Curated OER
The Invention of the Printing Press
High schoolers are guided through a series of websites which teach about the history of printing, the invention of the printing press, the trials of Johann Gutenberg, and advancements in printing. This 20 question multiple choice quiz is...
Curated OER
Bias and Crime in Media
Critical thinking and social justice are central themes for this resource on bias and crime in media. The class views and discusses an incisive PSA that highlights assumptions based on race. Small groups read newspaper opinion pieces...
Newseum
Use ‘War of the Worlds’ to Teach Media Literacy
Orson Welles' 1938 radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds" is the focus of a lesson plan that looks at the importance of clarity in broadcasting. After listening to the radio broadcast, class members discuss the ethical obligations to...
Curated OER
Breaking News
Students organize a newspaper article using a worksheet that helps them study the vocabulary of news articles. They write newspaper articles about mythical creatures invading contemporary Los Angeles.
Social Media Toolbox
Social Media Messages
What are the elements of a good social media post? The 13th activity in the 16-part Social Media Toolbox incorporates all of the typical components found in a Facebook or Twitter post. Scholars work together to create great posts based...
Newseum
Is This Story Share-Worthy?
Young journalists use a "Is This Story Share-Worthy?" flowchart graphic to decide whether a story is worth sharing online. Instructors provide groups with fake news, poor quality stories, opinion pieces, biased news, and high-quality...
Discovery Education
Election in the News
Young people are the future voices of the country. In order to be knowledgeable about local and federal elections, future voters must first become aware. Bring an informative lesson plan to your social studies class, in which middle...
Curated OER
War and the Media Press Freedom vs. Military Censorship
Young scholars analyze the relationship between war and media. In this media awareness lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture on freedom of the press and military censorship. Young scholars participate in an...
Curated OER
Living News: Classroom Materials
Students explore controversial current events. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students research selected issues and examine the issues from different perspectives. Students script and record news stories that feature their findings.
Curated OER
Assembling the News
Eighth graders decide on which pictures and sounds to use to make their story come to life. They discover copyright rules pertaining to photographs and how to make a story come to life. They complete edits on their work to make sure all...
Curated OER
Writing a Newspaper Article
The perfect resource for a beginning journalism teacher or someone designing a journalism unit, this activity prompts students to write a newspaper article. It covers all aspects of the writing process, such as a guided warm-up...
Curated OER
Medieval News
Fourth graders engage in a lesson constructed in order to dissect the parts of a story used by the news media in order to communicate to the public. They use the media in order to help obtain information. Students create their own...
Curated OER
Designing Illuminated Text
Students examine illuminated manuscripts from the Gutenberg Bible. Using the examples, they use the internet to explore the effects of the printing press on the value of literature and art. They create their own illuminated initial...
Curated OER
The Power of the Press
Students identify an editorial and propaganda, discuss differences between weekly and daily newspapers, analyze needs of rural and urban newspaper audiences, and evaluate possible power of the press and importance of multiple views...
Curated OER
Getting the Word Out: From Gutenberg's Press to Zines
Students examine the effects of Gutenberg's printing press on the world. Using this information, they create their own Zines or internet magazines about a social issue of their choice. They share their magazine with the class for...
Southern Poverty Law Center
Analyzing How Words Communicate Bias
Words are powerful ... can your class choose them wisely? Scholars evaluate news articles to discover the concepts of tone, charge, and bias during a media literacy activity. The resource focuses on recognizing implicit information and...
Curated OER
Don't Lose Your Way in the News
Students explore language arts by participating in a newspaper analysis activity. In this journalism lesson, students identify how newspapers present stories, who is writing them and how they can obtain information from them....
Curated OER
Spin and Bias in the Media
Students compare different types of media. In this media comparison lesson, students will assess the where all types of media gets its information by viewing a video of a news story and critiquing it.
Curated OER
Using Print Media in the LCTL Classroom
Explore newspapers as a form of print media. They examine headlines from newspapers and infer meanings of the headlines. They skim articles for information and exchange articles between groups. They complete charts while skimming the...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Learning the Printing Trade
Students explore U.S. History by reading biographical text in class. In this Benjamin Franklin instructional activity, students read about the famous American's first job and the transition he underwent from printing to politics....
Curated OER
Watching the Clock: An activity to build media-savvy students
Students analyze time constraints on broadcast news. They apply data collecting and data display skills. They identify the difference between news progams and the evening news.
Curated OER
The Power of One: Convergence in Scholastic Media
Pupils explore the different forms of media utilized by journalism including writing, photography, video, sound and the Internet. In this journalism lesson, students compare and contrast the ways in which information is presented between...
Curated OER
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution: The American Revolution
The contributions of African-Americans to the American Revolution are the focus of this Social Studies and language arts lesson. After reading and discussing Linda Crotta Brennan’s The Black Regiment of the American Revolution, class...
Curated OER
Not Just the Facts
Encourage your learners to explore the differences between hard news and news analysis. They outline a complex news analysis about the upcoming presidential election, then endeavor to write an analysis of the same topic, using local...