In What Is News?, host Radzi Chinyanganya introduces the concept of news: its history, purpose, and its potential downside. From its earliest iterations, news provides the information needed for people to make decisions and stay safe. Today, technology allows us to learn information in real time on both a local and global scale. It can be overwhelming to know what to give our attention to and what is real or fake, so it’s necessary to be a smart consumer of news and have trusted sources. This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.
In Who Decides?, host Radzi Chinyanganya discovers who decides what people see, read, and hear in the news. Because there are so many events and limited space to report the news, all news is filtered. In journalism, editors decide which stories are worth telling. The companies that run apps, social media, and websites, use computer programs called algorithms to decide which content individuals see. They might try to influence consumers’ views or emotions. Getting news from varied sources is the only way to ensure you’re seeing the complete picture. This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.
We’re live from the newsroom! Introduce your students to jobs, workflows, and decision-making processes of newsrooms. In this lesson, they’ll take on various roles and learn what makes up a functioning newsroom.
Extra, extra! Read all about it! Introduce your students to the characteristics, roles, and purpose of the news. In this lesson, they’ll learn the different categories of news and what makes an event “newsworthy.”
In The Information Paradox: Evaporating Black Holes, narrator Kate Yule explores Stephen Hawking’s discovery that black holes can evaporate. Learn how Jeff Steinhauer creates an artificial black hole in an attempt to prove the existence of Hawking Radiation. If Hawking Radiation exists, then all black holes could eventually disappear, which means scientists would not be able to reconstruct past events, or predict future ones. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Einstein & Hawking: Masters of Our Universe, a mind-bending documentary that tells the story of how the two most famous scientists of the 20th Century transformed our understanding of the Universe and changed the world.
In Defection: Escape From North Korea, host Radzi Chinyanganya highlights the story of a young person from North Korea who leaves this reclusive and secretive nation. North Korea is known for its totalitarian government and its strict control over its citizens' lives, including their thoughts, actions, and access to information. Through the eyes of the young defector, gain insight into the harsh realities of life under such a regime, the hope for escape, and the pursuit of freedom in a world where surveillance and propaganda are constant. This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.
In Who’s Your Source?, host Radzi Chinyanganya examines how reporters get their information from different sources and ensure their accuracy. For example, BBC journalists exposed a network of hidden detention centers in Western China where Muslims were detained without a trial. The Chinese government was working hard to keep this story hidden by closely monitoring, and even detaining, journalists. Reporters used satellites to investigate, and they also interviewed Muslims in Turkey who claimed to have been in the detention compounds. They looked for consistency and overlap in their stories. Verifying information from multiple sources helps a journalist assess a story and tell it accurately. This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.
In Cell Phones, Eyesight, and Memory: The Impact of Screens on Our Vision, host Harith Iskander explores how smartphones and other screen devices are affecting our eyes and memory. When we hold our phones close to our faces, it strains our eyes and can cause them to become more elongated, leading to vision problems like myopia (nearsightedness). Additionally, overusing technology can also impact how the brain stores and processes information. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Got Science?, a science magazine series that explores and explains science in everyday life.
In Exploring the Everglades: Spoonbills and Alligators, the Go Jetters visit the Florida Everglades. They encounter a spoonbill and see alligators. Ubercorn shares funky facts about the Everglades, including information about the size of the Everglades National Park and just how diverse the wildlife is in this area. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Go Jetters, a series that follows the adventures of four international heroes as they travel the globe visiting landmarks and solving environmental problems with Ubercorn, a disco-dancing unicorn.
Everyone makes mistakes, and that includes journalists. Introduce your students to the concept of trust and transparency in journalism. In this lesson, they’ll look at examples of mistakes and wrong information, as well as the ways in which news outlets can correct errors.
In What Is News?, host Radzi Chinyanganya introduces the concept of news: its history, purpose, and its potential downside. From its earliest iterations, news provides the information needed for people to make decisions and stay safe. Today, technology allows us to learn information in real time on both a local and global scale. It can be overwhelming to know what to give our attention to and what is real or fake, so it’s necessary to be a smart consumer of news and have trusted sources. This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.
In Who Decides?, host Radzi Chinyanganya discovers who decides what people see, read, and hear in the news. Because there are so many events and limited space to report the news, all news is filtered. In journalism, editors decide which stories are worth telling. The companies that run apps, social media, and websites, use computer programs called algorithms to decide which content individuals see. They might try to influence consumers’ views or emotions. Getting news from varied sources is the only way to ensure you’re seeing the complete picture. This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.
We’re live from the newsroom! Introduce your students to jobs, workflows, and decision-making processes of newsrooms. In this lesson, they’ll take on various roles and learn what makes up a functioning newsroom.
Extra, extra! Read all about it! Introduce your students to the characteristics, roles, and purpose of the news. In this lesson, they’ll learn the different categories of news and what makes an event “newsworthy.”
In The Information Paradox: Evaporating Black Holes, narrator Kate Yule explores Stephen Hawking’s discovery that black holes can evaporate. Learn how Jeff Steinhauer creates an artificial black hole in an attempt to prove the existence of Hawking Radiation. If Hawking Radiation exists, then all black holes could eventually disappear, which means scientists would not be able to reconstruct past events, or predict future ones. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Einstein & Hawking: Masters of Our Universe, a mind-bending documentary that tells the story of how the two most famous scientists of the 20th Century transformed our understanding of the Universe and changed the world.
In Defection: Escape From North Korea, host Radzi Chinyanganya highlights the story of a young person from North Korea who leaves this reclusive and secretive nation. North Korea is known for its totalitarian government and its strict control over its citizens' lives, including their thoughts, actions, and access to information. Through the eyes of the young defector, gain insight into the harsh realities of life under such a regime, the hope for escape, and the pursuit of freedom in a world where surveillance and propaganda are constant. This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.
In Who’s Your Source?, host Radzi Chinyanganya examines how reporters get their information from different sources and ensure their accuracy. For example, BBC journalists exposed a network of hidden detention centers in Western China where Muslims were detained without a trial. The Chinese government was working hard to keep this story hidden by closely monitoring, and even detaining, journalists. Reporters used satellites to investigate, and they also interviewed Muslims in Turkey who claimed to have been in the detention compounds. They looked for consistency and overlap in their stories. Verifying information from multiple sources helps a journalist assess a story and tell it accurately. This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.
In Cell Phones, Eyesight, and Memory: The Impact of Screens on Our Vision, host Harith Iskander explores how smartphones and other screen devices are affecting our eyes and memory. When we hold our phones close to our faces, it strains our eyes and can cause them to become more elongated, leading to vision problems like myopia (nearsightedness). Additionally, overusing technology can also impact how the brain stores and processes information. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Got Science?, a science magazine series that explores and explains science in everyday life.
In Exploring the Everglades: Spoonbills and Alligators, the Go Jetters visit the Florida Everglades. They encounter a spoonbill and see alligators. Ubercorn shares funky facts about the Everglades, including information about the size of the Everglades National Park and just how diverse the wildlife is in this area. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Go Jetters, a series that follows the adventures of four international heroes as they travel the globe visiting landmarks and solving environmental problems with Ubercorn, a disco-dancing unicorn.
Everyone makes mistakes, and that includes journalists. Introduce your students to the concept of trust and transparency in journalism. In this lesson, they’ll look at examples of mistakes and wrong information, as well as the ways in which news outlets can correct errors.