Classroom Activities / Lesson Plans
Sample Lesson Plan 1
Title: Time Line – The Power of the Press -
Grade Range and Subjects: 6th - 8th Grade Social Studies and Literacy (Reading and Writing):
Duration of Lesson: 2-3 Class Periods of at Least 45 Minutes.
The specific goals are to: understand the cause and effect of communication innovations on freedom speech practices, visually represent how communication inventions changed societies; analyze and explain the positive and negative impact of at least two different communication technologies from two different time periods; and use a variety of websites to gather information about how communication innovations have evolved over time.
The materials and resources include but are not limited to: print, electronic and interactive timelines, scissors, construction paper, glue, Webquest links, PowerPoint, pre-formatted or teacher generated graphic organizers.
Inquiry Question: What role did communication inventions have on the freedom press and speech in the United States?
Do Now Activity – Quick Write - How do modern communication innovations make the world seem flat.
In their journal books students will describe how the new ways of communication make the world seem flat. Students may consider the increased speed at which people travel, receive goods and how much faster it takes to send and receive messages.
Mini Lesson – Compare and Contrast Inventions Printing Press vs. Internet.
Using the website http://www.cbc.ca/kids/general/the-lab/history-of-invention/default.html the teacher will discuss the role of printing press and Internet in changing the way people communicate. The teacher will provide a brief history on Gutenberg Printing Press and Internet and compare and contrast what impact these technologies had on free speech practices in the United States.
Activities - Great Moments in Communication Timeline
Working in pairs or groups of threes, students will assemble a timeline to reflect how communication technologies have evolved over time. Students will receive a pre-formatted activity sheet that contains great moments in communication covering Before the Common Area -BCE/ BC- up to modern times, Common Era -CE/AD-. Students will have to cut apart the great moment boxes and place each event/innovation in chronological order. Next students will have to create a timeline by pasting the great moments on construction paper. Students may decorate or create borders or provide other enhancements for their communication's timeline. The handout for the great moments communications cut out sheets can be download at the following link: http://www.cybersmartcurriculum.org/act_sheets/CY00_Stdnt_G68_L23a.pdf
After the timeline is constructed students will select two communication inventions from different time periods, one before the 1950's and one after the 1950's, and hypothesize positive and negative impact these inventions had on freedom of press and free speech practices. Students may use the early referenced websites or other websites provided in their Webquest.
Wrap-up or Extension— As a wrap up students will interview an adult who grow up before the invention of the internet and ask them five major changes the Internet has brought to society and record the results in their journal notebook.
Sample Lesson Plan 2
Title: Web Quest- Evaluating Websites and Free Speech on the Internet.
Grade Range and Subjects 6th - 8th Grade Social Studies
Duration of Lesson: 4-8 Class Periods of at Least 45 Minutes.
The specific goals include but are not limited to: identifying students' right and responsibilities in cyber speech; explaining the importance of balancing first amendment rights with students' safety at school; critically thinking about and evaluating a variety of websites; understanding social networking sites benefits and risks; and improving media literacy and research skills.
The materials and resources include but are not limited to: print and electronic content on the first amendment, online media links, PowerPoint, pre-formatted or teacher generated graphic organizers.
Inquiry Question: What rights do students have on and outside cyber space?
Do Now Activity – K-W-L Free Cyber Speech Rights
Students will complete a Frayer Model vocabulary square for the term "free speech" and create a K-W-L chart listing what they already know about free speech rights on internet. What new things they want to know? After the project is complete they can list the new things they learned. The teacher should allow for lots of discourse and ask probing questions to help students generate extensive lists for their K-W-L charts. For a warm-up students may list 3-5 things they know about free speech rights on the internet. For the K-W-L chart to be considered complete, students should name at least 10 things they know and want to know about the topic.
Mini Lesson – What does MySpace mean for students' First Amendment Rights?
The teacher will guide students in understanding their First amendment Rights as it relates to life online. Students will learn that they do not forsake their constitutional rights while online or in school. However, they will learn that they do not have unlimited first amendments rights while at school or when it come to providing a safe school environment. Teacher will provide a few cases of online first amendment rights' cases and lead students in discourse to evaluate if other students' first amendment rights were violated. Cases may include any of the following listed below from the website- http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/PDF/student.internet.speech.pdf :
- Beussink v. Woodland R-IV School District, 30 F.Supp.2d 1175 (E.D. Mo. 1998)
- Coy v. Board of Education of the North, Canton City Schools, 205 F.Supp. 2d 791 (N.D. Ohio 2002)
- J.S. v. Bethlehem Area School District, 807 A.2d 847 (Pa. 2002)
- Killion v. Franklin Regional School District, 136 F.Supp.2d 446 (W.D. Pa. 2001)
- Mahaffey v. Aldrich, 236 F.Supp. 2d 779 (E.D. Mich. 2002)
Activities: Social Networking and Internet Safety Evaluation Web Quest.
Working in groups students will complete a graphic organizer as a part of their Webquest project. Students will evaluate several internet safety websites that provides different slants and approaches for promoting internet safety. Websites may present a variety messages or convey their content using varying styles. This may include but not limited to the following: corporate or commercial facade, governmental or parent organizational appeal; animation or more text based. Furthermore, some sites may persuade students and parents to avoid social networking sites by emphasizing internet predators, cyber bullying issues, while others sites may offer positive alternatives for using social networking sites such as homework help and teen support groups.
The Internet Safety Website graphic organizer will specifically have students record the following information:
- Title of the website and URL address
- The author(s)/ sponsor(s) of the site
- Type of site – commercial –com., non-profit/organizational -org., school or educational –edu . individual /personal (tiddle)- ~ or other (specify).
- Intended Audience- kid friendly, parent friendly, teacher friendly, or a combination.
- Site Construction – animation / graphics, text / statistics, other (specify)
- Persuasion Technique- Fear Tactics about social networking sites, Positive alternatives to social networks, balance perspective both positive and negative aspects of using social networking sites presented.
A sample of the Webquest Internet Safety Website Evaluation Graphic Organizer is provided in appendix # 2.
Wrap up or Extension – Pros and Cons of Free Speech WebQuest Slide Presentation
After completing their graphic organizers, students will make deeper inquiry on the pros and cons free speech as it relates to social networking sites. Working in pairs students will use the Internet as well as other secondary and primary sources to produce 10 PowerPoint slides reflecting (5) pros and (5) cons of free "cyber" speech. Students will have to cite sources for images, facts, opinions and websites used in producing their slides.
Sample Lesson Plan 3
Title: Free Cyber Speech and Internet Safety Public Service Media Product
Grade Range and Subjects: 6th - 8th Grade Media Arts and Social Studies (Reading and Writing)
Duration of Lesson: 6-8 Class Periods of at Least 45 Minutes.
The specific goals include: creating storyboards; planning, and producing internet safety public service announcements (PSA's); demonstrating persuasive appeals using media technology while incorporating: images, lyrics, text, music, transitions and special effects; demonstrating acceptable "fair use" practices by sampling lyrics, text, data, royalty free images and content; using multi-media as service learning component.
Materials / Resources: LCD projection, royalty free material, Digital Camera, I Movie, Garage Band, pre-formatted or teacher generated story board templates.
Inquiry Question: How can you use media technologies to inform your peers about free speech rights and responsibilities and offer Internet safety tips?
Do Now Activity – What's in a name?
Students will make a name for their own social networking site that would promote Internet safety. Students will come up with an original name for a social networking website that would compete with MySpace. Students will create a logo or symbol for their site and describe what their site's name and symbol means.
Mini Lesson – Demonstrate "Fair Use" Practices
The teacher or visiting media artist will provide mini-lessons on copyright and "fair use" guidelines for school projects. It is critical for teachers to spend time covering what is the acceptable use of music, photographs and motion media. The general limitations to be discussed include: Motion Media (such as movies, commercial, or television programs): 10 percent or 30 seconds; Text: 10 percent or 1000 words; Music, Lyrics, music videos: 10 percent or 30 seconds; Numerical data sets: 10 percent or 2,500 field or cell entries; Illustrations and photographs: 10 percent or 15 images in collection; no more than five by a single artist or photographer. 26
Students must understand that they still must cite or credit their sources. If they want to use more content than the above noted limitations, they must write the copyright holder for permission. To assess whether students understand acceptable "Fair Use" practices, different scenarios using free speech /internet safety topics, images, and text will be presented and students will have to decide if the case is acceptable or not acceptable "Fair Use".
Activities –
Students will view selected internet safety and cyber bullying clips from the documentary "Kids Growing Up online" and clips from Ikeepsafe.org and netsmartz.org websites. These varied clips provide different perspective and approaches to informing the public about the pros and cons on free cyber speech implications for school aged children. The clips will be use to further explore issues around media literacy and provide context for my students to consider ways that the Internet could be used to promote positive social justice service learning projects. While viewing clips students will take notes covering the following questions: how is the Internet being use to help young people shape their identities? What is cyber bullying how it is different or alike face to face bullying? How did seeing the film clips change your views about the internet? Did seeing any of the film clips inspire you to want to find new ways to use Internet to promote positive social change? Why or why not? What impact does the Internet have on the first amendment rights - free speech?
Wrap up or Extension — Internet Safety Public Service Announcements (PSAs)
This unit may culminate with an Internet safety PSAs showcase. With support from a media arts partners such as Temple University's Media Education Labor or Comcast students' work may be presented at outside venues. In preparation for the showcase students may work in groups of four; students will form production teams to create an informative digital PSAs to deal with issues such as free speech online, cyber bullying, positive uses of social networking sites, internet safety, etc. The teacher or media artist will model how to use storyboards for planning their own digital video, pod-cast or other digital media. Students may use images from their inquiry process, PowerPoint slides, website evaluations as well as create their own material. Students may also and present live performances of raps, spoken word, hip-hop inspired dance moves to reflect their inquiry about MySpace in Democracy.
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