The JEA Curriculum Initiative shares lesson plans across 12 different content areas, complete with learning outcomes, assessments, evaluation guides, models and alignment to standards including the Common Core and Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Today, we proudly offer hundreds of weeks worth of lessons to complement high school journalism classrooms across the country. This content is available exclusively to all JEA members.

There are many free resources available to the public on the Anywhere JEA page, and some other curriculum falls into groups easily navigated using Curriculum Maps.

Thank you for checking out the JEA curriculum library. JEA updated our website Sept. 11. We appreciate your patience as our curriculum team continues to update links to some of the downloads and activities throughout the library in the coming weeks. Email staff@jea.org the name of the lesson (include the URL) you are trying to access as we may be able to send it to you directly.

Free

Weekly Lesson

Each week, we share a free curriculum lesson on a timely topic. These lessons are free to everyone for a limited period of time. After that, the lessons live in the curriculum library which is accessible only to JEA members. Click here to learn more about membership.

Deep revision

“Deep revision” is when authors expand or collapse paragraphs; narrow or change the focus, angle, or approach a piece.
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Staff Bonding Through Encouragement

In this activity, students present their work, whether a design or a photo, on their computer screen.

Litigating Social Media Platforms: Editorial Judgment and the First Amendment

Currently, there are major legal battles over who has the right to regulate content on social media. Should companies make decisions about what to publish or have the ability to limit what goes out on their platforms? Or should government have the ability to determine which companies are protected by the First Amendment and to what extent? 

AI, Fair Use and the First Amendment

Writers are on strike in Hats against AI companies, and students will consider what’s at stake.

Bringing Help to News Deserts: Lesson Plan

In a news desert that doesn’t have trained journalists seeking truth and expert opinions about education in its community, students can help fill that void.

Gauging Community Attitudes Towards First Amendment Rights

The Knight Foundation surveys teens and teachers’ attitudes towards freedom of speech. Gauge your community’s attitudes towards first amendment rights as you prepare to advocate for the first amendment.

In Search of a Free and Fair Press

To help students read more critically, compare two news articles about the same event and start developing the skills to spot ways some media may be giving readers a slanted view.

Media, Free Speech, and The Paradox of Democracy

“It’s better to think of democracy less as a government type and more as an open communicative culture.” Media and free speech can both nurture and hinder democratic practice, according to The Paradox of Democracy.

Get Journalists Engaged with their Code of Ethics

This activity, which can be completed in person or remotely, is a simple discussion post in response to the code using your school’s LMS, an online platform such as Padlet or even old fashioned posters and sticky notes.

Journalism in American History

This inquiry-based lesson allows students to research major eras in journalism, notable people and technological advancements in the field.

Futures Wheels: Developing and Refining Journalistic Story Planning to Better Identify Context, Background and Meaningful Events, Empowering Journalism’s Social Responsibilities 

Futures Wheels were designed by futurists to see what the future might bring, positive or negative. Can it be a part of journalistic story planning, source acquisition and other types of information processing to craft stories that meet audience needs?

Black Journalism in America

After reading news stories from a variety of Black and general audience media, students will be able to analyze differences in coverage, sources and perspectives in current news.

Famous Black journalists

After learning basic information about historic and current Black journalists, students will create a project looking more in depth into one historical figure.

About Curriculum & The Team

In May 2013, the Journalism Education Association began work on its curriculum initiative, creating lesson plans across 14 content areas, complete with learning outcomes, assessments, evaluation guides, models and alignment to standards including the Common Core and Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

Over the course of the next 11 months, JEA worked with 14 of its members — identified as national leaders in their area of expertise — to develop nearly 200 weeks worth of lessons to complement high school journalism classrooms across the country. Helping them were dozens of other JEA members, professionals and student journalists who volunteered their own ideas, materials and examples to benefit scholastic media advisers.

As important as this electronic resource is, it’s merely a portion of JEA’s curriculum initiative. Just as important is the ongoing commitment the organization is making to the effort. Curriculum leaders keep the curriculum current and dynamic by providing updated lesson plans and examples that reflect the newest trends and technology. They collaborate with other JEA committees such as certification and Career & Technical Education to ensure that the organization is at the forefront of defining 21st century journalism. They coordinate with our national Professional Advisory Committee to ensure our student learning objectives align with industry standards. They showcase their curriculum and lessons at national conventions and conferences. And they host online chats to not only discuss implementation of their module, but to coordinate discussion of best practices that will guide future development.

We welcome your feedback, suggestions, plaudits and corrections. Please feel free to email mfromm@d51schools.org, or contact specific curriculum leaders directly.