Media Smarts
Newspaper Ads
Just how free is the press? After examining the advertising and propaganda techniques used by advertisers, class members consider the influence advertisers may exert over newspaper content.
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Influencing Attitudes
Does propaganda—like that used during the first World War—exist today? The 11th lesson in a series of 12 highlights the role of media when it comes to influencing attitudes. Scholars learn about sensational headlines, misrepresentation...
American Press Institute
In the Newsroom: The Fairness Formula
Reporting the news is easy, right? Think again! Show young scholars the difficult choices journalists make every day through a lesson that includes reading, writing, and discussion elements. Individuals compare the language and sources...
Curated OER
Political Cartoons: Literacy
Readers decode and deconstruct political cartoons to heighten critical thinking, extra-textual literacy, and making meaning from symbolism and metaphor. A compatible activity to use in English class when your 8th or 11th graders are...
Curated OER
What's the News?
Middle schoolers investigate current events. In this current events lesson plan, students identify current events from newspaper articles and place them on a timeline.
Curated OER
Safety Belts and the Media
Students discuss the importance of using their seat belts in cars. After viewing different public service announcements, they identify ones which made an impact on them. In groups, they draw their own announcement to educate others about...
Curated OER
Media as a Representation of Reality
Students examine different viewpoints and representations of events. They discover that viewpoints are constructed from different points of view. They also examine how they represent real events.
English Enhanced Scope and Sequence
Media Literacy with Focus of Strategies for Collaboration
Introduce your class to literary analysis with a series of activities that has them examine book and movie reviews. Groups then draft their own review of a text, select a digital medium, and craft a presentation.
Curated OER
Science in the News
Students explore science in the news through articles, magazines, and internet news sites. They select articles, read them and summarize them to identify the audience that would care about their topics. As they present their articles...
Newseum
Persuasion Portfolios
After class members brainstorm a list of current social and political issues, groups each select a different topic from the list to research. Teams create a portfolio of at least 10 examples of stories about their issue, stories that...
Curated OER
Now That's News To Me!
Students observe how newspapers help to build a sense of community. They identify the important events and people within their school community and create a newspaper page/section. They choose photographs or clippings to use on their...
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...
Curated OER
Photojournalism
Students choose a historical or present-day event to portray through photographs. They narrate this event with photographs and text to communicate its significance in history or our current daily lives.
Curated OER
The Student Cafateria as the "Leafy Chestnut Tree"
Students examine the difference between "news" of earlier periods, and "news" as we know it today. They then go out into the school common areas and analyze news from the perspective of word-of-mouth storys and discuss what they can...
Curated OER
News View
Students read and analyze three different news sources that describe the same event. They compare/contrast the similarities and differences of the news sources, and write an essay describing the main event.
Curated OER
Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe: What is Beautiful?
Students 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 students form literary groups...
Curated OER
Leaders in a Media Age
High schoolers identify ways in which the president can use various media to communicate his messages and intent. They demonstrate ways in which the news media can create public opinion.
Media Smarts
Bias
See how bias operates firsthand. Half of the class reads one article while the other half reads another article on the same event. The obvious differences emerge when the two sides talk about their observations though. Several handouts...
Discovery Education
Election in the News
Young people are the future voices of the country. In order to be knowledgeable about local and federal elections, future voters must first become aware. Bring an informative lesson plan to your social studies class, in which middle...
Newseum
Recognizing Bias: Analyzing Context and Execution
Young journalists learn how to identify bias in the news media. First, they watch a video in which a Newseum expert identifies bias in a story about the 1919 Chicago race riots. They then use what they have learned to analyze a...
EngageNY
Analyzing Different Mediums: Advantages and Disadvantages
How do authors play to people's moods? After briefly reviewing mood using a Conditional and Subjunctive Mood handout, learners practice identifying conditional and subjunctive sentences in the Montgomery Bus Boycott speech before reading...
Curated OER
Part of it All
Learners take a closer look at the organization of newspapers. In this journalism lesson, students take virtual tours of newspapers and complete a newspaper puzzle handout. Learners then compare the layout of weekly rural newspapers to...
Curated OER
Disability
Students examine the role of media when dealing with the disabled. They participate in a community audit of different facilities and how they help the disabled.
Curated OER
High Exposure
Students interpret data they receive from the media, discuss possible misinterpretation of data from the media and correctly respond to the misconception quiz question.