Journalism Lesson: Interviews and Inclusivity
Lesson Plan
2 hoursGrades9, 10, 11, 12English Language Arts
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Written by Liz Ransom
About this lesson
In this lesson, students explore best practices for climate change journalism, including best practices for reducing bias and promoting equity and fairness in reporting. Students analyze the role of interviews in feature articles, then plan and conduct interviews for their own climate change articles.
Inquire: Students describe an image, reflect on how bias can interfere with impartiality, and brainstorm the role of interviews in reporting climate change topics.
Investigate: Students review the equity checklist for journalists, explore the use of quotes in climate journalism, and refine their list of people to interview for their article.
Inspire: Students learn interview techniques, write interview questions, and conduct interviews for their article about the climate crisis.
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Suggestions
- This lesson can be incorporated into an English Language Arts, journalism, or science class, or a student newspaper club.
- This lesson provides multiple opportunities for students to express voice and choice and participate in hands-on, self-directed, and collaborative activities.
- Students can turn in the work on their Student Document, including the interviews they conduct, for a grade. For example, the work can be assessed for adhering to instructions, following best practices, thoroughness, and meeting deadlines.
- Instead of using the articles provided in the Investigate section, students can choose their own, more recent climate change articles from Inside Climate News or Grist to analyze.
- Before conducting their interviews, students can review this resource from the Uproot Project: Covering My Community: Tips for Responsible Reporting. The tips are written by reporters from diverse backgrounds and include topics such as steps to take when covering an underrepresented community.
- At the end of the lesson, the teacher can return to the Learning Outcomes slide in the Teacher Slideshow, and students can assess their own progress towards these outcomes.
Prerequisites
- This is lesson 3 of 4 in our 9th-12th grade Climate Journalism Unit.
- It will be helpful, but not necessary, for students to complete Lesson 1: Pitch the Idea and Lesson 2: Research the Facts before completing this lesson.
- Students who did not complete the prior lessons will need to choose a climate topic that pertains to their local community and conduct preliminary research on the topic.
- See Lesson 2 for tips on how to identify and debunk disinformation.
- Students should have a basic understanding of climate change.
- Students will need access to the Internet and a device to complete the readings in the Investigate section. Alternatively, the teacher can print out and distribute the articles.
Differentiation
- Students who need more support can first work in groups to interview each other about their opinions and experiences related to their climate change article topic.
- Interviewers should complete the chart on their Student Document and identify the role of students in the school (such as members of the student government, sports teams, clubs, theater, etc.) and follow the tips covered in the lesson.
- The group can debrief by providing each other with feedback about their interview techniques, and discuss how it felt to be interviewed.
- CCN’s best practices are also available in Spanish: Las mejores prácticas para el periodismo climático.
- As an extension, students can explore Covering Climate Now’s annual Climate Journalism Awards, which include exemplary reporting in 16 different categories. Here are the 2024 award winners.
From the scientist review
This lesson emphasizes how crucial it is to conduct interviews in order to obtain accurate narratives free of bias. Students choose methods for drafting inclusive interview questions and create reports on climate change-related topics. Although there was no science to review in the materials, the lesson passed our science review procedure since the content and sources were appropriately attributed.
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About the teacher writer
Liz Ransom
High School Teacher
As a High School Spanish teacher and student newspaper advisor, Liz has taught for over 20 years and has served as World Languages Department Chair and K-6 summer camp activities leader. She has worked in Ohio, Maine, New Jersey, Maryland, and Chile.
