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If history doesn't seem relevant to you and your life, think
of it this way — history is simply the current events of
yesterday. And today's news will be in the history books of the
future.
Talking about media and journalism in the classroom is a great
way to learn about history! Students can explore the past and
the present through newspapers, television, radio, film and photos.
And they can look at the ways that today's current events are
being recorded for future generations.
In order to understand the past, sometimes it's good to have
students put themselves there. Here is a reporting project that
sends students back in time.
- Write about a historical event as if you were reporting on
it for the local newspaper of the day. Tell your readers who
was involved, what happened, when it took place, where the action
was set and why it happened that way. To get an idea of how this
works, check out the stories in a special
newspaper produced by Grade Six students at St. Mary's School
in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1997 to mark the 500th anniversary
of John Cabot's arrival in Newfoundland.
- For example, assign your students to cover the sinking of
the Titanic
in 1912. Have one student report from Halifax where the survivors
of the wreck were brought. Assign another to talk to the people
who received wireless messages from the Titanic in her last moments.
The students can write a series of stories to go on the front
page of the newspaper on the morning after the ship sank.
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