This Just in! (UK)

How should we react to breaking news?

Lesson Slides
Featured Resource

With mobile phone alerts, social media updates and 24/7 news cycles, it's hard to escape the daily flood of breaking news. But do young people really understand what they're seeing when stories first break? Help learners analyse breaking news with a critical eye for false or incomplete information and discuss the downsides of our "always-on" news media culture.

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Learning Objectives:

Define breaking news and understand why individuals and news outlets want to be first to report a story.
Analyse breaking news alerts to identify clues of false or incomplete information.
Reflect on the consequences of reacting right away to breaking news alerts.

Key Vocabulary: bias · 24/7 news cycle · breaking news Show definitions

bias:

showing a strong opinion or preference for or against something or someone

24/7 news cycle:

24-hour, seven-day-a-week investigating and reporting of news via television, radio, print, online, and mobile app devices

breaking news:

information being reported about an event that has just happened or is currently occurring

Classroom resources

Lesson Slides

Breaking News!

Handout Teacher Version

Cancelled Concert?

Handout Teacher Version

Lesson Quiz

Take-home resources

Family Activity

Family Tips

EXPLORE MORE LESSONS FOR

News & Media Literacy

Digital Citizenship Week

Common Sense Media Tips by Text

This Just in! (UK)

Lesson Plan

Warm-Up: Who's First?

Analyse: Breaking Down Breaking News

Apply: Cancelled Concert

Wrap-Up: Trusted Source

Additional Resources

What You'll Need

Classroom resources

Take-home resources