify the different types of media, the different parts of a news story, and how the stories are relayed to the...
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Food Advertising Tricks
Students recognize techniques used to make food look appealing on television and in advertising, and explore the separate elements that compose media messages and products.
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Supplementary Angles
Students develop an understanding of the journalistic concept of the "news angle," by examining the newspaper coverage of an airplane disaster.
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Inquiring Minds: News and Philanthropy
Learners study newspaper articles and rewrite events from literature into news stories about kindness. In this news article lesson, students read sentences from newspaper articles and identify the purpose of the article. Learners...
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Using the News in Class
Students listen to international news stories. Students use context clues to determine the meaning of vocabulary words from context, then complete a matching exercise to see if their vocabulary definitions were correct. Students...
National First Ladies' Library
Michigan vs. Ohio State: A Serious Rivalry!
Middle schoolers discuss and research the pros and cons of school rivalries. In particular, they study the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry. Through their research, they think about how media accounts of college football games can be shaped...
Social Media Toolbox
Twitter Time
Tweet all about it! Junior journalists explore the Twittersphere to determine its effectiveness as a news broadcasting tool in the 12th installment of the 16-part Social Media Toolbox. Participants follow and record their observations of...
Social Media Toolbox
Verification
When you're putting together a great story, you've got to consider the source! Scholars discover the dangers of errors in reporting during the 14th activity in a 16-part Social Media Toolbox series. Groups collaborate to create a source...
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We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution: The American Revolution
The contributions of African-Americans to the American Revolution are the focus of this Social Studies and language arts lesson. After reading and discussing Linda Crotta Brennan’s The Black Regiment of the American Revolution, class...
iCivics
Lesson 3: Bias
How do journalists balance bias and ethical reporting? The final instructional activity in a series of five from iCivics examines the different types of bias and how they affect the news we read. Young reporters take to the Internet to...
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Health: Media and Body Image
Fifth graders examine the influence of advertisements on body image and purchasing. They discuss the psychology behind the ads and working in groups cut out words in magazine advertisements that could entice them to buy the product. ...
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Lesson Plan: The Black Press
Learners 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. Learners explore media careers as they read provided...
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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...
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Finding Content/Media
Sixth graders use the web to find and download photos, images, and clip art to create a large library of images in a short time. They survey audio and video files and other media by using various search engines. Remember to follow...
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The Media and Social Justice in the United States
Students investigate why the hip hop is sometimes called the CNN of black youth. They explore the political themes in American hip hop. Students examine the connection between art, media and social justice in hip hop.