Student Reporting Labs
16 Activities
Overview
Student Reporting Labs connect students to innovative journalism curriculum to develop digital media, critical thinking and communication skills while producing original reports.
Continue Your Journey
1
1
Shifting the Frame (Student Reporting Labs)
Students will visually map portrayals of their communities in the news media. The result will be a graphic organizer of unique perspectives and story ideas.
This is activity 1 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
50 Minutes
2
2
What Is Newsworthy? (Student Reporting Labs)
Journalists often pitch story ideas inspired by events occurring in their communities or by issues they care about, but they also turn to the Internet and social media to find out what topics are engaging a large audience.
This lesson will challenge students to think about the term “newsworthy” and what makes a story worthy of being reported.
This is activity 2 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
50 Minutes
3
3
Journalism Ethics (Student Reporting Labs)
Students will explore, engage and develop a thorough understanding of the components and ethics related to journalism.
This is activity 3 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
1 Hour
4
4
What Makes a Good Video Story? (Student Reporting Labs)
What makes a video story good isn’t just about the topic, it’s how you tell the story.
In this lesson, you will focus on key elements that make for great nonfiction stories like news packages, video profiles, explainers, and short documentaries.
This is activity 4 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
50 Minutes
5
5
Copyright & Fair Use (Student Reporting Labs)
Students create short presentations to learn about copyright and fair use on the internet.
This is activity 5 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
25 Minutes
6
6
Broadcast News (Student Reporting Labs)
How does news get from the front lines to your feed? Let’s take a look behind the curtain...
Students will gain an understanding of what constitutes broadcast news and how it’s produced. They will use this knowledge to work backwards, investigating and critically analyzing news stories they’ve recently encountered.
This is activity 6 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
50 Minutes
7
7
Find Your Story (Student Reporting Labs)
Students explore new topics and people to develop a compelling news story.
This is activity 7 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
50 Minutes
8
8
Research and Understanding (Student Reporting Labs)
Students will identify what they know and don’t know about their story’s topic. Once students know what they don’t know, they will use curiosity to guide research that will result in better developed stories.
This is activity 8 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
50 Minutes
9
9
Pitch Your Story (Student Reporting Labs)
Students will learn to turn their story ideas into fully developed pitches. A pitch enables students to explain their story succinctly and also keep their story focused during the production process.
This is activity 9 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
50 Minutes
10
10
What Makes a Good Interview? (Student Reporting Labs)
Preparation and practice are the keys to a successful interview and amazing story. This lesson uses a famous art project, Humans of New York, to reverse-engineer good interview questions and techniques.
Before you write your own interview questions, understand your goal: to get soundbites that connect with your audience, illuminate the topic and move your story forward.
This is activity 10 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
50 Minutes
11
11
Pre-interviewing (Student Reporting Labs)
Pre-interviews help you find the right voices (characters) for your story. In the Find Your Story Lesson, you identified potential people to interview and feature in your story.
Now you will talk to them to get a sense of whether they are indeed the right people and if they will move your story forward. The pre-interview will also help you create a list of interview questions so that you can make the best use of your time, and theirs.
This is activity 11 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
50 Minutes
12
12
Art of the Interview (Student Reporting Labs)
Preparation and practice are the keys to a successful interview and amazing story. The goal of the interview is to get soundbites that connect with your audience, illuminate the topic and move your story forward.
This is activity 12 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
1 Hour 30 Minutes
13
13
Fact-checking for Beginners (Student Reporting Labs)
Students will learn the basics of fact-checking a news story, and the difference between primary and secondary sources.
This is activity 13 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
14
14
Production (Student Reporting Labs)
In this unique set of video tutorials produced by Gil Garcia of Austin High School, students learn about the different roles associated with video production, how to scout a location and set up, best practices for audio gathering, lighting basics, the importance of white-balancing, how to approach interview process, and how to gather different forms of b-roll.
This is activity 14 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
1 Hour
15
15
In-camera Edit (Student Reporting Labs)
Students learn how to become a better visual storyteller by analyzing and creating their own video sequences.
This is activity 15 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
2 Hours
16
16
Team Work and Planning (Student Reporting Labs)
Working in groups can be challenging for even the best students and so helping kids learn how to work well together can be an invaluable activity not only in journalism but in life.
This is activity 16 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
45 Minutes
Student Reporting Labs
Overview
Continue Your Journey
1
1
Shifting the Frame (Student Reporting Labs)
Students will visually map portrayals of their communities in the news media. The result will be a graphic organizer of unique perspectives and story ideas.
This is activity 1 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
50 Minutes
2
2
What Is Newsworthy? (Student Reporting Labs)
Journalists often pitch story ideas inspired by events occurring in their communities or by issues they care about, but they also turn to the Internet and social media to find out what topics are engaging a large audience.
This lesson will challenge students to think about the term “newsworthy” and what makes a story worthy of being reported.
This is activity 2 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
50 Minutes
3
3
Journalism Ethics (Student Reporting Labs)
Students will explore, engage and develop a thorough understanding of the components and ethics related to journalism.
This is activity 3 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
1 Hour
4
4
What Makes a Good Video Story? (Student Reporting Labs)
What makes a video story good isn’t just about the topic, it’s how you tell the story.
In this lesson, you will focus on key elements that make for great nonfiction stories like news packages, video profiles, explainers, and short documentaries.
This is activity 4 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
50 Minutes
5
5
Copyright & Fair Use (Student Reporting Labs)
Students create short presentations to learn about copyright and fair use on the internet.
This is activity 5 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
25 Minutes
6
6
Broadcast News (Student Reporting Labs)
How does news get from the front lines to your feed? Let’s take a look behind the curtain...
Students will gain an understanding of what constitutes broadcast news and how it’s produced. They will use this knowledge to work backwards, investigating and critically analyzing news stories they’ve recently encountered.
This is activity 6 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
50 Minutes
7
7
Find Your Story (Student Reporting Labs)
Students explore new topics and people to develop a compelling news story.
This is activity 7 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
50 Minutes
8
8
Research and Understanding (Student Reporting Labs)
Students will identify what they know and don’t know about their story’s topic. Once students know what they don’t know, they will use curiosity to guide research that will result in better developed stories.
This is activity 8 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
50 Minutes
9
9
Pitch Your Story (Student Reporting Labs)
Students will learn to turn their story ideas into fully developed pitches. A pitch enables students to explain their story succinctly and also keep their story focused during the production process.
This is activity 9 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
50 Minutes
10
10
What Makes a Good Interview? (Student Reporting Labs)
Preparation and practice are the keys to a successful interview and amazing story. This lesson uses a famous art project, Humans of New York, to reverse-engineer good interview questions and techniques.
Before you write your own interview questions, understand your goal: to get soundbites that connect with your audience, illuminate the topic and move your story forward.
This is activity 10 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
50 Minutes
11
11
Pre-interviewing (Student Reporting Labs)
Pre-interviews help you find the right voices (characters) for your story. In the Find Your Story Lesson, you identified potential people to interview and feature in your story.
Now you will talk to them to get a sense of whether they are indeed the right people and if they will move your story forward. The pre-interview will also help you create a list of interview questions so that you can make the best use of your time, and theirs.
This is activity 11 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
50 Minutes
12
12
Art of the Interview (Student Reporting Labs)
Preparation and practice are the keys to a successful interview and amazing story. The goal of the interview is to get soundbites that connect with your audience, illuminate the topic and move your story forward.
This is activity 12 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
1 Hour 30 Minutes
13
13
Fact-checking for Beginners (Student Reporting Labs)
Students will learn the basics of fact-checking a news story, and the difference between primary and secondary sources.
This is activity 13 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
14
14
Production (Student Reporting Labs)
In this unique set of video tutorials produced by Gil Garcia of Austin High School, students learn about the different roles associated with video production, how to scout a location and set up, best practices for audio gathering, lighting basics, the importance of white-balancing, how to approach interview process, and how to gather different forms of b-roll.
This is activity 14 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
1 Hour
15
15
In-camera Edit (Student Reporting Labs)
Students learn how to become a better visual storyteller by analyzing and creating their own video sequences.
This is activity 15 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
2 Hours
16
16
Team Work and Planning (Student Reporting Labs)
Working in groups can be challenging for even the best students and so helping kids learn how to work well together can be an invaluable activity not only in journalism but in life.
This is activity 16 of 16 in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Module. Visit the Module to learn more before getting started.
Grades 6 - 12
45 Minutes
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.