Citizenship at key stage 3    (Year 7-9)

• Using a range of newspapers from a single day, the pupils select a current event or issue to focus on. In small groups, they look at headlines and articles concerning the event/issue from two tabloids and two broadsheets. They discuss how the headlines from the different papers differ, and where the story appeared in that paper (ie was it the first/second/third/fourth, etc most important story that day?).
• Pupils could follow this activity by looking at coverage of the story in different media - television, radio, the internet. How and why does coverage differ?
• Pupils consider how different newspapers present an event or issue in different ways, and identify reasons why this might be so, eg the political views of the paper, the seriousness of the story. Pupils review their four articles from the first activity, considering questions such as: What is the focus of the story? How do the different newspaper stories compare in terms of length, language, style, use of terminology, presentation, use of images? How easy is it to distinguish fact from opinion? What is the proportion of fact to opinion? Whose opinions are quoted? Is it a one-sided view of the event/issue (ie one showing bias) or does it offer a balance of views? Which story do I find most persuasive, and why? What else do I want to know about the event/issue?

• Pupils consider how the media can affect opinion. They discuss the use of famous people as the 'public face' of a campaign, or to promote the causes championed by a particular organisation, eg Aids awareness, causes promoted by Greenpeace or Amnesty International. Is this an effective way of gaining more media attention? Pupils could review a variety of local, national and international coverage of a particular cause, organisation or perhaps a charity supported by the class. Does local coverage differ from national and international coverage? Why do different organisations, charities and campaigns receive different amounts of attention from different media?
• Pupils investigate whether the school has had any media attention. Are there copies of this coverage? What sort of articles were written about the school? Why? How are other schools written about, and why? How is this coverage different from coverage of national or international events, issues, campaigns, etc? How would they like to see their own school portrayed in the media?

• Pupils consider how the media covers sport. They discuss how media coverage can raise awareness of issues such as the ethnic diversity of players. Do male and female sports teams and individuals receive the same amount of media attention? If not, why not?
• Pupils discuss how sport can promote equality. Are the class aware of any campaigns on this issue fronted by sports personalities? Pupils could research relevant initiatives and analyse the different approaches taken. Which campaign do they think is the most effective? Why?
• Pupils examine a piece of writing about football violence and decide whether it is balanced. What sort of language is used? Can media coverage of football violence actually make the problem worse? Why are issues of identity and diversity important in relation to this type of coverage?
• In groups, pupils choose a sporting event and discuss the types of media coverage it attracts, eg an important football match might be covered in a newspaper's sports pages, its news pages if there is any hooliganism, and its features pages if any famous players are interviewed. The pupils could then write or film short pieces on a school sporting event that reflect these different styles.

• Discuss with the pupils the interests of media companies in maximising sales and profits. Why do stories about celebrities increase sales?
• Pupils role-play or discuss different groups with an interest in the issue of privacy: journalists, photographers, media companies, celebrities, viewers/readers.
• Pupils consider how people can complain about intrusion by the press. They could research the role of the Press Complaints Commission (PCC). Why do we need a code of practice on privacy? Why did Prince William attend the PCC's 10th anniversary celebrations?
• Pupils investigate the role of the 'Right to respect for private and family life' in the Human Rights Act 1998. Do celebrities have the same rights as other people?
• Ask pupils to think up a set of rules for journalists and photographers, to ensure responsible behaviour by the media.
• Pupils produce a code of practice for their own school/community publications and suggest ways of monitoring its application, eg through a sub-group of the school council or a student press complaints committee.