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Truth, Trends, & Traffic

Jeremy Davis, Michell Eike | Published: August 1st, 2025 by K20 Center

Summary

In this activity, students will increase their media literacy skills through exploring student-created news websites and analyzing the differences between hard and soft news reporting. Additionally, students will learn how to identify clickbait-style headlines and demonstrate their understanding by recreating headlines in a clickbait-style.

Essential Questions

  • How is news represented online?

  • How do news sites engage audiences?

Objectives

  • Compare hard and soft news by analyzing headlines.

  • Define and recognize clickbait-style headlines.

Snapshot

Engage

Students examine given school-created webpages to observe patterns and best practices of student journalism.

Explore

Students explore news headlines and learn how to identify hard news and soft news through a Card Sort activity.

Explain

Students formalize their understanding of hard news and soft news.

Extend

Students analyze clickbait titles and headlines, which are tactics the media uses to manipulate audience interactions.

Evaluate

Students apply their understanding of clickbait through a Commit and Toss activity.

Materials List

  • Writing utensils

  • Paper

  • Student device with internet access

  • Headphones (optional; one per student)

Preparation

During the Engage phase of this learning experience, students are given a curated list of websites to investigate. The provided websites were selected because they are representative of best practices in student journalism:

Before beginning this activity, take a moment to check that these websites are still active. If for any reason one is not, update screen 3 of the following Desmos Classroom activity. Consider using the Online Pacemakers list from the National Scholastic Press Association.

Prepare for Watching Videos:

During the Explain phase, students watch two videos. These videos are embedded in the Desmos Classroom activity. If all of your students have headphones, they can all watch and listen from their device, but if you are not sure if all students have headphones, consider displaying and playing the videos for the students, as they are both available on YouTube.

Determine how you plan for your students to access the videos so that you can either let students know to bring their headphones or make sure that you have the setup needed to display the short videos.

Engage

30 Minute(s)

Provide students with your session code. Then, have them go to student.amplify.com/join and enter the session code.

Introduce the lesson using screens 1–2, which display the lesson’s essential questions and learning objectives. Review each of these with students to the extent you feel necessary.

Group students into five groups or groups of 3–4, depending on your class size. Introduce the I Notice, I Wonder strategy, then guide students to screen 3. Have them take out a piece of paper and a writing utensil. Assign each group one website to explore. Let students know that these sites were created by students from other schools across the country.

As students investigate, encourage them to look beyond the suggestions from the screen (looking for sports news, advice columns, entertainment reviews, etc.) and to generate a list of as many things as they may notice about the content on the websites. Have students write their notices and wonders on their paper.

Direct students’ attention to screen 4 to record two of their notices and one wonder.

After the students have made their observations, have a volunteer from a group share one of their group’s notices. Then ask the class if any other group noticed the same item on the website they investigated. Repeat this process until you feel content with the responses or as time allows.

As time allows, have volunteers share what they wondered and facilitate a brief discussion.

Explore

10 Minute(s)

Direct the students’ attention to screen 5 and introduce students to the Card Sort strategy. Here, groups are asked to sort cards containing headlines into two categories. Let students know that you are interested in how they think the cards could be related or grouped into categories, and that there are no wrong answers for this activity.

After approximately five minutes, ask for volunteers to describe their group’s two categories and their reasoning for how they sorted their cards.

Explain

20 Minute(s)

Direct students’ attention to screen 6. Instruct them to use their headphones and watch the Hard News vs. Soft News: News Types Explained video or play the video for the class.

After the video, give students a chance to ask any clarifying questions about hard news and soft news. This is the time to ensure that students understand the difference between the two.

After watching the video, have students navigate to screen 7. Here, students are again asked to sort the same cards as before, but this time, they have been given the names of the two categories: Hard News and Soft News. Have students work in their same groups to complete this Card Sort activity.

When the students have completed the card sort activity, direct their attention to screen 8. Explain to the class that they are to now return to the website they investigated earlier to identify an example of a hard news story and an example of a soft news story. Instruct students to type the headlines of these stories into the textbox on their screen.

After five minutes, ask for volunteers to share an example and to explain why those stories meet the criteria for hard or soft news.

Extend

15 Minute(s)

Ask the class what they know about clickbait. Where do they typically see clickbait headlines and titles? Facilitate a brief discussion about what students know, and make note of any misunderstandings to potentially address after the following video.

Direct students’ attention to screen 9. Instruct them to use their headphones and watch the What is Clickbait? video or play the video for the class.

After watching the video, give students time to ask questions. Address any misunderstandings, especially any you noticed in the earlier discussion that were not covered in the video.

Have students navigate to screen 10 and get out a piece of paper. Direct students to select one of the headlines from the Card Sort activity conducted during the Explain phase and indicate their selection on the screen. Then on their paper, have students rewrite their selected headline as a clickbait-style headline.

Evaluate

15 Minute(s)

Have students remain on screen 10 to use as a reference for the following activity.

Introduce the Commit and Toss strategy to the class. Direct students to crumple the paper with their headline and gently toss it across the room.

Have students pick up someone else’s paper, read it, and try to match it to one of the original headlines. Guide students to use the list on screen 10 for reference.

Ask for a volunteer to share the clickbait headline they have and which original headline they think it matches. Then ask the class if anyone else thinks their headline matches the same original one. Give those students time to share the clickbait headlines and facilitate a brief discussion about multiple correct ways to write a clickbait headline. Repeat this until everyone has had a chance to share or until the class demonstrates their understanding of clickbait headlines.

Research Rationale

Research rationale for this resource is provided in the literature review, The Role of After-School Media Clubs in Closing Participation Gaps and Expanding Social Networks.

Resources

Publisher

K20 Center

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