Government · Week 16 · Participation, Media, and Comparative Government
A Free and Responsible Press
Discussing why a free press matters and comparing how two outlets cover the same event, practicing curiosity about why others trust different sources.
- Students will
- Students explain why a free and responsible press matters and compare how two outlets cover the same event, evaluating each source's origin and perspective.
- SEL skill
- Ask curious questions about why others trust different sources
- What it looks like
- Students practice curiosity about why other people trust different sources.
- Content focus
- A free and responsible press
- Format
- Collaborative analysis
Social awareness
Social awareness means understanding how other people see things and caring about them, including people whose backgrounds differ from yours. More social awareness activities
What you get
A teacher guide with what to say, step by step, plus student pages and a supports page for students with diverse learning needs, including those with IEPs. Print or Project it, or assign it in Google Forms and Google Docs for Google Classroom. Your first 10 activities are free.
Standards
- 12.8.1: CA History Social Science Content Standard, Grade 12: Principles of American Democracy (standard 12.8, item 1)
- 12.8.2: CA History Social Science Content Standard, Grade 12: Principles of American Democracy (standard 12.8, item 2)
- CA HSS Analysis Skill: HREP2 Identify bias and prejudice in historical interpretations. (Historical Research, Evidence, and Point of View)
- C3 Framework (national): D3.1.9-12 Gather information from multiple sources representing a wide range of views, using each source's origin, authority, and context to guide selection.
- Literacy in history: RH.11-12.6 Compare the point of view of two or more authors on the same or related topics.
Fits these textbook chapters
- Government Alive! Power, Politics, and You, Chapter 5: The Bill of Rights and Civil Liberties
- Government Alive! Power, Politics, and You, Chapter 9: Public Opinion and the Media
- United States Government and Civics, Chapter 15: Constitutional Freedoms
- United States Government and Civics, Chapter 19: Public Opinion and Interest Groups
- United States Government and Civics, Chapter 20: Mass Media in the Digital Age
- Magruder's American Government, Chapter 8: Mass Media and Public Opinion
- Magruder's American Government, Chapter 19: Civil Liberties: First Amendment Freedoms
Textbook names are used only to help you find activities that fit what you teach. RoseThread Connect is not affiliated with these publishers.
More social awareness activities for Government
- Ideas the Founders Borrowed Social awarenessTracing how Greek, Roman, English, and Enlightenment thinkers shaped the Constitution, then noticing which voices have shaped students' own beliefs.
- Landmark Cases, Changing Minds Social awarenessTracing the shift from Plessy v. Ferguson to Brown v. Board of Education and reflecting on what helps a person or a nation change its mind.
- Government Close to Home Social awarenessMapping who provides water, schools, roads, and tribal services in the Coachella Valley, including the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, and noticing the unseen people who keep a community running.
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RoseThread Connect activities are drafted with the help of AI and shaped by educators. Students never have to share anything personal. Our five SEL skills are informed by CASEL's SEL Framework; RoseThread Learning is not affiliated with or endorsed by CASEL.