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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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Communication In U.S. Society; Radio In America
Young scholars see how radio began the modern consumer society, shaped societal views on peoples and cultures and changed family home life forever. Radio shrank the world by bringing far-away places, events, and individuals into peoples...
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Radio
Students explain in their own words how radios work. In this technology instructional activity, students discuss the importance of radio today. They differentiate AM and FM bands.
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World War II
Sixth graders read Under the Blood Red Sun (UBRS), V is for Victory (V), and Number the Stars(NS). They examine WWII through the eyes of Japanese, Danish, and American students and complete at least two projects: a radio broadcast and a...
Facing History and Ourselves
Free Press Makes Democracy Work
A unit study of the importance of a free press in a democracy begins with class members listening to a podcast featuring two journalists, one from a United States public radio station and one from Capetown, South Africa. The lesson plan,...
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FDR's Fireside Chats: The Power of Words
Students examine Franklin D. Roosevelt's Fireside Chats. In this presidential history lesson, students listen to the radio broadcasts of select FDR Fireside Chats. Students analyze the effectiveness of his messages to the public as well...
Facing History and Ourselves
Hands Up, Don't Shoot!
Why is it so difficult to develop a clear understanding of the events surrounding the shooting of Michael Brown by a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer? To answer this question class members listen to a NPR discussion of the findings of...
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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Students create a presentation in which they retell the events of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. In this A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court lesson, students are introduced to Mark Twain in a PowerPoint, then...
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Comparing the Satellite and Broadcast Radio Landscapes
High schoolers 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.
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...
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Edward R. Murrow: This Reporter
What would Edward R. Murrow think of today’s news broadcasts? Learners examine the work of the first public television newscaster and his commitment to researched, accurate reporting. The eight-day study concludes with investigators...
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The War of the Worlds
Students discover the concept of media based on literature. In this War of the Worlds lesson, students read the novel The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells and listen to the 1938 radio broadcast adaptation by Orson Welles. Students then...
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Turn On, Tune In, and Write Down
Learners locate, access and listen to a variety of radio and audio samples found on the Internet. They discuss the material in small groups and identify areas of interest for further discussion.
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FDR's New Deal
Young scholars 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.
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All About Poe
Students use an online database to research the life and words of Edgar Allan Poe. Using the information they collect, they write a newspaper article or obituary about the famous writer. In groups, they work together to develop a radio...
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Reporting in Letters
Students investigate the cultures and politics of different countries and write radio letters to listeners in those countries modeled after Alistair Cooke's "Letter from America."
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Worship in Early Times
Students listen to and discuss three radio broadcasts that deal with worship in early times. They investigate a wide range of historical sources and piece together evidence of the past, Celtic beliefs and how early people worshiped...
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What's the Weather Forecast?
Students create a radio announcement based on the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. In this radio announcement lesson plan, students discuss the type of language used in other announcements and create their own.
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Critical Review for Radio
Students will produce a short radio feature about a favorite entertainer or group, consisting of 45 seconds to one minute of copy and one-to-two minutes of music "clips." In writing this copy, they will use a modified prewriting...
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 the best...
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President FDR and the New Deal
Students explore the New Deal and President FDR. In this Great Depression lesson plan, students listen to an FDR Broadcast (Fireside Chat) and read sections in their textbooks. Then, in small groups students design and create a broadcast...
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Geography
Students, after hearing a radio broadcast on 'A Day in School Abroad,' explore and study the lives and experiences of children in a variety of places. They assess the advantages and disadvantages of living on a small island, find out...
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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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Learning Lesson: AM in the PM
Students discover how AM radio signals can travel at night. They listen for a radio station not in their immediate area and log the call sign and the location of the station. They discuss the difference in transmissions during the night...