Media Smarts
The Broadcast Project
As part of a unit on media studies, kids are asked to chart their viewing habits, observe the advertising that sponsors their favorite shows, and then to imagine what they would broadcast if given a block of airtime.
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"War of the Worlds": A Broadcast Re-Creation
Why did Orson Welles' 1938 Broadcast of a adaptation of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds cause such a panic? To answer this question, class members listen to the original broadcast and research the panic that resulted. They then engage...
PBS
Finding Story Ideas
Pitch your best news story to your news team, or the peers in your journalism class, with a lesson about finding, reporting, and presenting a story. After watching clips of different examples, as well as strategies for finding...
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Radio News
Part of a larger unit from the Media Awareness Network on media literacy, this particular lesson plan focuses on the medium of news radio. Small groups participate in discussions on their radio listening habits as well as the...
Pulitzer Center
Food Insecurity
Food insecurity, whether as a result of food scarcity or a lack of nutritious food, is a growing and serious problem in the world today. After discussing the concept of food insecurity, learners listen to an NPR radio broadcast on the...
Curated OER
Radio Program
Students identify and assess the impact of unions on workers, management, and community. They listen to radio stories, students are asked what can they conclude about the impact of unions on the lives of the workers, management, and...
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Back to the Past
What was the Untied States like in 1938? What were the concerns of Americans in the post World War I era? What were their fears? What were their sources of news and entertainment? To understand the reaction to Orson Welles' radio...
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Webquest: Eradicating Guinea Worm Disease in Ghana
Students examine the impact of Guinea Worm Disease. In this world issues lesson, students take on the roles of Peace Corps Volunteers. Students will apply their knowledge of the Guinea worm life cycle to create a plan for eradicating the...
Rockefeller Archive Center
Understanding Mass Media News
In an age of fake news and photoshopped images, it is vital that 21st century learners development the skills they need to evaluate mass media and assess its validity. A great way to launch such a study is with a carefully crafted lesson...
Curated OER
Television News
Different media sources portray news in a variety of ways. In groups of three, learners look at different news sources, bringing in all the findings the next day. Three handouts help scholars compare sources, define specific terms used...
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Comparing the Satellite and Broadcast Radio Landscapes
Students research the development of satellite technology over the last 50 years students explain how the enactment of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 changed the rules for corporate ownership of multiple media outlets.
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The War of the Worlds
Students discover the concept of media based on literature. In this War of the Worlds instructional activity, students read the novel The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells and listen to the 1938 radio broadcast adaptation by Orson Welles....
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Becoming familiar with National Public Radio
Students listen to a National Public Radio program. They summarize the program, and write a script from a controversial newspaper article that could be a part of the NPR program they listened to.
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News
How does broadcast news differ from accounts reported in newspapers? On the radio? Through the Internet? Middle schoolers discuss the news and speak about the differences between news in print and broadcast news. Given a list of six...
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What's the Weather Forecast?
Students create a radio announcement based on the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. For this radio announcement lesson plan, students discuss the type of language used in other announcements and create their own.
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President FDR and the New Deal
Young scholars explore the New Deal and President FDR. In this Great Depression lesson, students listen to an FDR Broadcast (Fireside Chat) and read sections in their textbooks. Then, in small groups young scholars design and create a...
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Spelling Lesson Plan
Review basic spelling rules with your elementary schoolers. Focus in on the spelling of words with a specific prefix. In this spelling instructional activity, learners use an interactive whiteboard instructional activity to learn...
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Promoting Fluency and Accuracy Through Planning, Telling, Transcribing and Noticing
Students promote fluency through planning and noticing language through transcribing and correcting recorded anecdotes. They provide opportunities for long turns in speaking and give intensive listening practice.
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News Coverage
Students compare and contrast methods of media coverage. In this media awareness lesson, students keep track of news regarding a world or national issue for the period of 1 week. Students collaborate to describe the type of coverage...
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A Movie in Your Mind: Persuasive Text
Students listen to a broadcast of War of the Worlds and illustrate what they hear. In this persuasive text instructional activity students prepare for making a movie poster intended to persuade a director to make a film based on a short...
Curated OER
FDR's New Deal
Students explore the facets of the New Deal. In this Great Depression lesson, students research the New Deal and then create radio broadcasts that explain the New Deal to the American public.
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'...
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Words In The News
Young scholars brainstorm through playing a guessing game to determine the person they will be researching is Fidel castro. They review his background then hear a radio presentation from Castro then answer and discuss a given set of...
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Radio Program #14-The Back to the Land Movement
High schoolers identify the impact of the "Back to the Land" movement on the Appalachian area. They interview people who have moved back or know someone who has moved back to the Appalachian area. Students graph out profiles of "typical"...