What is the media? What does it do? Students examine the types and roles of the media by taking on the role of newsmaker and agenda setter.
Got a 1:1 classroom? Download fillable PDF versions of this lesson's materials below!
Learn about unilateral presidential appointments, nominations, and the Senate confirmation process. Then investigate the role the media plays as a gatekeeper and agenda setter in the accompanying news skills-related activity.
Students try their hand at a simplified districting exercise and learn about the common gerrymandering practices of packing and cracking districts. Students then explore the media’s traditional roles as gatekeeper, agenda setter, and watchdog in a news literacy-related activity!
Teach students about presidential pardons, commutations, and the limitations on these powers. What's more, students learn about fact-checking websites and how to conduct an independent web search to verify a claim.
First, teach students about filibusters and how and why senators use them. Next, help students develop their news literacy skills by taking a look at how news coverage of a filibuster can be transformed through neutral, positive, or negative framing.
Do algorithms impact you? Do you even know what they are? Algorithms help bring us many of the functional products and tools we use today. This mini-lesson offers students an introductory look at how social media platforms use algorithms and how that use selectively curates the content users see.