Date: 1994
Grade Level(s): 4, 5, 6, 7
Subject(s):
Objective: To learn about newspapers published in other cities
Materials Needed: Newspapers from around the U.S., red markers
To Start:
What is important news in one state may not be as important in other. Distribute copies of your local newspaper and have students look at its major stories. Ask: Which stories would be of interest only to people in our state? Our city? Have student draw a red "X" through news stories that they think would not have been printed in newspapers elsewhere. How many news stories are left?
Group Activity:
To help students understand what makes news in other cities and states, have them try a target-dating activity. Pick a date; have students write to a newspaper in another city and request a copy for that date. (Your local library should have a copy of Editor & Publisher-a directory of newspapers in each state. Make a random selection or ask students to choose a city of interest.) Students should write at least two to three weeks in advance; they might want to send extra letters to make up for the few newspapers that do not respond. (Do not request Sunday newspapers; mailing costs would be prohibitive for most.)
When the newspapers come in, students would make a display of front pages from around the country. Your local newspaper might go in the middle, with other newspapers around it. Compare front-page coverage from city to city. What are similarities in the news? What are differences? Did many newspapers focus on the same national stories? Discuss.
Follow-Up: Students can use newspapers from around the country to compare editorials. How are they different? Similar? What can you tell about the concerns of a city, as expressed in letters to the editor of its newspapers?