Name:NEWSHOUR Extra: Teacher Resources
Brief Description of the Site:
Just as the PBS-sponsored NEWSHOUR is an exemplary piece of television journalism, this site, keyed to stories done by that program, is an excellent teacher resource. Look first at the frame on the left side to find the links to a cache of lesson plans, written by teachers, in: Arts/English, Science, Math/Economics, World, U.S. History/Government, Health/Fitness, and Media Studies. Clicking on any brings up a collection of content-rich plans. Sample topics include: “The Structure of Congress,†“Abstinence Debate,†A Gigabyte of Music: How Much Is That?,†and dozens more. Each is correlated to national standards and includes everything one expects in a professionally written plan, from warm-up to follow-up. Plus there’s the current “Top Story.†such as the one-year anniversary of the war in Iraq, plus NEWSHOUR packages and special stories just for teens. The best part is that no one need have watched a particular broadcast because the lessons provide links to transcripts where appropriate.
How to use the site:
One can choose to use the lessons just as they appear or adapt/modify them or even simply read them over before creating one’s own. Teachers of grades 6 through 12 who wish to bring current events into the curriculum should look here first. The best part is that the site does not limit itself to just social studies but is useable by teachers of most academic disciplines. In addition, the “as seen on TV†quality brings a sense of being up-to-date that should appeal to even the more jaded high school seniors.
