Level(s): Grades 7 to 10

Overview

Although students are aware of news as information that influences their perceptions of the world, country and community, they are often unaware of the differences among the various media in their presentation of that information. This unit will encourage intermediate-level students to investigate, discuss, analyze and make valuable personal conclusions about the news package delivered by print and non-print media.

Outcomes

• Through this unit, students will understand how the Key Concepts for Media Literacy relate to news media.
• News information is constructed from the raw information by individuals and teams whose decisions and deadlines create productions that, although technically polished, may be factually distorted.
• Newspapers, radio, television and all other media "package" the news for a specific target audience and manipulate and/or select the information accordingly.
• Members of the target audience bring their own experiences, attitudes and prejudices to their contact with any medium. They will negotiate or impose their own meanings upon the news they receive.
• Almost all news media are supported by commercial sponsors or politically- controlled public funding. Those with money control the programming, directly or indirectly.
• Ideology, values, propaganda—The news media reflect a cultural bias and a political bias in their reporting or presentation of news.
• Communications technology has made news events and their social and political implications instantly available. Those who read, view or listen to information will need the skills to allow them to perceive how the media have the power to create values and influence behaviour.
• Each medium creates its own image. What looks good on TV may be reported very differently in a newspaper or on radio. The raw facts may be used to give different impressions.

Preparation and Materials

The unit contains complete lesson plans, ready-to-use handouts and enrichment activities. All materials may be copied, modified and distributed as needed.

Teachers should be aware that some primary sources, such as newspapers and magazines, require no permission for using the originals while others, such as tapes, require permission from the producers.

Procedure

The lessons in this unit can be done individually or sequentially, based on the time available.

In Lesson One: Definitions and Comments about the News students debate the question "what is news?" and analyze and assess their own personal news sources.

In Lesson Two: The Newspaper Front Page students deconstruct the content of a typical front page, learn newspaper vocabulary and survey front pages from different newspapers. Students also conduct in-depth analysis of the stories and information found on the front page.

In Lesson Three: Radio News students explore news reporting on the radio. They discuss the role radio plays in their lives, explore radio vocabulary, deconstruct and analyze radio news broadcasts and compare radio news broadcasts to television news.

In Lesson Four: Television News students deconstruct televised news broadcasts.

In Lesson Five: Summative Activities students complete a summative assignment that consolidates the various materials which have been presented throughout the first four lessons.

The unit ends with a News Unit Test.