Curated OER
Combing Through the News
Students use the Sean 'Puffy' Combs trial to compare how and why various media cover a news story differently.
Newseum
You Can’t Say That: Right to Know vs. Security Risk
Print or block? That is the question young journalists debate as part of their study of the freedom of the press. Half the class represents the journalists' legal team, and the other half represents the government's legal team. Teams...
Classroom Law Project
Should we believe everything we read? Becoming a discerning consumer of media
Class members investigate the role media should play in a healthy democracy. As part of this study, groups analyze political advertising, use FactCheck to assess not only the veracity of but the persuasions techniques used in candidates'...
Curated OER
Beyond the Printed Word
Students investigate the effects of television and radio on culture. In this journalism lesson plan, students consider how electronic media has shaped journalism as they create timelines that feature the changes and compare and contrast...
Curated OER
Press Freedom Versus Military Censorship
Eleventh graders explore the term terrorism. In this US History lesson, 11th graders participate in a press release on terrorism.
Curated OER
Reporting News About Rosa Parks
Learners investigate racism by completing a writing assignment. In this civil rights lesson, students research facts about Rosa Parks in order to write a newspaper article about her. Learners utilize the Internet for research...
Curated OER
Paragraph Development In News Journalism
High schoolers identify the qualities of a new paragraph. They develop news paragraphs. They gain an introduction to appropriate paragraph development in news journalism using professional models as a guide.
Curated OER
Chinese Ice Sculptures Melting
Students examine, critique and study a newspaper article on a famous ice festival in China that is being affected by rising global temperatures. They complete three worksheets on the article that deals with comprehension questions, a...
Curated OER
What's in the News?
Students discuss any news article or video about the environment. They develop their own questions relating to radon and how it effects people and the environment. They answer each others questions to end the lesson plan.
Curated OER
How Did We Arrive at the Printed Book?
Seventh graders, in cooperative learning groups, research the development of book printing. After examining a story written on a scroll, an accordion book, and a printed copy, they evaluate them according to a certain criteria and...
Curated OER
Right on Time?
Students share their reactions to hearing a false rumor. After reading an article, they discover how a variety of newspapers responded to printing incorrect information. They prepare their own questions and contact sources for their...
Curated OER
Guided Reading With Fish Print
Students investigate the concept of reading comprehension using Fish Print. They practice reading skills with using picture clues, using context clues, and sight word recognition for simple sentences. The teacher guides the lesson with...
Curated OER
Fact Finders—The Media During Times of Crisis
Young scholars practice finding reputable facts. In this media awareness lesson, students review a handout regarding tips for evaluating media and then discover the SMART method which they use to analyze news sources and media.
Southern Poverty Law Center
Evaluating Online Sources
All sources are pretty much the same, right? If this is how your class views the sources they use for writing or research projects, present them with a media literacy lesson on smart source evaluation. Groups examine several articles,...
iCivics
Mini-Lesson B: Satire
Hey, what's so funny? Explore the use of satire in a variety of media with a hands-on instructional activity. Fourth in a five-part journalism series from iCivics, the activity introduces satirical language in print and online. Pupils...
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
What's The Big Deal?
Fifth graders examine the role of the Gutenberg press and its effect on society. Using this information, they write a persuasive paper discussing which form of copying is easier to mass produce. They share their opinions with the class...
Curated OER
Philanthropy News
Students collect examples of local philanthropy and write a news article for a local newspaper. For this philanthropy lesson, students read Helping Out by George Ancona to gain understanding of what philanthropic acts are. Students...
Curated OER
What's the Big News?
Students investigate healthy eating by choosing a variety of foods. In this personal health activity, students read the story Big News! Straight from the Heart, and discuss which characters ate which foods. Students list...
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.
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
Kingdom Animalia: Classifying Animals
Six lessons, extension activities, and an assessment make up a series of lessons curated to reinforce the concept of classifying animals. Each informative and interactive activity attributes to the knowledge of the seven levels of...
Stanford University
Letter from Birmingham Jail: The Power of Nonviolent Direct Action
What strategies are most effective in changing an unjust law? Class members examine the tactics used in the Birmingham Campaign of 1963 (Project C) to achieve social justice and social transformation. After examining documents that...
Curated OER
Italian Renaissance
Fifth graders explore the Italian Rensissance in this six lessons unit. The prominent citizens, the ideas, values, art, philosophy, and literature of the are seen as a rediscovery of Ancient Greek and Roman times.
Curated OER
Leaf Prints
Creating art from nature teaches learners how to appreciate the world around them while allowing them to practice artistic techniques. After observing and choosing fall leaves from outside, they create leaf prints. They press the painted...