Guiding+Activity+2

__Media Research and Interview __ Click the play button to learn more about this guiding activity: media type="custom" key="5491073" **Activity Length:** One week in-class, and one week out-of-class

__**Essential Questions:**__ How much of the news is negative versus positive, and why does it matter? How can I become a discriminating reader/viewer of media? What is the role of the media?

__**Directions:**__ In small groups: 1. Students will research three types of local media and determine the ratio of “good news” versus “bad news” over the a week’s time. They will create a chart and record their findings.

2. Student will watch national newscasts from the U.S., the U.K., and Canada and tally what stories are featured and what country/countries they focus on. They also must determine whether they are good news or bad. They will create a chart and record their findings

3. Students will analyze data, focusing on negative and positive trends in the media, and share their findings with the class, via Powerpoint, My Prezi, or Google Presentation.

Whole Class: 1. Students will reconvene as a whole group to create interview questions for a local newspaper editors, to help them get a better understanding of how and why stories are picked, etc.

Small groups: 2. Students will email these questions to local editors, and/or do face-to-face interviews. Students will also use this opportunity to request permission to print a story about an event they'll be planning in the community.

3. Dependent upon type of interview students will share information with class in the form of a digital story or a slide show presentation.