This quick activity prompts students to analyze media choices for a magazine cover in different countries and think critically about why they might be different.
Reviewing a blogpost about the magazine covers, learners notice that in many countries, the cover story was about global warming, but in the United States, the cover was about a political scandal.
The teacher guide provides additional context about the Newsweek articles and includes question prompts to encourage students to provide evidence for their claims.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This would serve as an effective hook or introductory activity for a lesson on media literacy, bias, or social media literacy.
This activity will likely prompt a rich discussion with students and could encourage them to consider who decides what news they receive.
Additional Prerequisites
Students should be familiar with various new outlets and the motivations for decisions in profit-based businesses.
Differentiation
Before completing this activity, it may be effective to ask students where they get their news and what they like reading about.
Address the fact that this example is older and ask students if they think editorial choices change in an environment where many individuals get their news from social media.
As an extension activity, try to find additional examples where the same news piece is presented in different ways to different audiences.
Scientist Notes
The reality of our media system is that what is put out as news is put out to make a profit, which may cause biases in what is considered news. While there isn't specific climate science to verify in this resource, it develops important skills for students.
Standards
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Civics
D2.Civ.6.9-12 Critique relationships among governments, civil societies, and economic markets.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Reading: Informational Text (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.6 Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text.
Reading: Science & Technical Subjects (6-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 11-12 texts and topics.
