Planning and Resources

Lesson 2—Television: History on the Air

Lesson at a Glance

Learning Objective: Students synthesize and evaluate historical events in order to present them in a television newscast.
Lesson Summary: Students create and enact a television newscast covering the events of the Civil War.
Time Needed: Three to five days.

The average U.S. household watches more than fifty hours of television each week. Heavy TV watching by children has trained them to expect school to be entertaining, to involve no homework or outside study, and to have no consequences—the three rules of successful television, according to writer Neil Postman. In 1985, Postman noted with alarm the coming of "infotainment," a dangerous blending of news and entertainment. TV, he said, is changing how we think, how we argue, how we relate to each other. Images that play well on television are replacing logic and debate in public discourse.

Activities that encourage students to question what they see on TV and to recognize the difference between news and entertainment will make them better citizens. At the same time, doing a TV newscast of a historical event helps them see history through a different lens.

The newscast can be devoted entirely to one subject—the building of China's Great Wall, the Exodus, the Crusades, Mansa Musa's pilgrimage, the Cherokee Trail of Tears, or Nelson Mandela's election in South Africa; it could move from period to period, or concept to concept, perhaps united by a common theme. A newscast on revolutions, for instance, might include stories on uprisings in the Soviet Union (1917), France (1789), India (1940s), and Eastern Europe (1990).

"Live—From Appomattox"

If TV had existed in the 1860s, how might the networks have covered big battles such as Bull Run, Gettysburg, and Antietam? Would they do feature stories on plantation life and slavery? What questions might a reporter ask when interviewing President Lincoln, President Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, or Robert E. Lee? Would the broadcasts carry sensational stories on escaped slaves or on spies? What kind of spin would reporters put on stories about the Gettysburg address or the assassination of Lincoln? The possibilities are endless.

Lesson Plan

Begin by studying television news through a taped newscast. Assign students to watch the news and make a list of the stories and commercials shown. Assign students to a variety of channels; then compare and contrast the broadcasts. Watch one of the taped newscasts, noting the stories chosen, the order of the stories presented, the way in which the stories are presented—through videotape, interviews, still photographs, or a straight read by the news anchor. Note the time allotted to local, national, and world news, weather, sports, entertainment, and commercials. Point out that the time devoted to news in an hour newscast is closer to half an hour.

Gathering the News

Choose anchors to read the news and reporters who will cover stories in the field. Other students can act as the historical figures being interviewed; they can locate or create paintings or pictures on which the cameras can focus as stories are being read; they can design a logo for the TV station or write out cue cards; they can prepare commercials for products that might have existed at the time. A reliable student can operate the camera, leaving you free to supervise and direct the taping.

You can assign stories to individual students or pairs of students, who would be responsible for researching and presenting events. The stories could include "breaking news," battlefield interviews, eyewitness accounts of events, investigative reporting, and "behind the scenes" coverage. Allow a day or two for research, if possible.

Students need not present the war in chronological order; stories might be grouped by theme, order of importance, or some other priority that the news team decides on. You will likely assign more stories than can fit into a newscast, which will force a team of editors to make decisions about which stories to broadcast.

On the Air

Have students work at their seats in pairs and take turns reading the stories to each other as if they were broadcasting. This exercise helps the students feel more familiar with the material, helps their reading skills, and makes them a bit more comfortable communicating with others. If you have access to a camera, give students a chance to practice reading in front of it before broadcast day. Run a dress rehearsal the day before the scheduled newscast. Students must be ready with their stories and props, and they should run through the whole broadcast without stopping for mistakes.

On the day of the broadcast, have the cameraperson stop filming to allow for needed changeovers, such as switching anchors, bringing in a person to be interviewed, or changing the pictures the camera will focus on. The newscast will take longer to film than it will to view. With a long newscast, you might want to allow two days for taping.

Afterward, watch the tape of the broadcast without official comment. Some students will be embarrassed, some proud, and others amazed. Remind students that they are not professionals, they had no production budget, and they produced a lot of work together in a short time. Help them to focus on what they learned about the Civil War and on enjoying the newscast.

Battle of the Broadcasts

Another strategy for this exercise is to divide the class into two teams, a Northern news team and a Southern one. Each crew will cover the same stories but from differing viewpoints. Having two teams offers a chance to comment on bias and editorializing.

Assessment

Give grades for this lesson based on the accuracy of content, effort, creativity, and quality of performance. Audience behavior counts, too; tell the "viewers" what behavior you expect of them, and deduct points for those who don't support the performers.

You might want to talk with students about the process and give them a chance to write about it. You could also create a test based on the information covered in the newscast.

Links

The American Civil War Homepage
This site contains links to Civil War resources.

The Gettysburg Address
This Library of Congress exhibit contains links to information about Gettysburg and Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln Online
This comprehensive Lincoln site includes his speeches and other writings, as well as other related sources.

References

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