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Radio News
Level(s): Grades 7 - 10
Overview
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This lesson and all associated documents (handouts, overheads, backgrounders) is available in an easy-print, pdf kit version.
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| This lesson is part of a unit that explores news journalism across the media. In this lesson, students learn the differences between print and non-print journalism by looking at how news is reported on radio and then comparing it to newspaper and television news. Students begin with an analysis of their radio-listening habits and an introduction to the terms and vocabulary associated with radio and television. As a group, they will analyze, contrast and compare news broadcasts from a variety of radio stations, as well as compare radio journalism to print journalism. As a final assignment, students will compare the strengths and weakness of both television and radio as sources of news.
Outcomes
Students will demonstrate:
- an understanding of the terminology associated with radio and television
- an appreciation of the strengths and the weaknesses of a variety of mediums as sources of information
- an appreciation of the role that target audience plays in the creation and content of a news broadcast on radio or on television
- an awareness of the way in which news is "packaged" for a particular target audience
- an awareness of their radio-listening habits and attitudes
- an understanding of how different mediums approach news reporting
Preparation and Materials
Photocopy student handouts:
Procedure
- Begin the class with a general discussion of the place radio occupies in the lives of our students. (In order to facilitate this investigation, give students time to complete the Radio News Questionnaire prior to the class discussion.)
- Distribute and discuss Radio and TV Vocabulary.
Activity One: Radio News Comparison
- Divide the class into groups of three students.
- Within each group, each student will listen to a radio news broadcast and, using a column from the Radio News Information Chart, make notes about content, style, length of program, advertisers, etc. (In order to ensure a wide cross-section, students should be encouraged to choose from a variety of stations - am, fm, public radio, easy listening, university-based, etc. - and not just teen-oriented stations.)
- When students return to their groups the next day, have them share, compare and contrast their findings with group members.
- Have each group summarize their findings and present them to class.
Class Discussion:
Ask students:
- What are the key similarities and differences between radio news journalism and newspaper journalism?
- How is a radio news broadcast similar to the front page of a newspaper?
- Compared to newspapers, what are the limitations of radio when it comes to sharing news?
- What advantages does radio news broadcasting have over newspapers?
Activity Two: Comparing Radio News and Television News
- Using the criteria from the Radio News Information Chart as a guide, have students listen to and make notes on a radio news program and a television news program from the same night.
- In class the next day, have students return to their groups to discuss the different ways in which TV and radio each handle the news.
- As a class, discuss the key differences and similarities between radio news and television news.
Evaluation
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About the Author
This unit was adapted from lessons created by Rosalind Ross, David Halliday and John Crocker of the Durham Board of Education in The AML Anthology (1990), produced by the Association for Media Literacy.
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