Understanding by Design

Suzy Ries

Statements of Enduring Understanding:

• Students will understand the history of media and the effect it has on their lives and history.

• Students will evaluate the content and layout of a newspaper based on standard layout, design and language principles.

Essential Questions:

• What makes a great news story?
• How has the printed word changed history?
• How would you create the perfect newspaper for teens?
• Do you think the printing press is the greatest invention ever?
• Do mass media industries run your life?
• How might you feel if you were jailed for printing your opinion?

Range of Evidence:

Targeted Understanding: Students will understand the history of mass media and the effect it has on their lives and history.

Core Performance Task:

· Create a decade timeline highlighting changes in mass media and impact on society.

Formal Observations or interviews of students:

· “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” review game.

Public Performances:

· Presentation of timeline projects.

Short-answer quizzes and tests:

· Quiz #1

Exhibits or Models:

· Creation of timeline.

· Students will keep a weeklong log of their mass media viewing habits, turn that information into an Excel spreadsheet/graph and answer related questions.

Written, oral or visual products in response to prompts:

· Reaction paper to essential question “Do mass media industries run you life?”

Targeted Understanding: Students will evaluate the content and layout of a newspaper based on standard layout, design and language principles.

Core Performance Task:

· Create the perfect newspaper for teens.

Public Performances:

· Presentation of newspaper layouts and digital camera PowerPoint

Self-assessments, logs and peer reviews:

· Peer review checklist of newspaper layout

Short answer quizzes and tests:

· Quiz #2

Exhibits or Models:

· Newspaper layout

· Digital Camera PowerPoint

Written, oral or visual products in response to prompts:

· Newspaper article rewrite as part of 12 elements of a standard news story.

Formal Observations or interviews of students:

· Class discussion on the question “What makes a great newspaper layout?”

Targeted Understanding: Students will understand the history of newspaper and the effect it has on their lives and history.

Formal Observations or interviews of students:

· Jeopardy PowerPoint Review Game

Short-answer quizzes and tests:

· Quiz #3

Written, oral or visual products in response to prompts:

· Chat room response to the question “Support or oppose the following statement ‘The printing press is the greatest invention ever.’”

· Definitions of significant terms related to newspaper history.