Lesson Plan: Is it news?

In this activity, students consider the role of news in today’s online environment. Students practice separating news from content about news by analyzing social media posts from content creators and influencers.

At the end of this activity, students will be able to:

1. Define news and describe its primary purpose.
2. Analyze examples of information to decide if it is news or content about news.
3. Explain why it’s important to understand what separates news from other types of content online.

Students will reflect on these essential questions:

1. What counts as “news”?
2. What separates news from content about news?
3. Why is it important to know the difference?

This resource includes activity slides and definitions for key vocabulary. Students should have access to the poster “The Information Ecosystem Depends on News” while completing this lesson.