by Maggie Fox | 7 Feb 2024 | Decoder Replay, Educators' Catalog, Health and Wellness
Some think there is a global conspiracy to promote harmful vaccines. But doctors and health experts agree: Vaccines are safe and they save lives. Measles vaccine, conceptual image (Photo by: SCIENCE PHOTO via AP Images.) Editor’s note: On 24 January 2024, the...
In recent years, the rise of measles reported by the World Health Organization is cause for concern. It doesn’t help that vaccine misinformation keeps many parents from immunizing their children against the disease. Get the facts straight and debunk vaccine myths in this piece by health and science correspondent Maggie Fox.
Exercise: After students read the article, divide them into groups of three. Each group should select a vaccine myth presented in the article and create a public service announcement (PSA) debunking the myth. The PSA should be short and catchy, and may be presented through any format of choice: text, images, video, multimedia, etc. The class will vote on the best PSA.
by Ella Gorodetzky | 18 Jan 2024 | Educators' Catalog, Human Rights, Israel-Palestine, Media Literacy, Middle East, University of Wisconsin, Youth Voices
From Gaza to Israel to the United States some people are turning to social media for civil discussion. Can we stop disinformation about the Middle East? Posts on an imaginary social media page calling for civil dialogue about the Middle East. (Illustration by News...
Social media can be a double-edged sword — with the power to unite and to divide. How can students differentiate between disinformation and credible content? Journalism undergraduate student Ella Gorodetsky from the University of Wisconsin-Madison looks at social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war to investigate.
Exercise: After reading the article together, have students come up with a social media campaign to stop the spread of disinformation. In 160 characters or less, students should invent a catchy slogan to help others distinguish between credible and fake content. This activity should be done in groups of 2-3.
by Harvey Morris | 10 Jan 2024 | Decoder Replay, Educators' Catalog
King Charles III now sits on the British throne. In Denmark, Crown Prince Frederik is expected to ascend. What role do these royals have in the modern world? Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary at Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark,...
With the ascension of King Frederik X to the Danish throne in January 2024, we reconsider the role of monarchs in a modern world. Using this republished piece from correspondent Harvey Morris, help students develop evidence-based reasoning skills with an accompanying classroom debate activity.
Exercise: Read the article with your class, then divide students into two debate groups. One group will represent a pro-monarchy opinion, and the other group will represent an anti-monarchy opinion. Students will answer the following debate question: Should monarchies around the world be abolished? To answer the question, students should prepare an argument using the Claim-Evidence-Reasoning framework. The claim answers the question. The evidence should be collected from the article or another reputable source. The reasoning should explain why the evidence supports the claim.
by Preety Sharma | 9 Jan 2024 | Economy, Educators' Catalog, Environment, University of Toronto Journalism Fellows
The global toy industry has a plastics predicament: How to feed children’s appetite for new toys, keep prices low and not harm the Earth in the process. A pile of plastic toys at a toy landfill. (Illustration by News Decoder) Plastic is omnipresent in our lives...
90% of the world’s new toys feature some form of plastic. As the industry continues to grow, especially in places like North America, how can we ensure toy makers are thinking of the environment — and not just profit? University of Toronto Journalism Fellow Preety Sharma covers potential solutions.
Exercise: Sharma’s article suggests that pro-environmental behavior is most commonly adopted when it is a default option. That means it is the easiest or cheapest option. In pairs, have students think about the default options in their lives. Are these the most environmentally-friendly options, or is there room for improvement? For example: students may think about the accessibility of recycling/compost bins in their local community, the types of food packaging they see in the grocery store, etc.
by Andrea Knezevic | 8 Jan 2024 | Educators' Catalog, Europe, Journalism, WePod
Ljudmila Janković is a journalist in the Balkans, where speech isn’t quite free. But podcasting there might help foster a more independent media. Ljudmila Janković. (Photo courtesy Press Freedom Foundation) In the Western Balkans, journalists operate within a...
A free press is a central component of a democratic society. But press freedom worldwide is far from guaranteed. In this article, News Decoder Communications Specialist Andrea Knezevic interviews Ljudmila Janković of Press Freedom Foundation Serbia to uncover the challenges journalists face in the Balkans.
Exercise: As students dive into the world of journalism, help them explore the many ways to tell stories — audio, visual, text. After reading the article, students should listen to the text’s accompanying podcast episode. What are the nuances of audio versus text storytelling? Which types of stories lend themselves to audio best? You may consider following up with a podcast interviewing assignment for students.
by Ammar Nainar | 20 Dec 2023 | Asia, Educators' Catalog, History, King’s College London, Politics
India and Pakistan — both nuclear powers — have fought three wars over Kashmir. But neither will yield in one of the world’s intractable conflicts. Zero Bridge in Srinagar Kashmir. (Credit: P. Kijsanayothin for Getty Images Signature) Editor’s note: On 11...
This Decoder Replay by Ammar Nainar is an excellent complement to history lesson plans about decolonization and the Partition of India in 1947. How does the past continue to inform the present in ways that matter?
Exercise: Read the article with your history class after students learn about the Partition of India in 1947. Discuss how decisions made in the 1940s continue to affect people living in India and Pakistan to this day. What throughlines can students draw between past and present? Then, divide students into groups of 3-4. Each group will come up with a resolution to the dispute in Kashmir. Resolutions should consider: Who gets control of Kashmir? Which countries should be involved in negotiations? How feasible is Kashmiri independence?
by Garry Lotulung | 11 Dec 2023 | Asia, China, Educators' Catalog, Environment
Massive industrial complexes for nickel mining have transformed an Indonesian island long home to fishing villages and school children. Workers walk near excavators to gather soil containing nickel ore at PT Virtue Dragon Nickel Industry, a nickel processing complex...
Understanding nuance and context is a critical skill to develop in young people. In this photo essay from guest writer Garry Lotulung, students learn about the impact of the green transition on local communities in Indonesia, where nickel is mined to produce batteries for electric cars. Globally, transitioning to renewable energy is a positive — what’s the impact for Indonesians on the ground?
Exercise: In groups of 2-3, students will engage in a See-Think-Wonder activity with the photos in the article’s gallery. Each group will focus on a different photo, logging first what they see in the image, what they think is happening and what they wonder about after examining the image. The see stage develops students’ observation skills and focuses on gathering information without making interpretations. The think stage helps students develop critical thinking by interpreting and coming to conclusions using visual evidence in the photo. The wonder stage prompts inquiry and intellectual curiosity. After the See-Think-Wonder activity, read the article as a class.
by Daniel Warner | 1 Dec 2023 | Educators' Catalog, History, Politics, United States
Henry Kissinger died on the 29th of November. Our correspondent remembers the one time he had the opportunity to question him directly about his lauded career. U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger being congratulated 16 October 1973 by U.S. President Richard Nixon...
Henry Kissinger’s death made headlines at the end of November 2023. This famous diplomat sparks controversy. How should he be remembered? Correspondent Daniel Warner reflects on his brief interaction with Kissinger in Geneva back in 1999.
Exercise: Read the article with your class, then review headlines announcing Kissinger’s death from various media sources. How does the wording of these headlines differ? How does that difference change the way a reader may perceive Kissinger’s legacy? Use this activity as a conversation starter to discuss the power of word choice in media bias and framing.
by Norma Hilton | 24 Nov 2023 | Educators' Catalog, Journalism, News Decoder Tips, News Photography
Photojournalists tell stories through images. To do that they have to get into the thick of it. A man is arrested during the protests against the government of President Dina Boluarte in Lima, Peru on 4 February 2023. Credit: Alfonso Silva-Santisteban. This article...
Telling stories through photos doesn’t require an expensive camera and decades of experience. Students can be photojournalists too — so long as they’re prepared and know what makes an effective photo. In this piece, correspondent Norma Hilton covers tips for capturing news with a camera, while staying safe.
Exercise: Read the article with your class, then have students compile a list of photojournalism tips from the text. With these tips in mind, students will then go out into the local community to take photos of a newsworthy event (e.g. a student rally, school football game, mayoral debate, city council meeting, etc.). Can students capture an effective photo that tells a story? As an extension of this exercise, students can put together a photo essay and pitch their story to us for a chance to be published on our global news site.
by Alister Doyle | 22 Nov 2023 | Decoder Replay, Educators' Catalog, Environment
For years, governments have engaged in marathon annual talks to try to end global warming. But they often fall frustratingly short. A giant sculpture tops the Museum of the Future in Dubai. Credit: Lyonerov CC by 4.0 Editor’s note: Beginning 28 November, some...
With COP28 beginning in Dubai this week (late November 2023), help your students contribute to the climate conversation with this article originally published in October 2022 ahead of COP27 in Egypt. Climate journalist Alister Doyle runs down what to expect with these global summits — and why they often fall short.
Exercise: Read the article with your class to cover the background and purpose of COPs. Then, have students find current media coverage of the event. How does today’s coverage compare to Doyle’s piece from one year ago? What, if anything, has changed? Is the general consensus on climate change mitigation more or less optimistic than it was a year ago?
