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Angling for a Story
Students explore different news angles relating to a local sporting event, then create a detailed treatment of the story prior to reporting it.
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The Winter Olympics' Tale
Students look back at the athletes, events and related news surrounding the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City and present brief newscasts recapping the highlights of individual sports.
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Mummies Unwrapped
Students investigate various methods of mummification practiced in cultures around the world and present their findings in 'televised' news reports.
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Taking to the Airwaves
Learners consider the purpose of talk radio and examine its importance in the new democratic Iraq. They enact mock talk shows based on current events and reflect on the value of free speech and the role audience members play in radio...
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What Sticks from '06
Students identify significant events that helped shaped 2006. Completing a news quiz, they discuss the importance and impact of each event mentioned. They create their own news quizzes to be used as a class. They create a poster...
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Its All In The Delivery
Students investigate the concept of different words and how they are used in specific texts. They develop scripts based upon readings and then design props and costumes to act out the new text. Students read to one another using the...
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The Human Costs of War
Learners explore the concept of civilian cost to armed warfare. They explore the role of the military, civilians and of press coverage during armed conflicts, creating posters illustrating their research on post-WW II military conflicts.
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Bringing Facts Into Science Fiction
Students develop a setting, plot and characters for a science fiction story based on current news themes, and then individually write drafts of the story.
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Ice, Ice, Baby
Students explore the causes and effects of the melting ice formations in Antarctica; they then research different aspects of the topic in order to create a news special.
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Gorillas In The Midst
Students consider the idea of the eco-tour, and examine different aspects of the Mountain Gorilla Project eco-tour in Rwanda. They synthesize their understanding by acting as expert panelists on a morning news show that focuses on the...
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A Civil Action
Students explore the roles of law enforcement officials, the news media, and civilians in crime prevention and criminal apprehension. They envision ways to build and strengthen community partnerships to address concerns about crime.
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Ulster-ior Motives
Students examine the creation of the Northern Ireland Assembly as an historic step in the peace process in Northern Ireland. They work in four small groups, each exploring the history and objectives of one of the parties in the new...
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In Good Company
Students research and write a radio or television news special on some of Silicon Valley's most successful companies. For homework, they write lead-ins commenting on new developments and reactions to them.
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Get Real!
Students reach a consensus as to what makes a good reality-based TV show. They create their own scenarios for a new such show, and critique it, based on the criteria the class establishes.
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Snow, Sweat and Tears
Students, in pairs, explore the sports featured at the Winter Olympics and prepare related news broadcasts.
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Striving for Success
Students explore their own talents and create interview questions for a peer involved in a particular extracurricular activity. They write newspaper articles based on the interviews.
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What's All the Buzz About
Students participate in a game of charades to examine different animal behaviors. After reading an article, they discuss why bees waggle and how that behavior applies to humans. They research the behaviors of an animal of interest to...
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Stories That Go with the Territory
Students investigate various expeditions throughout history to new and/or uncharted territories. They work in groups to develop and 'produce' television news magazine segments about some of these historic expeditions.
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Secret Services
Students examine news about an espionage case. They work in small groups to research espionage and spy trials of the Cold War era. Students create oral presentations detailing presentations in specific cases.
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Wiki-Leaks: Revelations & Controversy
Students examine the Wiki-Leaks controversy. In this national security lesson plan, students read articles about the Wiki-Leaks activities of 2010 and the founder of Wiki-Leaks, Julian Assange. Students respond to discussion questions...
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Black, White and Digitized All Over
Learners examine the pros and cons of getting news from print newspapers and from their online counterparts, compare and contrast a printed newspaper with its online version, and then compose letters to editors of print and online...
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Sgt. Humiston, Where are You?
Students become familiar with the events of the Civil War. In this identification lesson, students use deductive reasoning to understand how the deceased soldier was identified. Students view primary documents for information about the...
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Hey Kid, Want To Buy A Bridge?
Learners study the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the inventions of Thomas Alva Edison. They design an infomercial to sell a product or a service for an invention. They create an invention that improves the world and write an...
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Full Court Press
Students investigate the Supreme Court's role and function in the federal government and examine how Chief Justice Rehnquist's illness might affect the future of the Court. They write letters to President Bush on the Supreme Court...