Pulitzer Center
The Pulitzer Center's mission is to champion the power of stories to make complex issues relevant and inspire action. The Pulitzer Center's K–12 education programs and resources cultivate a more informed and engaged public by connecting educators and youth with jounalists and underreported global news stories.
Through a global history and equity lens, the Pulitzer Center's five scaffolded collections feature resources that invite reflection and foster a more inclusive world. Designed for youth of all ages, these learning resources include a focus on media literacy, journalism activities, and "The 1619 Project." Explore their activities as standalone lessons or follow their suggested scaffolded collections for high impact learning.
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Activities
The Importance of Black American Media
History and Society, Digital Media and Communications
Grades K - 8
The Importance of Black American Media
Pulitzer Center
K - 8
2 Hours
Discover Activity
The Importance of Black American Media
History and Society, Digital Media and Communications
Grades K - 8
Responding to the News
Digital Media and Communications, Literacy
Grades K - 8
Responding to the News
Pulitzer Center
K - 8
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Discover Activity
Reclaiming Narratives: Creative Accounts of Black History
History and Society, Literacy
Grades 6 - 12
Reclaiming Narratives: Creative Accounts of Black History
Pulitzer Center
6 - 12
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Discover Activity
What Is Journalism, and Why Does It Matter?
Digital Media and Communications, Literacy
Grades K - 8
What Is Journalism, and Why Does It Matter?
Pulitzer Center
K - 8
1 Hour
Discover Activity
Interrupting Bias with Curiosity
Digital Media and Communications, History and Society
Grades K - 8
Interrupting Bias with Curiosity
Pulitzer Center
K - 8
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Discover Activity
Meet a Journalist: Preparing for and Hosting a Guest Speaker, Grades 2-6
Digital Media and Communications, Literacy
Grades K - 8
Meet a Journalist: Preparing for and Hosting a Guest Speaker, Grades 2-6
Pulitzer Center
K - 8
2 Hours
In this activity, students prepare for and then host a guest speaker through the Pulitzer Center’s free virtual journalist visit program. The Pulitzer Center works with thousands of journalists, making the visit customizable: students can learn about career pathways, journalism skills, interrupting bias and misinformation, and/or content areas that the journalist covers.
In the first 60-minute activity period, students consider how to prepare for a guest speaker so that the students feel comfortable and the guest feels welcome. In the second activity period, students welcome their guest speaker and ask their prepared questions.
Discover Activity
Meet a Journalist: Preparing for and Hosting a Guest Speaker, Grades 2-6
Digital Media and Communications, Literacy
Grades K - 8
What Should Journalism Do?
Digital Media and Communications, Literacy
Grades 6 - 12
What Should Journalism Do?
Pulitzer Center
6 - 12
1 Hour
Discover Activity
What’s Your Agenda? Editorial Judgment and Underreported Stories
Digital Media and Communications, Literacy
Grades 6 - 12
What’s Your Agenda? Editorial Judgment and Underreported Stories
Pulitzer Center
6 - 12
45 Minutes
Discover Activity
What’s Your Agenda? Editorial Judgment and Underreported Stories
Digital Media and Communications, Literacy
Grades 6 - 12
Meet a Journalist: Preparing for and Hosting a Guest Speaker, Grades 7-12
Digital Media and Communications, Literacy
Grades 6 - 12
Meet a Journalist: Preparing for and Hosting a Guest Speaker, Grades 7-12
Pulitzer Center
6 - 12
2 Hours
In this activity, students prepare for and then host a guest speaker through the Pulitzer Center’s free virtual journalist visit program. The Pulitzer Center works with thousands of journalists, making the visit customizable: students can learn about career pathways, journalism skills, interrupting bias and misinformation, and/or content areas that the journalist covers.
In the first 60-minute activity period, students consider how to prepare for a guest speaker so that the students feel comfortable and the guest feels welcome. In the second activity period, students welcome their guest speaker and ask their prepared questions.
Discover Activity
Meet a Journalist: Preparing for and Hosting a Guest Speaker, Grades 7-12
Digital Media and Communications, Literacy
Grades 6 - 12
From Story to Solution
Digital Media and Communications, Literacy
Grades 6 - 12
From Story to Solution
Pulitzer Center
6 - 12
2 Hours
Discover Activity
Erasure Poetry as Resistance
History and Society, Literacy
Grades 6 - 12
Erasure Poetry as Resistance
Pulitzer Center
6 - 12
45 Minutes
Discover Activity
Reflecting on Slavery and Resistance with Born on the Water
History and Society, Literacy
Grades K - 8
Reflecting on Slavery and Resistance with Born on the Water
Pulitzer Center
K - 8
1 Hour
Discover Activity
Featured in These Collections
13 Activities
•
Grades 6 - 12
American History: Elevating Black Voices (6-12)
Leadership and Teamwork, History and Society, Literacy
Playlist
American History: Elevating Black Voices (6-12)
6 - 12
9 Hours 10 Minutes
The American History: Elevating Black Voices Collection is a weekly, inquiry-driven playlist that invites learners to examine how storytelling, innovation, creativity, and leadership shape American history and civic life. Through complex texts, Innovator Trading Cards, and theme-based activities across literacy, STEM, the arts, and collaborative problem-solving, students engage with lesser-known Black Americans—whose contributions have influenced systems, culture, and community change. Each week introduces a thematic lens that builds historical analysis, critical reading, argumentation, and interdisciplinary thinking, culminating in a challenge-based game that requires evidence, reasoning, and collaboration. Designed to support meaningful discussion and application, this Collection highlights innovation as a collective process and underscores the power of amplifying voices that shape our shared history.
This collection is designed to have learners apply ideas from the weekly themes introduced through the Innovator Playing Cards with additional related activities; it is recommended to follow this sequence to maintain consistency:
Week 1: Storytelling and Voice
Designing Innovator Trading Cards
What Makes a Good Story?
One Minute Speeches
Erasure Poetry as Resistance
Week 2: Inventing and Problem Solving
Designing Innovator Trading Cards
Cell City
Catapult (Team Building) Game
Build an Extension Arm
Week 3: Creativity and Expression
Designing Innovator Trading Cards
Create a Cardboard Self-Portrait
Improv: Say the Line
How to Look at Dance
Week 4: Leadership and Change
Designing Innovator Trading Cards
Playing Innovator Trading Cards
Analyzing and Constructing Timelines of Racial (In)justice
Dream Team
Discover Collection
American History: Elevating Black Voices (6-12)
Leadership and Teamwork, History and Society, Literacy
13 Activities
•
Grades 6 - 12
Playlist
5 Activities
•
Grades 6 - 12
Exploring 'The 1619 Project'
Digital Media and Communications, History and Society
Module
Exploring 'The 1619 Project'
6 - 12
3 Hours 45 Minutes
Discover Collection
Exploring 'The 1619 Project'
Digital Media and Communications, History and Society
5 Activities
•
Grades 6 - 12
Module
11 Activities
•
Grades 6 - 12
Activities to Engage with 'The 1619 Project'
Digital Media and Communications, History and Society
Playlist
Activities to Engage with 'The 1619 Project'
6 - 12
11 Hours 15 Minutes
Welcome to The 1619 Project playlist for afterschool educators!
These activities give various entry points into exploring the legacy of slavery in contemporary U.S. systems and society, and celebrating Black Americans' contributions to democracy. Each activity is designed for facilitation across one or two 45-minute sessions, and can be completed in any order. To provide a strong foundation for exploring the project, consider starting with the activities entitled "Introducing The 1619 Project," "The Idea of America," and/or "Visualizing the Legacy of Slavery."
Activities in this playlist engage images, podcasts, video, and text excerpts from the project. Students will have the opportunity to connect with the content and one another through meaningful discussions and collaborative team challenges; deepen their research and presentation skills by sharing stories of Black innovators; activate their creativity through writing and visual art; hone their media literacy skills; build historical knowledge; and more.
The 1619 Project is an initiative of The New York Times Magazine that challenges us to reframe U.S. history by marking the year when the first enslaved Africans arrived on Virginia soil as our nation's foundational date. The Pulitzer Center is the official education partner for the project.
Discover Collection
Activities to Engage with 'The 1619 Project'
Digital Media and Communications, History and Society
11 Activities
•
Grades 6 - 12
Playlist
6 Activities
•
Grades 6 - 12
The News and You: Journalism and Media Literacy for Grades 7-12
Literacy, Digital Media and Communications
Module
The News and You: Journalism and Media Literacy for Grades 7-12
6 - 12
How can good journalism empower people? This module begins by asking students to identify what they believe the purpose of journalism to be, and guides them to think critically and creatively about their relationship with news.
Students will move from reflecting on the power and purpose of journalism to examining how bias can affect the news, and the way in which we process information ourselves. Students will learn about news framing and editorial judgment, putting themselves in the shoes of editors and journalists who decide which stories get told and how they are presented to the public. Finally, students will move from analyzing news stories to responding to underreported stories that matter to them through creative and journalistic projects.
Throughout this module, facilitators have access to the option of requesting a free virtual visit with a Pulitzer Center journalist who can support students in digging deeper into any of these topics, getting their questions answered, and exploring careers in the journalism field.
Are you looking for media literacy activities for younger learners? Check out The News and You: Journalism and Media Literacy for Grades 2-6, also on Mizzen.
Discover Collection
The News and You: Journalism and Media Literacy for Grades 7-12
Literacy, Digital Media and Communications
6 Activities
•
Grades 6 - 12
Module
7 Activities
•
Grades K - 8
The News and You: Journalism and Media Literacy for Grades 2-6
Literacy, Digital Media and Communications
Module
The News and You: Journalism and Media Literacy for Grades 2-6
K - 8
9 Hours
This module supports students in developing a healthy relationship to the news rooted in curiosity, critical thinking, empathy, and empowerment.
Students will learn what the news is and reflect on how they can use it in their lives. They will examine the idea of bias and learn how to challenge it, using some of the same skills journalists use. They will consider why some stories get more attention than others, and explore the importance of seeking out underreported stories in order to see a fuller picture of people, places, and issues. Finally, students will move from analyzing news stories to sharing their learning. In their final projects, students will use creative expression and journalistic information to draw attention to the issues that matter to them.
Throughout this module, facilitators have access to the option of requesting a free virtual visit with a Pulitzer Center journalist who can support students in digging deeper into any of these topics, getting their questions answered, and exploring careers in the journalism field.
Are you looking for media literacy activities for upper middle and high school learners? Check out The News and You: Journalism and Media Literacy for Grades 7-12, also on Mizzen.
Discover Collection
The News and You: Journalism and Media Literacy for Grades 2-6
Literacy, Digital Media and Communications
7 Activities
•
Grades K - 8
Module
12 Activities
•
Grades K - 12
Strengthen Social and Emotional Learning with Johnny Crowder
Health and Wellness, Social and Emotional Awareness
Playlist
Strengthen Social and Emotional Learning with Johnny Crowder
K - 12
Like learning algebra or how to ride a bike, social and emotional learning (SEL) calls for patience, compassion, and everyday practice. That’s what brain science and experience say, and it’s at the core of this playlist. Through activities that teach mindfulness meditation, how to identify your strengths and talents, and cultivating compassion through service, you’ll find practical experiences, resources, and tips for empowering youth while helping them navigate stress and build healthy relationships.
“I often wonder how much different my life would look if I was offered support earlier. Before I was struggling, before I withdrew, before I exhibited all sorts of behavioral health issues. The power of prevention is something we can’t waste. We need to use our own hindsight into what would have helped us when we were young to set this next generation up for the success we never had.” — Johnny Crowder
Johnny Crowder is a suicide/abuse survivor, TEDx speaker, touring musician, Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, and the Founder & CEO of Cope Notes, a text-based mental health platform that provides daily support to youth and adults in nearly 100 countries around the world.
Discover Collection
Strengthen Social and Emotional Learning with Johnny Crowder
Health and Wellness, Social and Emotional Awareness
12 Activities
•
Grades K - 12
Playlist
10 Activities
•
Grades K - 8
The 1619 Project for Grades 2–6: Exploring Enslavement and Resistance
Literacy, History and Society
Module
The 1619 Project for Grades 2–6: Exploring Enslavement and Resistance
K - 8
Discover Collection
Copyright © 2026, Mizzen Education, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to empower, uplift and support out-of-school time educators.
Copyright © 2026, Mizzen Education, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to empower, uplift and support out-of-school time educators.