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This "Theme Page" has links to two types of resources related to the study of Journalism. Students and teachers will find curricular resources (information, content...) to help them learn about this topic. In addition, there are also links to instructional materials (lesson plans) which will help teachers provide instruction in this theme. Please read our disclaimer.

AskEric Lesson Plans: Journalism

About half a dozen lesson plans from the Eric data base.

Best of the High School Press

Select from over 15 categories of newspaper/yearbook features and then see samples of student work showcased by the National Scholastic Press Assocation. Caution: the samples are posted as images and you'll be able to discern the basic layout but specific text sections may be difficult to read.

Careers in Journalism

The American Society of Newspaper Editors offers various articles for students interested in a career in journalism including advice on choosing a school and planning your college career, tips on landing your first job, and what life is like in a small newspaper.

Case Studies Index

Over 30 case studies in Media Management and Sales from the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri. Many of the issues that these address would be suitable for high school students.

For Journalism Teachers Only

There are plenty of valuable resources throughout this large and comprehensive site - some on their own site and some via links to other sites. Tips, advice, free handouts, articles... your only problem will be getting a handle on all that's available. Teachers - don't miss this site!

Freedom of the Press vs. Prior Review

A lesson plan for high school students in which they engage in a webquest researching the dilemma of censorship/freedom of the press for high school newspapers.

[The] Freep Academy

Intended primarily for professional journalists, this Detroit Free Press site has dozens of training articles and ideas on reporting, writing, computer-assisted journalism and other related topics. Student should find most of these articles valuable, if nothing more than for gaining an awareness of the issues and challenges of journalism. Within this index, there's a section with about ten articles specially designed for students. See also the separate section on their web site titled Journalism Rocks: High School for additional resources (with some redundancy) for students.

Index of Journalism Ethics Cases

The Indiana University's School of Journalism has posted over 170 case studies/articles within 13 categories. Teachers using these articles could raise a variety of ethical problems faced by journalists for high school students to discuss.

Minnesota News Council Determinations

The Minnesota News Council addresses citizen complaints against the media by holding hearings and then reporting its "determinations" as indexed on this page. These reports can serve as useful educational tools since they address journalistics issues such as advertising policy, anonymous sources, conflicts of interest, editorials, political coverage, racism/sexism/stereotyping, and more.

News Writing

In this lesson plan for middle school students, they perform a successful interview, take and transcribe notes, use appropriate and powerful words that fit the tone of the paper and the level of the audience, write clear and concisely, organize thoughts and information according to a news writing style, and communicate meaning through the written word.

New York Times Learning Network: Journalism

Over 15 lesson plans in which grade 6-12 students use a New York Times article as a starting point to learn more about journalistic issues.

Only A Matter Of Opinion

Tutorials for journalism students on how to write opinion pieces including editorials, commentary and columns, and editorial cartoons. There's also a tutorial on persuasive writing in general. For teachers, there's a teacher's guide complete with assessment tools, a collection of lesson ideas, 2 case studies, and a bulletin board for the exchange of ideas.

SchoolNet News (SNN)

SNN is a national online journalism program for Canadian K-12 students who submit stories (including images) about whatever interests them (usually 200-800 words) for publication on the web in the SNN monthly issue. Online resources for students include: an Assignment Desk for students looking for ideas; a Reporter's Toolbook with tips and tricks from professionals for interviewing, researching, and writing; and, a mentorship program in which students can be paired with professional journalists. There are also resources for teachers - classroom activities, assignments and projects, tips on learning history through media, and guidelines for collaboration (it's possible for your students to collaborate with other students in Canada). And, of course, there are all the issues of the News that you can read.

Secrets of Professional Journalism

This site contains a three lesson Internet based course. Lessons 2 & 3 are protected by id/password and require a $15 (U.S.) fee. However, Lesson 1 on the Art of News Reporting is free and covers Reporting a Speech, Press Conference Savvy, TV Interviews - Beyond the "Sound Bites", Preparing for Interviews, Initiating a Story, The Old "Inverted Pyramid" - Still Essential, and The "Feature Story".

Student Newspaper Project

A teaching unit composed of 10 lessons in which intermediate students create their own newspaper.

Student Newspaper Unit

Another teaching unit where students create a newspaper. This one is intended for students from upper intermediate to high school grades, has two lesson plans, and publishes the newspaper electronically.

Teaching/Advising Tips

Members of the Journalism Education Association will answer questions you might have about journalism teaching and/or provide sample lessons and project ideas. This page also has links to a sample Style Guide and a sample set of Publications Guidelines.

Teaching Ideas for Journalism Educators

Three articles with ideas for writing/journalism teachers.

Tips for Journalism Teachers at the Middle School Level

Advice on how a teacher can help students discover a story, discover an angle, find information and create leads.

TrackStar

TrackStar is an online interface which allows instructors to create lessons for students by sequencing existing instructional content in various web sites within a lesson. Students explore one topic at a particular location within one web site then move on to the next topic at another web site. The list of topics remains visible throughout the lesson so that students can remain on track. Explorations of the web sites beyond the designated instructional content are also possible.

This link is to their search page from where a keyword search on "journalism" will produce a number of hits. Caution #1: Many of the web sites that these lessons access may already be on this CLN page - it's the creation of lesson objectives and the sequencing of the tours through the sites that make the lesson potentially useful to your students. Caution #2: The quality of the lessons (e.g., definining objectives, finding web sites, sequencing the tours) will vary widely within the TrackStar collection.

[The] Write Site

Middle school students can access the "NEWSROOM" to find articles on the history of journalism, famous journalists and photojournalists, career opportunities in journalism, researching tips, advice from journalists on how to improve their writing, and learning to use a journal. There are also links to news organizations, libraries, and student publications. Teacher resources can be found in the EDITOR'S DESK and include: curriculum materials, lesson descriptions, task cards, graphic organizers, and checklists. Collaboration with other students and teachers is made possible through their "NEWSSTAND".

WWW Virtual Library: Journalism

A large metalist of links to journalism sites on the web.

Yahoo: Individual School Papers

Yahoo has identified over 125 school newspapers on the web.

Note: The sites listed above will serve as a source of curricular content in Journalism. For other resources in English/Language ARts (e.g., curricular content), or for lesson plans and theme pages, click the "previous screen" button below. Or, click here if you wish to return directly to the CLN menu which will give you access to educational resources in all of our subjects.