After researching statistics about their community in local census reports, young journalists interview a resident about their interests and then analyze a local newspaper or homepage to see how similar the stories are to the residents' interests. To conclude the lesson plan, class members brainstorm ways to encourage the papers to cover topics of interest to locals.

Concepts

news articles, news broadcast, news headlines, news media, news reporting, newspapers, community service, censuses, the census

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Instructional Ideas

• Check to see if your local newspaper has a program that provides a free class set of newspaper
• Bookmark the United States Census Bureau's website with local census reports on devices

Classroom Considerations

• Participants must have access to devices with internet
• Requires copies, one per pupil, of the "News About My Community" worksheet

Pros

• Encourages learners to get involved in local news reporting

Cons

• None