Activity
The teacher should introduce the lesson by reviewing the effect of media on
public opinion.
1.
Tell students that they will be analyzing three articles
from the three web sites listed above, using the jigsaw
method:
Article A: ”Report: Nuclear sites put drinking water sources at risk”
Article B: “Toward Reliable, Affordable and Secure Energy”
Article C: “The Hidden Cost of Fossil Fuels”.
2.
Divide students into 6 groups of 4-5 students each (depending
on the size
of the class).
Two groups will read article A, two groups will read article B,
and two groups will read article C.
3.
Tell the students to look for signs of bias as they read
the articles.
4.
Each group should discuss and answer the following questions:
a. What is the thesis of each article?
b. Which point of view does each article address?
c. List or highlight the loaded words that are used
in each article. Why do you feel that these words show
bias?
d. List or highlight any details that you feel are biased.
e. How might the information in these articles be used by interest
groups?
- Tell students that they must record their own answers as they will share them
with other students.
5.
Allow groups about 30 minutes to read and discuss the
questions; next, have each group number off by 5’s.
All of the 1’s
will meet together, all of the 2’s will meet together, etc. to discuss
the articles that they read and analyzed. Students should share their answers
and address the
following question:
Is
media bias an effective way to sway public opinion and
change policy?
Each group will be expected to explain and justify their answer.
Closure
Have a class discussion on the question: Is media bias an effective way to
sway public opinion and change policy?
Embedded
Assessment
Student participation in class discussion should show an understanding of
media bias and its impact on public opinion. The homework assignment will also
be evaluated.
Homework
Tell the students
that they are to assume the role of a member of the interest
group they were assigned to in the previous lesson to complete
the following assignment:
a.
Find an article that refutes the arguments that are
presented in the article that addresses
their viewpoint. For example,
the members of the coal industry must find an article that
refutes the arguments in “The Hidden Cost of Fossil
Fuels”.
The members of the nuclear industry must find an article
that refutes the arguments in “Nuclear sites put drinking
water sources at risk”, and members of the environmental
group must refute arguments in the article “Toward
Reliable, Affordable and Secure Energy”.
b.
Students should write a summary of the article and
include a discussion
that addresses any biases that are present in the article.
They should also discuss how the article best represents
their interest
group’s
point of view. |
