Activity 1: Coastal Issues in the News
Coastal » Unit 5: Coastal Issues In The News » Activity 1: Coastal Issues in the News
Materials & Setup
In Advance Collecting Coastal News Stories
Two to Three Weeks in Advance
- Assign students to review local and state newspapers and clip stories about coastal issues on Maui. If students are not finding adequate coverage of coastal issues in current newspapers, have them access earlier time periods through the newspaper websites listed in the Student Page “Newspaper Websites,” (p. 7).
- Do a quick brainstorm session with the class to identify the types of issues and areas that might be covered under the category “coastal issues.” These could include, among other possibilities, beach loss or protection, coastal development, sea turtle nesting, dune damage or restoration, threats or efforts to protect native plants and animals, traditional food gathering practices and rights, protected areas such as ʻĀhihi-Kīnaʻu Natural Area Reserve, marine debris, and pollution or sedimentation of coastal areas.
One to Two Days in Advance
- Assign as homework the Student Page “Reading the Newspaper With a Critical Eye.”
- Have students start a “Coastal Issues in the News” portfolio with the completed student page and all of their newspaper stories. They should bring their portfolios to class.
For each student
- Student Page “Newspaper Websites” (p. 7)
- Student Page “Reading the Newspaper With a Critical Eye” (pp. 8-10)
Instructions
1) Lead a class discussion about the issues students found covered in the newspaper. For each major issue:
- Develop a common understanding of the basic story,
- Identify student questions about these issues and allow students to answer each others’ questions where possible, and
- Invite students to comment on the quality of the reporting, focusing on characteristics such as fairness and balance, continuity of coverage, completeness of information, and writing quality.
2) With student input, identify the best newspaper article (or top three) from all those collected. What makes this article stand out from the others?
Journal Ideas
- Which newspaper article did you think was the best? Why?
- Do you think the “Five Ws” (who, what, where, when, and why) are important for journalists to include in their articles? Why or why not?
- What issues or events that took place over the course of the last two or three weeks should have gotten newspaper coverage—or more prominent coverage—but did not? Why are these issues and events important?
- Did any of the articles incorporate or make reference to traditional Hawaiian culture or values? If so, how were those connections made?
- Do you think it is appropriate for journalists to allow their own feelings about an issue to come through in their writing? Why or why not?
Assessment Tools
- Student Page “Reading the Newspaper With a Critical Eye”
- Student “Coastal Issues in the News” portfolios
- Journal entries
Media Resources
- None