Journalism Lesson: Pitch the Idea
Lesson Plan
1 hour 40 minutesGrades9, 10, 11, 12English Language Arts
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Written by Liz Ransom
About this lesson
In this lesson, students explore how journalism addresses the climate crisis and write a pitch for a feature article.
Inquire: Students participate in a climate journalism scavenger hunt, brainstorm what makes a story compelling, and explore the differences between news and feature articles.
Investigate: Students become familiar with climate change basics, choose a topic for their feature article, and outline a plan to investigate their topic.
Inspire: Students write a persuasive pitch for a feature article about the climate crisis.
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Suggestions
- This lesson can be incorporated into an English language arts class, a journalism class, a science class, or a student newspaper club.
- In the Inquire section:
- Teachers can include a local climate news source for the scavenger hunt or provide students with paper copies of newspapers that focus on environmental or climate change topics.
- Teachers can shorten the scavenger hunt by assigning 1 or 2 slides per group, and then each group can present what they found to the class.
- Teachers may want to preview the sources for the scavenger hunt before the class.
- Students can select a news article and a feature article they found during the climate news scavenger hunt, and then identify the characteristics of each type of article.
- In the Investigate section:
- Before they begin their brainstorming, students can view this 7-minute video from the Solutions Journalism Network, How 9 Newsrooms Are Shifting to Climate Solutions Reporting. Students can discuss the following questions
- Why have these newsrooms started to focus on “solutions” reporting about climate change?
- What has been the impact of this change?
- If students need help identifying whether or not their sources reflect equity and justice, The Solutions Project’s guide for journalists is an excellent resource for students or teachers.
- Before they begin their brainstorming, students can view this 7-minute video from the Solutions Journalism Network, How 9 Newsrooms Are Shifting to Climate Solutions Reporting. Students can discuss the following questions
- In the Inspire section:
- Students can write their article pitch for homework and then peer edit during class.
- Instead of the teacher approving student article pitches, the class can approve the pitches using a 3-point system: 3-approved, 2-approved with conditions, 1-not approved because…
Prerequisites
- This is lesson 1 of 4 in our 9th-12th grade Climate Journalism Unit.
- Students should have a basic understanding of climate change. Students who need a refresher or a reference beyond the video provided in the Investigate section can use the following resources:
- This webpage from 350.org provides short texts and graphs with basic information.
- Climate Science 101 from Covering Climate Now includes both text and a video.
- The Fifth National Climate Assessment provides a deeper dive into regional climate data and impacts in the US.
- This 60-minute video from the Solutions Journalism Network Climate Data and Frameworks, also provides an excellent foundation and can be used for a homework assignment or sub plans.
- Note for teachers: At minute 31:30 a mild expletive is used.
- The panelists in the video provide a rich array of data about climate science and solutions.
- In a few places, the panelists provide their opinion. Teachers can ask students to identify and differentiate between climate facts and opinions.
- Students need access to the Internet to complete the scavenger hunt activity.
- Students should have a basic understanding of persuasive writing in order to complete the pitch in the Inspire section.
Differentiation
- Students who need more support can complete the sentence stems on the Student Document instead of writing a 200-word pitch, collaborate as a team during this unit, and complete all tasks with a partner.
- Advanced or upper-level students can create an annotated bibliography for the sources as part of the pitch.
- Teachers can use this Climate Anxiety SEL Resource to help students navigate climate emotions related to their climate topic during this unit.
From the scientist review
Students write a climate story using the lesson's guide, and they will discover the best ways to publish an article about the climate crisis and potential solutions. The lesson has been examined, and it is advised for use in the classroom due to the methodologies, classroom activities, and all of the materials utilized in its creation.
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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.
