USING THE NEWSHOUR PROGRAM LESSONS

NOTE TO TEACHER:
The NewsHour offers numerous opportunities for students to hone their critical thinking skills. Below are a list of important skills that can be applied using the Newshour Extra Website as well as the Transcript Library. The Standards List and applicable performance expectations can and should be used in a variety of lesson activities.

Learning Objectives:
Students will have the opportunity to apply the following critical thinking skills:

• Identify relevant factual material
• Restate major ideas of a complex topic in concise form
• Sense relationship between items of factual information
  
• Note cause and effect relationships
  
• Draw inference from factual material
  
• Predict likely outcomes based on factual information
  
• Detect bias in data presented in various forms: graphics, tabular, visual, print
  
• Compare and contrast credibility of differing accounts of the same event
  
• Combine critical concepts into a statement of conclusions based on information
  
• Form opinion based on critical examination of relevant information
  
• State hypothesis for further study
  
• Propose a new plan of operation, create a new system, or devise a futuristic scheme based on available information
  
• Reinterpret events in terms of what might have happened, and show the likely effects on subsequent events
  
• Prepare a research paper that requires a creative solution to a problem
  
• Communicate orally and in writing
  
• Determine whether or not the information is pertinent to the topic
  
• Estimate the adequacy of the information
  
• Test the validity of the information, using such criteria as source, objectivity, technical correctness, and currency
  
• Identify a situation in which a decision is required
  
• Secure needed factual information relevant to making the decision
  
• Identify alternative courses of action and predict likely consequences of each
  
• Make decision based on the data obtained
  
• Take action to implement the decision
  
• Select an appropriate strategy to solve a problem
  
• Self monitor one's thinking process.

Standards List:
National Council for the Social Studies
Curriculum Standards for Social Studies:

Concepts:

• Critical thinking
  
• Evaluate source of information
  
• Justice
  
• Human rights
  
• Sustainability
  
• Non-violent conflict
  
• Democratic values
  
• Non-compliance
  
• Fair play

Tool and Materials:
Paper and Pen
Copies of:
¨ Writing A "My Turn" Personal Essay
¨ Current National of Global "Problem & Solution" Worksheet
¨ Comparison of News Media
¨ Persuade Me To Write Persuasively Worksheet
¨ Student Self Assessment
¨ Democratic Beliefs and Values
¨ Core Values of American Constitutional Democracy
¨ Universal Declaration of Human Rights
¨ United States of America "Bill of Rights"

Computers with Internet access and word processing capabilities
VCR-Copy of Newshour program(s)

Time Needed:
One to two class periods for each activity

Teaching Strategies-Activities:

• Introduce the critical thinking skills you wish students to address with the specific activity
• Divide class into teams of three, have them complete Comparison of News Media for one week. Report their findings to class. Discuss the effectiveness of the media in providing an unbiased source of information.
• Hand out a copy of Core Values of American Constitutional Democracy. Discuss: are these values the students agrees with and believes must be protected, supported, maintained? Why/why not?
• Hand out a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Discuss: are these values the students agrees with and believes must be protected, supported, maintained? Why/why not?
• Next have each student make a list of at least five rights they believe they have. Discuss and list these on the board. Ask: "how they know they have these rights?"; "what if these rights conflict with someone in authority - who has greater rights?"; "how would they defend their rights if they believe they are being violated?" "why would they choose the methods they describe?"
• Select a current issue covered by the Newshour, i.e.: "The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict" or Iraq. Have teams of students work together and complete the Current National or Global "Problem & Solution" Worksheet. (This activity can also be completed individually).
• Divide the class into four groups-to serve as foreign policy advisors-one for each: United States President, United Nations Secretary-General, Israeli Prime Minister and President of the Palestinian Authority. Using the information gathered from the Current National or Global "Problem & Solution" Worksheet, have each team formulate a policy designed to end the conflict.
• Each team is to present and defend their policy to the class. Then have the class vote for which policy they believe could work and be able to justify their selection. As a concluding activity, have students individually complete the Writing a "My Turn" Personal Essay and submit to the Extra Website

Assessment Recommendations:

• Completed Comparison of News Media
  
• Completed Current National or Global "Problem & Solution" Worksheet
  
• Student Self Assessment
  
• Completed Writing a "My Turn" Personal Essay
  
• Peer Review
  
• Completed Essay using scoring guides

© Copyright 2001 Christine A. Allen

Christine A. Allen is currently an Educational Consultant & Curriculum Developer (Allen Educational Consultations, LLC, Salem, Oregon). She was a high school social studies teacher for 32 years. Ms Allen is an active member of the National Council for the Social Studies, currently serving on NCSS Revitalizing Citizenship Task Force as the Website Chair.

To find out more about opportunities to contribute to this site, contact Leah Clapman at lclapman@newshour.org