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How to Create a Newscast

Last Updated: December 2, 2022 Fact Checked

This article was reviewed by Gerald Posner . Gerald Posner is an Author & Journalist based in Miami, Florida. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in investigative journalism, nonfiction books, and editorials. He holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley. He’s the author of thirteen books, including several New York Times bestsellers, the winner of the Florida Book Award for General Nonfiction, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. He was also shortlisted for the Best Business Book of 2020 by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 152,031 times.

A newscast is a group of news segments that have been edited together. A typical newscast is 22 minutes long to allow time for advertisements. You may decide to create a newscast for a class or as a fun project with friends. Start by assigning roles for the newscast, like an anchor, reporter, and a producer. Then, write and present the newscast so it is a concise collection of journalism for viewers to enjoy.

Assigning Roles

• If you are working with a large group of people, you may ask two people to serve as producers for the newscast. That way, the work of organizing the newscast is shared between two people.

• Another option is to ask each reporter to write their own news segment.

• You can choose two people to act as anchors for the newscast. The anchors can then take turns introducing the news segments.

• If you have a limited number of reporters, you may ask the reporters to cover more than one news story.

Writing the Newscast

• For example, the anchor introduction might be, “Good morning and welcome to the local news. Today’s stories include the heartwarming tale of a girl and her pet turtle, a look at rising employment levels, and a clip of the Hurricane’s win at the football championships last night.”

• For example, you may have a sports news segment like, “The Hurricane’s held back the Cleveland Jets to take the championship on Sunday night. Star forward Kit Hunt racked up a record 25 assists in the first half of the game. A dramatic penalty kick off decided the win for the Hurricane’s, who are 0-5 so far in the season.”

• For example, if there are two news stories about robberies in the local area, you may include both news stories.

• Avoid sentences longer than two lines and run-on sentences. Use simple terms that are accessible for the audience.

• Choose a segment that has powerful visuals or is very current and in the moment as the first news segment. For example, you may pick a news story about a fire that occurred last night in a local school as the opening segment.
• Some newscasts start with current weather conditions to keep viewers watching and show them something relevant right away.
• Do not try to link together news segments that are clearly different or unconnected. Make the order as organic and natural as you can. Keep the viewer in mind as you organize the segments.

• For example, the anchor may say, “Now, let’s turn to a heartwarming story about a young girl and her pet turtle, rescued from a burning building late last night. Our city beat reporter Joanna has more.”

Presenting the Newscast

• The anchor can also hold cards with notes for each segment and read from those.

• Have the anchors to maintain eye contact with the camera during the newscast. They should demonstrate relaxed body language, with their shoulders back, their chin up, and their hands resting on the news desk.

• If you know how to edit video , you can also shoot the newscast in multiple takes and edit it together to create an organized newscast.

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• ↑ https://www.learnesl.net/newscasting-script-for-the-introduction/
• ↑ https://www.thoughtco.com/creating-a-newscast-esl-lesson-1212280
• ↑ http://www.write-out-loud.com/cue-cards.html

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Creating a Newscast as an ESL Lesson

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Media is an ever-present reality and one that students are intimately familiar with. As such, diving into the media landscape offers multiple avenues for interesting lessons that will hold students' attention. You can start by studying media-related words so that students are familiar with the basics. From there, lesson plans can revolve around anything from watching news videos on YouTube to publishing a class newspaper. One activity that helps students cover a variety of media related themes is to have students create and act out a newscast. The larger the class, the more roles students can take on. Perhaps your class might even put up the final version online.

ESL Newscast Lesson Plan Breakdown

• Aim : Develop a working knowledge of vocabulary related to media
• Activity : Creating a newscast
• Level : Intermediate to advanced

Lesson Activities

• Study media-related vocabulary covering the basics of printed and broadcast video.
• Discuss different roles on news broadcasts including anchorpersons, meteorologists, and sports reporters. 
• Compare and contrast printed and broadcast media and how they are currently used in our daily lives.
• Watch a video on YouTube or on TV of a typical newscast together as a class. It's not necessary to watch an entire broadcast. However, students should have a chance to become familiar with a range of reports.
• Watch the newscast a second time and ask students to take note of typical phrases used to introduce various reports and reporters, as well as make transitions.
• Review transition phrases in small groups with students matching language functions to appropriate phrases.
• Ask students to write out two alternate phrases for each language function. 
• As a class, review possible phrases. Write phrases on the whiteboard, or take note in a document to print out for students.
• Ask groups to read a transcript of a typical broadcast. I've included an easy version below, but advanced classes should be able to handle actual broadcast transcripts.
• Next, students script out a short newscast in groups of four to six. One student should take on the role of anchorperson, one as the weatherperson, another as a sports reporter. For larger groups, add various reporters as required. For example, one group might have a gossip reporter from Hollywood, another group might have a reporter on assignment in China, etc. 
• Ask students to work together to write a short newscast with each student responsible for his or her own role / report.
• Review students' scripts as needed and help out with transitional language.
• Have students practice the newscast until they can deliver the news comfortably with little reference to the script. 
• Enjoy the newscasts as a class. If it's really good, share the newscast online. 
• Afterwards, repeat the fun with this lesson on writing dramatic scripts as a class.

Newscaster Language

Match the following purpose to the jargon phrases that follow. Once you've matched the phrases, come up with two additional phrases that might be used to accomplish the same function:

• Opening the newscast
• Announcing the headlines
• Introducing the weather
• Cutting to a commercial
• Transitioning to a new story
• Introducing live coverage
• Introducing the sports segment
• Interrupting the newscast for breaking news
• Using pleasant small talk to finish the news
• Signing off from the broadcast

Broadcast Journalism Jargon

• Excuse me, we have a developing situation ...
• Good evening and here is tonight's important news.
• Hi Steve, we're on the ground here in downtown ...
• How about that game last night!
• It's pretty wet out there, isn't it?
• Let's get out there and enjoy some of the good weather.
• Let's turn to a story about ...
• Stay tuned, we'll be right back.
• Thank you for tuning in. We'll be back at eleven with important updates.
• Tonight's stories include ...

(Answer Key Below)

Example News Transcript

Read this transcript and take note how transitional phrases are used during a news broadcast. Once you have finished, plan your own newscast with classmates.

Newscaster Language Answer Key

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Create Your Own Student Newsroom For Learning

Li ghts, Camera, Action! It’s time to create your own student newsroom.  A student newsroom is a great way to increase engagement, creativity, and learning within the classroom.  What’s even better is that your students are the video producers of their own newscast. 

You can guide students in their learning by assigning stories or topics.  Help them stretch their creative minds. Here are just a few tips to turn your class into a hustling, bustling newsroom.

Be the Editor-In-Chief 

Put your Editor-In-Chief hat on, and start assigning roles to each of your students.  This helps students take responsibility of their role and holds them accountable for work that’s assigned in class.  Have a list of roles including news anchors, producers, writers, reporters, video editors and general production staff.  You can change their roles on a weekly basis so that students experience work at all levels.  

You can record a quick explainer  video  to demonstrate what each role does and what they are responsible for.  You may want to showcase an example of the job from the ‘real’ world.  Grab a video from YouTube or your local news station and add it to your explainer video to illustrate what’s expected from the job.

Create an atmosphere for news

You can group your students into teams, and designate each a working area.  For example, have your video editors work in the ‘edit bay.’  You can also have your producers work alongside your writers to increase student collaboration of stories.  

If you’re learning remotely, you can also assign students their own roles and they can begin to create their own video stories at home.  You can turn to your favorite news station to get ideas on how they are reporting in a remote setting.  For example, CNN anchors are reporting from separate locations with a green screen background behind them.

Brainstorm and research together

The day begins with the brainstorming meeting.  Have students walk into your meeting with story ideas.  This helps increase class participation.  You’ll soon find enthusiastic students pitching ideas for the student newscast.  

You can also help students come up with story ideas.  Go over current news and events.  Have them research class topics and report about them.  Use this valuable class time to answer questions and help boost confidence in their stories.

Turn on the visuals

Take the creativity to the next level by designing visuals for your newscasts.  Have your creative team of students collaborate with reporters and producers on the ‘look’ of the newscast.

You can use the green screen background and add in a creative image to illustrate each story that’s being presented.  You can also use ScreenPal’s Overlay Rich Text feature to create animated title graphics for the newscast.

If you need to find the perfect visual, ScreenPal has a stock library filled with hundreds of thousands of images and videos your students can use.  They can get creative with the amount of visuals they can use.  Just add an image or insert a video from the stock library.

Turn to scripts to stay organized

The story is almost done.  All your student needs to do is record their audio over their script.  There’s a great feature in ScreenPal that makes it easy to organize and record scripts.  The Scripted Recordings feature allows students to record their voice and add video to their story.  

It’s an easy line-by-line creation process.   Simply copy and paste the script into Scripted Recordings.

 Students are able to create a video story, all in one platform.

Imagination comes alive with the video editor

Students can add images, text, arrows and more . If they need to update a story, they can import previous recordings or videos they have done into their new video.  They can also insert videos from other devices to enrich the topic.  

With the video editor, students will learn useful editing skills as they enhance and polish their videos.  They’ll be able to take responsibility for their creativity and have a great way to show it off in class.  

The news for learning

Busy reporters are often kicked off smaller stories to cover breaking news. Get in on the action, by creating your own breaking news videos.  You can use the screen and webcam recorder to showcase a student reporting on a current event. 

You can also use the webcam to record interviews with other students.  Ask them their thoughts on world news or what’s happening on campus.  This video interaction is a great way to increase their level of creativity.  

By giving them easy tools to create, you are helping students become engaged in their learning.  All you need to do is turn the camera on them and say, “Lights, Camera, Action!”  

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James E. Walker Library

Library research assignments for basic and applied sciences: newscast presentation.

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Newscast Presentation Concept

Students will create a presentation on their topic in a manner that is appropriate for a news segment. Students should target these standards towards specific major news outlets and keep them in mind when forming their presentations.

Students will then reflect on how the presentation of information may differ in presenting on a newscast in comparison to those in their disciplines.

In an alternative to a newscast, they could do any type of presentation on their topics, such as making a poster and presenting it, recording a podcast and broadcasting it, or even producing a TedTalk and posting it online.

Newscast Presentation Documents

• Newscast Presentation Rubric
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• Last Updated: Feb 2, 2024 1:32 PM
• URL: https://library.mtsu.edu/lessonplans

Newscast Lesson Plan

This lesson plan, adaptable for grades 4-8, features Creative Coding , a project-based approach to coding that prompts students to show what they know about a topic by using BrainPOP assets. This lesson focuses specifically on the Newscast project in which students use JavaScript to create a scrolling news headline to correspond with a video.  

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments

Students will:.

• Program in JavaScript
• Apply knowledge of loops and functions to create a scrolling news headline
• Understand that a conditional is code that checks if something is true
• Use conditionals to reset the position if the text goes off the screen
• Apply their knowledge of a BrainPOP topic
• Computers or other devices with Internet access
• Newscast Planning Sheet (one for each student)

Vocabulary:

Preparation:.

Preview and play with the Newscast project. To access, click the Creative Coding button on a BrainPOP topic page. NOTE: You must be logged in with My BrainPOP on individual accounts.

For help getting started and other support resources, such as differentiation and collaboration tips, review the Creative Coding Teaching Resources .

Lesson Procedure:

• Discuss with students the function or purpose of a newscast. They should understand that newscasts are useful for making important announcements and communicating a specific message to the public. A newscast can be about current events, history, discoveries, controversies, or anything else that is newsworthy. For the purposes of this project, they can also do a public service announcement (PSA).

As a class, think of other rules in your life or stories that have IF...THEN. Write them as sentences on the board.

Tell students that conditions come up in code all the time. We use them to check IF a certain thing is true, and THEN (and only then) do a particular action. Share the following code on the board:

if (x == 1){

// do something

• Display the Newscast project for the topic you’re studying on the whiteboard. Read aloud the prompt at the top of the screen. Explain that there is more than one way to respond to the prompt, and that they should be as creative as they can.
• Before beginning their Newscast projects, show the related BrainPOP movie on the whiteboard for the whole class to watch.
• Working individually or in pairs, have students review the video options in the assets panel on the lower right. While they’re deciding, distribute the Newscast Planning Sheet .

As they plan, have them consider w hat would be a newsworthy event that they would want to report about? You can have students report on real events, or for some topics, you might want to ask them to come up with their own event (even if it hasn’t happened yet. For example, they can make a “future newscast” about finding intelligent life on Mars.) You might also challenge them to create a public service announcement, such as “Bicycle Safety 101: Wear Your Helmet.”

• If necessary, you can model the first few steps of the project on the whiteboard as students follow along at their computers or devices. Circulate as students work, providing support as needed.

The opposite of

if (clock < 12){ dance(); } Would be

if (clock > 12){ runHome(); }

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Project Audio: Teaching Students How to Produce Their Own Podcasts

By Justin Hicks ,  Laura Winnick and Michael Gonchar

• April 19, 2018

Updated: April 14, 2020

Given the recent rise in podcast popularity, it’s no surprise that audio narratives are making their way into the classroom. They offer an engaging way for teachers to merge project-based learning with digital media analysis and production skills.

That’s why we run our annual Student Podcast Contest, in which we invite students to submit original podcasts, five minutes long or less. The 2020 contest runs from April 9 to May 19.

The mini-unit below walks students through the process of analyzing the techniques that make for good storytelling, interviewing and podcasting. The activities culminate in students producing their own original podcasts.

Note: For those teachers who may be technophobes, please don’t be intimidated by this technology-dependent lesson. Programs for audio editing are intuitive and easy-to-use, especially for many students. If you are a novice to audio recording, you may want to attempt to create your own one-minute podcast as a way to experience firsthand what students will encounter during the process.

Part I: Podcasts and Storytelling

In this section, students analyze the elements and techniques of both podcasting and storytelling, because stories are often at the heart of podcasts. Then, students practice telling a story aloud before moving on to interviewing in Part II.

Warm Up: Elements of Podcasts

Poll the class to see how many students are familiar with podcasts. If any students are, ask them to share their favorites. What did they enjoy about the podcasts they mentioned? What were the subjects? What elements of the podcasts do they remember: the interviews, conversations, music, sound effects or anything else?

Next, while listening to each of these three short podcast excerpts (between one and three minutes), students should take notes using this notetaking sheet (PDF) on both the episode topic (what is being said or discussed) and the production elements (the various aspects of the podcast that create the listening experience).

• Modern Love “ R We D8ting? | With Krysten Ritter ” (Segment: 1:00 - 3:16) • The Daily “ The Right to Bear Arms ” (Segment: 0:00 - 2:36) • Still Processing “ Take a Knee if You Agree ” (Segment: 0:00 - 1:27)

After you listen to all three excerpts, share as a class. What did students notice about the subject matter? What did they notice about the formatting and techniques used within the podcast? How were the three podcast excerpts similar? How were they different?

Mini-Lesson: Podcast Project

So students understand how these activities are building toward a larger goal, explain that the class will be creating original podcasts for this mini-unit. Students can work individually or in small groups. The podcasts must be five minutes or less — and while that might sound like a short amount of time, if students want to produce quality audio it really isn’t.

The podcast topics can be inspired by one of the Learning Network’s 1,000-plus writing prompts . That should give everyone plenty of options, but if students don’t see the exact topic they want to investigate in their podcast, they can come up with their own topics.

Finally, as the Warm Up activity demonstrated, there are many different types of podcasts. Some consist largely of conversations between the hosts; others are based on interviews; still others involve mostly storytelling, nonfiction or fiction. Podcasts serve different purposes too: some try to make you laugh; others aim to keep you in suspense; some want to educate or inform. Students should keep all of these possibilities in mind as they consider what they want their original podcast to be like.

Activity: Elements of Storytelling

Storytelling is a key ingredient in many podcasts, so we’re going to spend time in Part I introducing students to the art of telling an interesting story. Working in pairs or small groups, students should briefly discuss and take notes using this handout (PDF) about the elements and techniques of effective storytelling. The questions below can help start the discussion:

Think about stories your parents, family or friends have told you — or that you heard on the radio or somewhere else. What are the elements and techniques of great storytelling? How can stories we hear, but can’t see, be sometimes even more powerful than stories dramatized or documented on TV or in film?

Then they should listen to one or more of these short audio stories in their groups (and follow along with the transcript, if available). As they listen, students should continue taking notes on the same handout on what elements and techniques of storytelling are being used.

• “When the Civil War Ended, She Was My Age” from StoryCorps • “ The Coal Miner ” from The World According to Sound • “Seeking an End to Cycles of Abuse” from Radio Rookies

When you regroup as a class, ask students: What elements and techniques did you notice? Which ones do you think are the most essential to good storytelling? The class can compare its list with the elements of good storytelling included in this handout (PDF) and then add any elements or information the students think is missing.

Activity: Telling a Story

Next, as an in class activity or homework, ask students to look over the Learning Network’s list of over 1,000 prompts . (If this list feels too big, we have various shorter versions for personal writing and argument writing , along with a stream of our most recent prompts .) Have them circle or highlight topics that interest them and that they might want to talk about or explore further in a podcast. They can select as many topics as they want, but should aim for at least five.

For example, here are a few topics students might select:

• Do You Know About Your Family’s History? • What Was Your Most Precious Childhood Possession? • What Ethical Dilemmas Have You Faced? • Are You Distracted by Your Phone?

From their list, students should choose one question to tell a story about, as a way to practice storytelling. To prepare, they should first write down their ideas as a rough draft or outline.

Then, they should practice telling their story to a partner. As partners listen, they should keep track of which elements and techniques of effective storytelling are being used (perhaps using the same handout ), and provide feedback to one another after listening.

Have the class share how the storytelling activity went. Did students incorporate the elements and techniques of effective storytelling discussed in class? If there’s time, invite a few students to present their stories to the rest of the class.

Part II: Podcasts and Interviewing

Students should now be at least a little familiar with the elements that make for good podcasts and storytelling. What’s next? Analyzing and practicing effective interviewing techniques, another ingredient central to many podcasts.

Warm Up: One-Minute Interviews

From the list they already highlighted, ask students to choose a prompt they could pose as a podcast interview question. Tell students they are going to practice taking on the role of interviewer and interviewee, and they will have one minute to conduct an interview. Interviews should take up the entire minute, so if there is extra time, interviewers should be ready to ask follow-up questions.

Set the timer to one minute and have students interview a partner. When time is up, have partners switch roles for the next minute.

After both interviews are completed, discuss the activity as a class. How did the one-minute interviews go? Did the interviewee speak for the entire time? Did the interviewer ask any follow-up questions? What kinds of follow-up questions worked well? Students should take notes using this handout (PDF).

Mini-Lesson

As a class, watch this Radio Rookies video (above) about a particular type of interview — the vox pop, or on-the-street, interview. Students should continue adding notes on interview techniques. After the video, do a quick share.

Activity: Elements of an Interview

Vox pops are just one kind of interview. Often interviews are prepared, meaning the interviewee has time to think about the questions in advance (as opposed to the vox pop) and the interview includes multiple questions and takes place in a more formal, or at least quiet, setting.

In their small groups, students should listen to the three brief audio clips below and take notes on the same handout.

Invisibilia: Episode 1: Dark Thoughts (Segment: 0:00 - 2:40) The Daily: Fired Over an Instagram Post (Segment: 0:00 - 3:45) StoryCorps: Gregory Bess and April Gibson (Segment: 0:00 - 2:36)

For “The Daily” episode, students might notice that the interview questions are sometimes edited out — so the listener just hears the interviewee’s responses. Students might even guess what the missing questions were.

Then regroup as a class. What interviewing techniques did you hear? Which ones do you think are the most essential to good interviewing? Which techniques might be most helpful to you in making your podcasts? Make sure you discuss the difference between open-ended questions (which require more thought) and closed-ended questions (which elicit a simple one-word answer), and how the first kind makes for better interviews.

Mini-Lesson: Using a Smartphone to Record

Until now, we‘ve focused on the nontechnical aspects of podcasting, but to move forward we’ll need to make sure the class knows how to use recording devices. If you have fancy microphones or microcassette recorders, you can skip this next part. But if your students will be using their smartphones as personal recording devices, then make sure everyone is familiar with these basics:

• First, smartphones will need to have a sound recording app. On Android, students can download a free voice recording app like “RecForge II” or “ Audio Recorder .” For iPhones, in the extras folder, find the “Voice Memos” app. • Make sure students know where the microphone is on their phones. • Ask students to spread out and find a reasonably quiet space. • To begin recording, start by pressing the “Record” button or a red square. To finish, press the same button again. • Make sure to position the microphone about six inches away from the side of your subject’s mouth. • Check your audio, preferably with a pair of headphones. It should be free of background sound and loud enough to hear, but not so loud that it crackles. Record for 10 seconds and then play it back; adjust microphone position based on volume. • After you finish, make sure to enter a title for the recording and save it. • To get the file to your computer so you can edit it later on, use AirDrop, Bluetooth transfer, email or Google Drive upload.

Activity: Recording an Interview

Students are now ready to make their first recording. Working with their previous partners, students should record an interview, trying to get at least three minutes of recording. They can use the same questions they used during the one-minute interviews, or they can choose new questions from the prompt list. Remind them to use the best practices for interviewing and recording discussed earlier, including asking open-ended follow-up questions.

After they finish recording their interviews, they should make sure their sound files are good quality and saved.

As an alternative activity or homework assignment, students can conduct a series of vox pop interviews in an unstructured setting within the school, such as during recess, at lunchtime or in the hallways.

Debrief the interview activity with students. How did the interviews go? Did they create quality sound recordings? Did they learn any useful strategies before they begin making their podcasts?

Part III: Podcast Editing

Students can tell stories, they can interview and be interviewed, and they can record sound. Now it’s time to learn how to edit audio. By the end of this part of the mini-unit, students produce a practice one-minute podcast.

Ask students to listen to their recordings from the previous day using headphones. While they listen, they should write an outline of the recording, like this transcript from the Invisibilia podcast they already listened to. Since their outlines won’t be published, students don’t need to write down everything word for word and they can use plenty of ellipses or shorthand notes. These outlines will be helpful during the editing process. You may need to model for students how to make a very rough transcript or outline efficiently.

Students will use these sound recordings to practice using editing software.

Mini Lesson: Editing Software

Editing software is the tool that will help students turn their sound files into professional-sounding podcasts. With it, they can delete sections of audio, move audio segments around and stitch them together, and add additional sounds. They’ll need to practice using this software before moving forward with the podcast project. Depending on how many computers you have, students might work alone or in pairs.

Note: Classes using Apple computers can use GarageBand, a free audio editing software. Other examples of free online audio editing software that can be used on Windows or Google devices include Audacity , Soundtrap (free for 14 days, then premium) and Beautiful Audio Editor . For each of these applications, there are tutorial videos available online. We recommend teachers become familiar with how to use basic features before diving into the editing process with students.

Here are some of the basics of audio editing you should go over with students:

1. Students will need sound files to edit. They can upload them from their recording devices, they can upload audio files from online or they can use the editing software to record new sound files. 2. The “cut” or “split” tool enables students to splice one audio segment into two or more segments. 3. The “delete” tool enables students to get rid of any audio segments they don’t want. 4. The dragging and moving function allows students to reposition audio segments where they want them. Typically students will use the mouse as a cursor to drag and move content. 5. The timeline ruler or grid is the tool that measures the audio. Students use the timeline to assemble various audio segments into one project. 6. Tracks are layers of sound. Podcasts often have multiple tracks of audio playing simultaneously, such as music or sound effects played over spoken word. Students can align the various tracks using the timeline. 7. Volume can be adjusted in each audio segment. Students can also add effects, such as fade in or fade out. 8. “Save” and “Export” are important functions. Students must remember to save their work, and they will most likely want to export their project when they are done.

Activity: One-Minute Podcasts

The best way for students to get practice using these tools is for them to play with them in a low-stakes way — thus, we suggest the one-minute podcast assignment. Students should take their three-minute recorded interviews and turn them into one-minute audio stories. They may want to cut out the actual interview questions; they may splice out parts of answers or move around sections; they may add additional narration or sound effects.

We recommend this assignment as a timed activity — perhaps only one class period. Since it’s not the final project, the goal isn’t to produce a stellar podcast. Instead, it’s to make sure students become comfortable with the editing software.

Save time to debrief with students about using the editing software. How did it go? Where did they stumble? What did they learn? If there’s time, you can play a few of the one-minute podcasts for the class.

For homework, you can instruct students to look over the prompt list one more time to select their final podcast topic.

Part IV: Producing a Podcast

We’ve reached the final chapter of this mini-unit. Students are ready to come up with a topic, create a plan and produce their very own original podcasts.

Warm Up: Topic Brainstorm

If students already selected their podcast topics for homework, have them share during the Warm Up. If not, have them return to the prompt list to choose the one question they want to address in their podcast. If students will be working with partners, they should do this brainstorm as a team. If they don’t see a topic that interests them, they can come up with an original idea.

Mini-Lesson: Planning a Podcast

Just like writers do before starting an essay, podcast producers typically make an outline or plan before they start recording and editing. They brainstorm how they want to turn their topic into an audio story. What components will they need: spoken stories, interviews, narration?

Before students get started producing their own podcasts, model how to plan a podcast from an initial question. You can use the beginning of Episode 538 from “This American Life” (Segment 0:00 - 4:20) and its transcript . While the class listens together, reveal a rough outline of the components that make up this segment.

Narrator introduces a situation: A middle school student refuses to take off a hat in the classroom. Vox pop interview clips, interspersed with narration: Various teachers share how they might handle this situation. Music fades in ... Narrator introduces the larger topic of school discipline and the main question the podcast will address: Are school and teacher discipline policies working? Is there a better way? Music fades in ...

After listening, discuss: What is the question this episode focuses on? What components do the producers use during this segment? How can a rough outline like this one help them plan their podcasts?

Project Workshop Step 1: Planning a Podcast

Students should fill out their own podcast planning form (PDF), beginning with their focus question. The form also asks students to think about narration, storytelling and interviewing. On the second page, students design a rough outline.

Project Workshop Step 2: Gathering Audio Source Material

Once they have a plan, students need to go out and record their narration, stories and interviews. Some of this may take place during class time. Some of it may not.

They should also gather any additional sound files they will want to use. Be sure to remind students to use non-copyrighted sound effects or music, though there are some limited fair use exceptions when they can legally use copyrighted work (such as when they are critiquing a song or reporting on a film). Students can find royalty-free music and sound effects like those on Bensound and Freesound , or they can create their own beats or melodies using their audio editing software.

Project Workshop Step 3: Editing and Publishing

Once they have all their needed sound files, the last step is to use audio editing software to pull the pieces together into a final podcast, five minutes long or less. Please be forewarned: Editing can be a time-consuming process.

When the podcasts are ready, you can upload them to one of many hosting sites. SoundCloud offers free podcast hosting and so do Buzzsprout , Podomatic and Spreaker , with limitations. Here’s an example of how one teacher shares her students’ podcast projects with the world.

Podcast Celebration

After all this hard work, we hope students can celebrate what they’ve accomplished. Perhaps you want to have a podcast listening party, where you spend a class period listening to all the projects. You can even invite parents or guests. Or, if time is short, you can let groups of students listen to each other’s podcasts using headphones. Either way, you may want to give students a chance to offer feedback on one another’s work.

Additional Resources for Teachers

Resources Around the Web for Teaching Podcasting and Listening Skills

NPR | Starting Your Podcast: A Guide For Students

NPR | Teaching Podcasting: A Curriculum Guide for Educators

KQED’s Podcasting With Youth Radio

Radio Rookies

Tools for Podcasting

Learning Network Lesson Plans On Podcasting and Listening Skills

Experimenting With Sound and Story: Teaching and Learning With ‘The Daily’ Podcast

Active Listening: Using Times Videos, Podcasts and Articles to Practice a Key Skill

Laura Winnick teaches English at the Urban Assembly Maker Academy , a public high school in Manhattan, where she brings in podcast pedagogy as a creative, research-based summative assessment.

Justin Hicks attends New York University’s graduate school for journalism and produces freelance audio stories. Every Saturday, he produces a podcast with middle and high school students in Harlem where students report, edit and mix their very own audio stories.

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Purpose of assignment: In this assignment, you and a partner will identify a current social issue and develop a three- to five-minute mock television newscast or editorial presentation about it using various satiric techniques. You can model your television script on a segment of Saturday Night Live 's "Weekend Update," The Daily Show with Jon Stewart , or The Colbert Report .

Audience: The audience for this assignment is your teacher and your classmates.

Prewriting:

• Select, view, and analyze an episode of one of the three programs listed above that you wish to imitate.
• Name the program and its original broadcast date.
• What are the news items that form the basis of the segment?
• How does the newscaster make use of visual support (sound bites of other media broadcasts, photos, or slogans, for example)?
• Besides making fun of the subject matter or the personalities involved in the news, what is the overall effect of the satiric message as compared to the original intent of the message as a news item or a profile of an individual?
• Working with your partner, or as your teacher directs, brainstorm several contemporary social issues, who is affected by them, and what needs to be done to address each issue.
• In the manner of Swift, propose an absolutely outrageous solution to address the problem.
• Determine how the solution would be implemented.
• What persons, either real or fictional, might endorse your solution?
• What potential objections might you encounter (both those that you might concede and those that you would refute)?
• Develop an appropriate closing for your proposal.

Writing, Revising, Editing

• First, write the address for your newscaster to read to the “television” audience (only a page or two long), which you will practice and read from in making your presentation.
• Once you’ve written your script, brainstorm what sorts of images, audio tracks, or videos you might select from the Internet to enhance the satiric effects of your newscast.
• Locate and download your desired images, audio, or video to a folder that you can access as you prepare a PowerPoint presentation to provide the background images for your mock broadcast. Using a specific search engine, try searching the names of the people involved with your social issue. Using your knowledge of music (and what you may have downloaded to your mp3 player), determine which excerpts might work to enhance your production. For news clips, try doing a search from a major broadcast news producer, like CNN , CBS , NBC , or ABC .
• Keep in mind that many images that you find on the Internet are copyrighted, and you must have permission to use them. You may wish to consider using images from a royalty-free website such as Shutterstock.com .
• Format your script for television.
• After you’re satisfied with what the newscaster says, using a word processor, enter the newscaster’s text in an 18-point, serif font.
• Go to the formatting menu and divide the page into two unequal columns; the left should be approximately 4 inches wide, the space between the columns about .02 inches, and the right column 1.98 inches wide. This format will space out the newscaster’s text, making it easier to read.
• Use the narrow column on the right to describe what images, audio, or video you may wish to use to support the newscaster’s point.
• Arrange the audio-visual material in your newscaster’s script, making marginal notes about where to include each.
• For help with developing your PowerPoint presentation, consult the PowerPoint Tool Tips ) printout.
• Practice your presentation with your PowerPoint presentation so that it fits within a three- to five-minute broadcast segment.

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Media Law Newscast Assignment

Jacquelyn Arcy

Department of Communication

Saint Xavier University

Arcy, J. (2016). Media law newscast assignment. Saint Xavier University.

Description

The Media Law Newscast Assignment is a research-based production where students work in small groups to research, analyze, and frame a current issue in media law. Each group of 4-5 students produces a 4-6 minute audio or audio-visual news segment to present their research to the class.

The learning objectives for this assignment include: 1) collecting research, 2) synthesizing and organizing research for a general audience, 3) applying principles of journalism ethics, and 4) using production skills to present an issue in a clear, concise, and engaging manner. This assignment assesses the DQP proficiencies in Applied and Collaborative Learning and Communicative Fluency.

Background and context

The Media Law Newscast Assignment was designed for a 300-level Communication course, taken primarily by Communication Majors in the third or fourth year of their Bachelor’s degree. It is the final project in the course and is used to assess students’ ability to synthesize research, apply theories and frameworks from the course, and present research in an audio-visual format. The course typically has 20-25 students split into 4-5 groups of 5.

At the beginning of the semester, I put students into small groups using a self-assessment worksheet that evaluates their production skills, experience, and interest in course topics. I form groups with similar topical interests and varied production skills, with at least one student in each group who has taken a prior video production course. Student groups then decide on three key components of their project: 1) the case or issue they will cover related to a topic from the course (for instance if they are interested in libel they might choose a recent Twitter libel case); 2) the organizational format (either persuasive or informative), and 3) the production format (either audio or audio visual). These decisions are based on student’ ethical consideration of what topic, organization, and format will best serve a general audience and effectively convey their message.

As we move through the curriculum, students work individually and collaboratively to research their topic. In class, I provide students with research lessons on how to write research questions, brainstorm key words, use online databases, and review sources. Student groups compile their research into an annotated bibliography that is turned in and evaluated with feedback from the instructor. The research component of the assignment assesses the DQP Applied and Collaborative Learning outcome by evaluating students’ ability to conduct research; apply course concepts and theories to analyze the laws, precedents, and ethics that impact their specific issue; and work as a team.

Next, students synthesize their research into an outline with a thesis statement and 3-5 main points. The instructor provides feedback for each groups’ outline to ensure they include the relevant facts, history, discussion points, and opinions to sufficiently support their thesis. To prepare students for the production component of the assignment, I deliver brief in-class lessons on script writing, set design, recording, and editing, and bring in experts from the University’s media services office for a production tutorial. Students then work together to select audio and/or audio-visual evidence to advance their argument, write a production plan, and a final script. I provide another round of feedback on the script with comments on its content and organization. The organization and production components of the assignment assesses the Communication Fluency outcome by evaluating students’ ability to craft sustained, coherent arguments, narratives or explications of issues, problems or technical issues and processes, in writing and at least one other medium, to general and specific audiences (DQP Intellectual Skills).

At the end of the semester, student groups produce their newscast and screen them for class. The final project requires an oral presentation to the class, a self and group evaluation, and a written reflection. Each of these components requires students to use communication theories to articulate the legal and ethical dilemma’s involved in media research, reporting, and production, measuring the DQP Communication Fluency proficiency to articulate an approach to resolving a social, personal or ethical dilemma (DQP Intellectual Skills).

Alignment and scaffolding

The Media Law Newscast Assignment is the final project in the Media Law course. As such, it relies upon specific knowledge and skills scaffolded throughout the semester in media law and journalism ethics. At Saint Xavier University, Communication majors are required to take an introductory media production course and this assignment builds on students’ past production skills.

This assignment is designed to assess student’s advanced research skills and utilizes previous coursework at Saint Xavier University’s Department of Communication that scaffolds learning outcomes in message construction, analysis, and communication self-efficacy through assignments that lay a foundation in constructing outlines and arguments, self-and peer evaluation, and effective delivery methods (see Paxton’s Ethnography of Communication). These skills are honed through individual and group research projects and presentations in subsequent classes including this Media Law course. This assignment prepares students for the research, argument construction, and production skills required for the Department of Communication’s final capstone project, Senior Seminar (see Robinson Audio or Video Production Capstone Project).

Reflections

I have found the Media Law Newscast Assignment to be a successful tool for engaging students in the research, analysis, and production process. It is also presents a set of challenges for students and instructors. Some groups face challenges associated with organizing and distributing labor when working collaboratively. I have found several tools useful for combating these challenges including setting a timeline for each component of the assignment so that student groups stay on schedule, providing feedback for each component to ensure groups are meeting learning outcomes, and holding regular check-in meetings with student groups to evaluate group process. An additional tool used to measure the distribution of labor in each group is an individual log of time on task, paired with an individual evaluation form where each student provides a quantitative grade and qualitative assessment for themselves and other group members (turned in privately to the instructor). The average group assessment makes up 15% of the students’ final assignment grade.

I have also found that the process of researching an unfolding current event reported across multiple news outlets challenged students. To help students manage their research, I integrated mini-tutorials into the curriculum with corresponding worksheets to help students brainstorm research questions and keywords, search databases, and synthesize research. I encourage students to set up Google alerts for key words to stay up to date on their case within preset time limits (research conducted between week 8 and 11) as not to overwhelm students.

Another potential challenge for instructors is students’ technological expertise. At Saint Xavier University, all Communication majors take an introductory audio-visual production course so they each have experience with recording equipment, script writing, visual techniques, and editing software. For courses without this prerequisite, instructors could build in a week of instruction to cover basic concepts in audio-visual production and introduce a user-friendly editing program like iMovie. For instructors without production experience, campus resources like media and production services, production instructors and professionals, and campus computer labs with editing software are helpful. An alternative project could be an in-class performance of the newscast.

Through the assignment design charrette processes and one semester of teaching, the assignment directions have been clarified and the timeline has been extended to further scaffold learning outcomes and skills.

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The assignment library and the assignments within are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License . By clicking “Ok” you agree to cite each assignment (including modifications), with the provided citation on the assignments downloaded from this site.

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Submitting a Create Assignment

This assignment requires you to create a VoiceThread by uploading at least one slide and recording comments on it.

• Submitting on a computer
• Submitting on a mobile device

New VoiceThread

Legacy VoiceThread

• Sign in to your course.
• Click on the VoiceThread assignment link set up by your instructor.
• Click the yellow “Start Assignment” button on the right.
• To start building a new VoiceThread, click on the source from which you would like to upload or import media, and wait for that media to process. Click “Continue” at the bottom of the screen to go to the commenting options .

If you have already created the VoiceThread you want to use, scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Use an existing VoiceThread instead of creating a new one.” This will take you to a page where you can see all of your VoiceThreads, and you can click on one to use it. Click “Continue” at the bottom of the screen to go to the editing area in case you need to add more slides, and then click “Continue” again to go to the commenting options .

• Once you have met the requirements for the assignment, you will see blue checkmarks next to each item in your to-do list. Click the yellow “Submit” button on the right to complete your assignment.

• If your instructor would like you to view and comment on your classmates’ submissions, click on the “Student Gallery” button beneath the Submit button. This will open a new browser tab and take you to a page where you can view all of your classmates’ work for this assignment.

• Open the VoiceThread app.
• Tap on “Find my Institution.”
• Search for your institution by title or custom domain, and tap on it.
• Make sure your LMS or course system is selected as your sign-in method.
• Tap “Sign in.”
• Sign in to your LMS as you normally would.
• Navigate to your course.
• Tap on the VoiceThread link provided by your instructor. This will take you to the assignment.

• Upload any slides you want to include.
• Tap on the “Continue” button at the bottom of the screen to open the slides you have added.

• Tap on the menu icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
• Select “Assignment Details” from the menu that appears at the bottom of your screen.

• If your instructor would like you to view and comment on your classmates’ submissions, click on the “Student Gallery” button beneath the Submit button. This will take you to a page where you can view all of your classmates’ work for this assignment. You can open any VoiceThread you want to interact with and then close it again to land back on the Student Gallery.

While assignments should work seamlessly most of the time, you might occasionally encounter an error message that you need help resolving. Some of the most common ones are detailed here.

This assignment is currently being edited by your instructor.

This means your instructor currently has the assignment in edit mode. You won’t be able to work on it until they publish the assignment again. Please reach out to them if you continue to see this message for a prolonged period.

College instructor put on blast for accusing students of using ChatGPT on final assignments

Texas A&M University–Commerce said it is investigating after a screenshot of an instructor's email — in which he accused students of having used artificial intelligence on their final assignments — went viral on Reddit.

Jared Mumm, an instructor in the agricultural sciences and natural resources department, reportedly told students that they would be receiving an “X” in the course after he used "Chat GTP" (referring to the AI chatbot actually known as ChatGPT ) to determine whether they’d used the software to write their final assignments. He said that he tested each paper twice and that the bot claimed to have written every single final assignment.

“I copy and paste your responses in [ChatGPT] and [it] will tell me if the program generated the content,” according to the email, a copy of which NBC News has reviewed. Rolling Stone first reported the story.

Attempts to reach Mumm by email, LinkedIn and phone were unsuccessful Wednesday. A university spokesperson confirmed Mumm sent the email.

The screenshot was shared Monday in the subreddit r/ChatGPT, a community made up of 1.6 million users. Many blasted him, and others came to his defense, noting that AI is still a very new tool. The discussion reignited debate around the impact chatbots could have on education.

After its viral launch in December , ChatGPT was lauded online by some as a dramatic step forward for artificial intelligence and   the potential future of web search. But with such praise also came concern about its potential use in academic settings . In January, the New York City Education Department announced a ban on ChatGPT  from its schools’ devices and networks, citing the potential for increased student cheating.

A university spokesperson rebutted parts of the Reddit post , which claimed “Texas A&M commerce professor fails entire class of seniors blocking them from graduating- claiming they all use ‘Chat GTP’”

No students flunked or were prevented from graduating because of the issue, the spokesperson said.

"Dr. Jared Mumm, the class professor, is working individually with students regarding their last written assignments," the university said in its statement. "Some students received a temporary grade of ‘X’—which indicates ‘incomplete’—to allow the professor and students time to determine whether AI was used to write their assignments and, if so, at what level."

The spokesperson said that since the email was posted on Reddit, "several students have been exonerated and their grades have been issued, while one student has come forward admitting his use of Chat GTP in the course. Several other students have opted to complete a new writing assignment made available to them by Dr. Mumm."

The Reddit post was shared by a user named DearKick, who claimed to have obtained the email from their fiancé, a student in the class.

Hundreds of people responded in the comments.

A user suggested that there "be an AI introductory class that is mandatory for teachers and everyone else to understand the biases of AI and how it functions." Another took the criticism a step further and suggested the instructor should face disciplinary action from the university.

“I know several university lecturers that are actively embracing the reality of ChatGPT and other AI and are looking at how to increase the learning potential that can be gained while finding better ways of analysing students skills and capabilities,” wrote another user. “This all reminds me of the time we were told that calculators would never be allowed in classrooms and, god forbid, in exams, only to be proved wrong the following year.”

AI technology is already being used to help detect plagiarism. Many students have long used computer-assisted writing tools, such as Grammarly or Google Docs’ Smart Compose. Platforms like Grammarly and Chegg also offer plagiarism-checking tools.

In April, Turnitin, a plagiarism detection service, announced it will activate its AI writing detection capabilities to "help educators and academic institutions identify AI-generated text in student-written submissions."

The Texas A&M University–Commerce spokesperson said the school will work to "develop policies to address the use or misuse of AI technology in the classroom." Officials also plan to use AI detection tools.

"The use of AI in coursework is a rapidly changing issue that confronts all learning institutions," the spokesperson said.

Uwa Ede-Osifo is a news associate for NBC News.

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Adjunct professor fired by DePaul after optional assignment about Gaza

By Sabrina Franza, Samah Assad, Mikayla Price

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO ( WBBM ) — An adjunct professor was fired from her role at DePaul University, after offering an optional assignment to her students in which she asked them to explore the biological and health impacts Israel’s war in Gaza has on Palestinians.

Dr. Anne D’Aquino taught Health 194, Human Pathogens and Defense, across from the now torn-down pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the quad.

“Students were distracted,” D’Aquino said. “A lot of them were volunteering at the encampment. A lot of them had friends that were at the encampment.” It was a topic that was overall unavoidable, she said.

Biochemist and professor Dr. D’Aquino was hired on April 1 to teach Health 194. She said she felt this course, in particular, would allow her to discuss the intersections of humanities and biology.

According to the syllabus, the course in part explores microbiology research and its relevance to everyday life, current events, as well as microbiology knowledge to “big picture impacts on individuals and communities.”

“Taking real-world examples and applying our biology to it, and then communicating that to the general public—since many of the students will be doing that in their profession,” D’Aquino said.

D’Aquino said she was terminated for asking students to do just that—offering an optional alternative to the previously-assigned topic of avian flu, and instead focusing on the effects of the war in Gaza.

“The day that I added the optional assignment, there was a large attack on Rafah, and I didn’t want that to be left unacknowledged,” she said. The optional assignment asked for scientific analysis and critical thinking to understand “the impacts of genocide on human biology.”

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Manitoba school division apologizes after students asked to list 'positive' qualities of residential schools

Hanover school division says steinbach, man., teacher was lifting from outdated provincial curriculum.

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The superintendent of the Hanover School Division is apologizing after a recent homework assignment in which students were asked to list "positive" qualities about residential schools, despite the well-documented atrocities these schools inflicted upon Indigenous children. 

Bambi Bertholet, who has Cree ancestry, said a family friend brought the Grade 9 class assignment to her attention. 

She said she immediately contacted the school division. 

"When it came up here, I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, is this still happening?'" said Bertholet, whose friend's daughter was in the social studies class at Steinbach Regional Secondary School. The student said the question may have been inappropriate, Bertholet said.

The take-home assignment asks students to "make a list of what you think are two positive and two negative effects of residential schools."

The question then acknowledges students hadn't read about any positive effects yet, "so you will have to come up with your own answer to this part of the question." 

Hanover superintendent Shelley Amos said the teacher sourced the material from an out-of-date provincial course package that's no longer in use. She said the material doesn't represent the school division.

"The study questions shared in this instance do not reflect the values we strive to uphold: truth, reconciliation, respect, and collaboration with Indigenous peoples," Amos said in a statement, posted to the division's website .

"We extend our deepest apologies to all those affected and will take steps to ensure this oversight does not happen again."

Bertholet, who lives in Steinbach, has relatives who are residential school survivors and members of the Sixties Scoop .

She wondered how a question asking students to look for positives out of residential schools could surface once again, considering the blowback when similar questions have arisen elsewhere in Canada.

• Homework assignment to list 'positive' stories about residential schools under investigation
• Alberta education minister apologizes after test asks students about 'positive effect' of residential schools

"I think the teachers are just trying to do their best and they're pulling from whatever is approved curriculum, is my assumption," she said.

Bertholet said she approached the division in early April, but didn't receive any update on how Hanover School Division was responding, if at all. 

The division explained Friday the outdated material was taken from a Grade 9 social studies curriculum, created by Manitoba Education, that purports to explore "Canada in a contemporary world." The publishing date wasn't known, the division said.

The province said the document has been subject to revision over the years.

Education Minister Nello Altomare said his office received Bertholet's complaint in early April as well, and his office took "immediate action to ensure Hanover School Division is enforcing the use of the provincial curriculum and has eliminated outdated teaching materials." 

Finding positives shortsighted: Bertholet

Residential schools removed Indigenous children from their homes and stripped them of their culture and language. It also led to abuse, and some children never made it home.

Trying to find positives out of these schools "perpetuates a stereotype" that invalidates what Indigenous people endured, Bertholet said.

"Settlers who have been fed these kinds of lies are saying, 'Oh, but there were good things, though,' and it just minimizes people's very real experiences." 

She's pleased the division and province have acted. She considers what happened to be an educational opportunity. 

"If I want to honour my Cree ancestors, it's to stand up and say something when something needs to be said." 

In the school division's apology, Amos said Hanover has adopted the provincial Indigenous education policy framework, which strives to incorporate Indigenous pedagogy, languages and culture into the classroom.

She added the division regularly invites speakers and educators from the Indigenous community and an Indigenous learning and assessment coach is on staff. 

• Trustees shouldn't have final say in hiring teachers, education minister tells Hanover division

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Provincial Affairs Reporter

Ian Froese covers provincial politics and its impact for CBC Manitoba. You can reach him at [email protected].

• Twitter: @ianfroese

With files from Josh Crabb

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