Curated and Reviewed by
Lesson Planet
This Use ‘War of the Worlds’ to Teach Media Literacy lesson plan also includes:
- Use ‘War of the Worlds’ to Teach Media Literacy (.html)
- Use ‘War of the Worlds’ to Teach Media Literacy (.docx)
- Worksheet - Consumer's Questions (.pdf)
- Background: ‘War of the Worlds’ (.pdf)
- Background: ‘War of the Worlds’ (.docx)
- The War of the Worlds Broadcast
- Activity
- Join to access all included materials
Orson Welles' 1938 radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds" is the focus of a lesson that looks at the importance of clarity in broadcasting. After listening to the radio broadcast, class members discuss the ethical obligations to consider, such as fake news stories.
33 Views
15 Downloads
Concepts
Instructional Ideas
- The Consumer's Questions worksheet may be used with any broadcast or print news story
Classroom Considerations
- The broadcast of "War of the Worlds" is an hour-long; consider whether to assign the audio as homework or in-class listening
- Requires copies of the Consumer's Questions worksheet
Pros
- An extension activity includes links to the next-day coverage of the panic
Cons
- None