Traveling through Time
Module 1, Activity 1.7 - Introduction to Newspapers
Teacher Page
(student page for this lesson)

Activities:

Task One - Time Travel Drama
Students will choose a topic for their skit from the list on the student page for this lesson. In a group of three to five people, they will do an improvisational skit. The skit should revolve around "news" in that time period. You may choose to keep the tone of this task light by viewing a clip of a time travel movie like Back to the Future or Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Showing a clip one of these movies would allow you to show the class how time period influences perception. After each skit, debrief for a short time and connect the elements to what is news and how is it spread.

For students who are not inclined towards drama, there is an alternative to task one. They can view some photos and do some creative writing in role to accomplish the same objectives. However, you will need to modify the scripting for task two to accommodate their choices.

Task Two - Setting the Foundation

Using the Questioning Script as a guide, have your students focus on what is news and how its dissemination has changed through time. By the time you get to the modern newspaper, you should have discussed the elements of newsworthiness.

Objectives:

Students will be able to
- recognize how pervasive information is in contemporary society
- consider how print journalism has changed and evolved over the years
- recognize the role of news reporting in print media, especially newspapers

Task Three - Timely News

Students select one the news stories between the 1880's and 1910. These stories were published by Saskatchewan papers. They test each story against the criteria for newsworthiness. They record the main facts of the story and their proof points about its newsworthiness on a piece of paper.

The newsworthiness elements are taken from the Journalism Studies Curriculum, but are basically similar from any source.

Assessment and Evaluation:

This is an appropriate time to check basic application skills. You may choose to have students hand in their notes from Task Three or you may choose to check the work as you circulate through the room. In either case, the potential value of Task Three should be low if you are grading it.