Lesson Plan

Understanding Mass Media News

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Understanding Mass Media News lesson plan also includes:

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 that uses the 1938 "War of the Worlds" broadcast to introduce learners to the power of mass media news.

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CCSS: Adaptable
Instructional Ideas
  • Have class members develop a survey, poll their families, friends, and neighbors about their media use, collect the data, and compare their findings to the information in the introduction to the lesson
  • Include the New York Times article on the January 13, 2018 false missile alert in the resource packet
Classroom Considerations
  • Presumes students are familiar with the DBQ format and have experience analyzing primary source documents
Pros
  • Each document is followed AP DBQ-style questions
Cons
  • None