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...
Pulitzer Center
International Aid and Fragile States
"States suffering from internal conflict, weak infrastructures, lack of economic development, and general instability are emerging as a large threat to the international security." What factors contribute to the creation of a fragile...
Curated OER
Challenging Stereotypes: A New Look at Old Age
Combine a lesson on the elderly with grammar instruction. Before viewing a series of provided video clips, class members brainstorm a list of words related to senior citizens and organize these words into categories that correspond with...
Curated OER
Sample Lesson 1: Is This Source Credible? Useful? Why and Why Not?
Build background knowledge for The Book Thief by Markus Zusak while teaching your pupils how to determine the credibility of online sources. The plan is designed to take place over the course of two days. On the first day, model...
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.2
What are diverse media formats? Have your class figure this out on their own through small-group brainstorming. The resource includes two related activities about different kinds of data that will help your class get a grasp of media...
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
Evaluating Media Sources
Just how much influence did television have on the results of the 1960 presidential election? Media critics contend that the results were all about how the two candidates appeared on the screen. Give your young historians a chance to...
Curated OER
Great Gatsby's Jazz
As Nick wanders the grounds of Gatsby's mansion, he observes the behaviors of the rowdy guests and listens to the music pouring over the lawn. Bring the music of the jazz age into the classroom with Louis Armstrong's "West End Blues,"...
Biology Junction
Reptiles
When crocodiles close their mouths, you still see their teeth, but when alligators close their mouths, their teeth are hidden. Learn more about these reptiles and their many evolutionary cousins in a fact-filled presentation. It...
Biology Junction
Seed Plants: Gymnosperms and Angiosperms
One of the reasons plants found success on land relates to seed development. Scholars learn about many different forms of seeds and how they changed over time. It describes the structure and function of many different types of seeds in...
Serendip
How Mistakes in Cell Division Can Result in down Syndrome and Miscarriages
Some genetic conditions occur without being inherited. The distinction becomes the focus of the lesson. It details the process of cell division that results in trisomy on various chromosomes. A worksheet highlights the results including...
NASA
Egg Drop Lander
You have to crack a few eggs to make a good engineer! Working in small groups, young scholars design, build, and test devices that protect an egg from breaking when dropped from a ladder.
Creative Visions Foundation
Production: Filming
After viewing and analyzing documentaries and working in groups to storyboard and prepare, your class should now be ready for the production stage of the documentary process. The eighth lesson in the series, this plan provides...
Creative Educator
Sell It with Propaganda
Augment a unit on propaganda by prompting class members to create propaganda. Using Frames software, groups demonstrate their understanding of propaganda techniques by designing a new product, creating a commercial to sell...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Environmental Scrapbook and Podcast
High schoolers collect newspaper and magazine articles about the environment and construct a scrapbook using construction paper, glue, and scissors. To make it even more environmentally friendly, groups can create an online...
National Archives (UK)
The National Archives: Focus on Film
Should students believe everything they see on tv? The National Archives provides this resource for students to examine cinemas as an accurate source of history. Links to archived videos and activities are provided. RI.11-12.7 Eval...
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning:"distinguishing Fact, Opinon, & Reasoned Judgement" [Pdf]
This is a PDF entitled "Distinguishing between Matters of Fact, Matters of Opinion, and Matters of Reasoned Judgement," which focuses on how to separate fact from opinion, provides examples, and offers a practice activity.
American Rhetoric
American Rhetoric: News and Information Index
This website is a news and information index that offers links to news sources, newspapers, magazines and journals, search engines, polling data, legal resources, and citation guides.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: News Writing: Interviews
A variety of news writing interviews from professionals in the field. Some examples of the professionals include Andy Rooney, Kurt Loder, and Joyce Davis.
Other
Monash University Library: Evaluating Web Pages
Use this guide to learn how to evaluate web pages. This concise guide also addresses why evaluation is important. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.7
Virtual Salt
Virtual Salt: Introduction to Critical Thinking
An introduction to the concept of Critical Thinking examines the true definition and gives examples where it can be used as a constructive force.
Other
The American Journalism Review
This is an excellent newsletter-style site for the American Journalism Review. Aside from a ton of articles and pertinent information, it offers essential resources, first rate tools, and a huge database for journalists.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Research Sources: Websites
This slideshow lesson focuses on the use of websites for research sources. It gives the pros and cons to using websites as sources and discusses the need to evaluate websites and what to look for.
New York Times
New York Times: Evaluating Sources in a 'Post Truth' World: Fake News
[Free Registration/Login Required] Need help determining fake news from real news? This seems to be a problem today. Find practical activities and questions to help navigate a media landscape in which it is increasingly difficult to tell...
CNN
Cnn: Student News April 23, 2014
News program reports on the current events of the day. Includes a video, transcript and critical analysis questions.