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Using Newspaper Journalism to Introduce Units of Study in United States History

Using Newspaper Journalism to Introduce Units of Study in United States History

October 8, 2026, Posted by: Colleen Smith

Newspapers and newspaper journalism can be windows into a time and place: Journalism of the time under study shows what and how news was presented to the public. In the classroom, newspaper journalism from a historical period offers a way to start and close a unit. Introducing students to issues of the time through what was reported on invites students to practice primary source analysis while also finding clues about topics and events they will encounter throughout a unit.

This post models this strategy using an item from the Newspaper Journalism Primary Source Set that could be used to introduce a unit on National Expansion and Reform. Students will analyze bite-sized excerpts from The North Star, December 3, 1847.

Procedure 

• Distribute or assign the five excerpts evenly among students.

• Instruct students to read their assigned texts independently. Ask: What do they notice first? Allow time for students to examine the text and write their responses.
• Next, challenge students to read the text a second time, this time looking for clues about what was important at the time it was published. Encourage students to write down their ideas and back up their claims with evidence from the text. Support students as needed with a sentence stem such as “I think ___ was important at the time because___.”
• Now, challenge students to write at least one question they have about the excerpt: What do they wonder about? Then, direct students to group with others who had their assigned text (A-E) and compare responses to the three prompts. Give time for groups to listen, summarize, and synthesize the ideas shared and then select a spokesperson to share their findings with the full class.
• Lead a class discussion on the five excerpts to distill key ideas and questions. Teachers can use this discussion to transition to the focus of the unit and the topics that will be examined. Ask students: To what extent did the article excerpts reflect issues of the era? What may be missing?
• Finally, reveal information about the newspaper (see About this Collection). Offer that newspapers and newspaper journalism can be a helpful source for showing what and how issues were presented to readers. As with all sources, keep in mind considerations such as authorship, audience, and the purpose of the publication. Clarify that students will encounter different source types and perspectives in the unit, all of which help to inform an understanding of the time and place under study. Explain that at the close of the unit, they will come back to these texts and reflect on what, if anything, changed from their initial read of the excerpts.

If teachers are interested in applying this strategy to other units of study, consider the following items from the Newspaper Journalism primary source set:

• Post Revolution/New Nation: The gazette (Portland, Me.), October 22, 1798;
• Civil War: The New York herald (New York [N.Y.]), July 8, 1863;
• Progressive Era:
  • The evening world (New York, N.Y.), June 4, 1906;
  • New-York tribune (New York [N.Y.]), March 26, 1911;
• WWII: Manzanar free press (Manzanar, Calif.), March 20, 1943;
• Civil Rights: Arkansas State press (Little Rock, Ark.), September 13, 1957.

For additional ideas related to using newspapers as a primary source, consult the Teacher’s Guide: Analyzing Newspapers.

If you find this strategy helpful or have ideas to offer, please share in the comments! 

Categories

• National Expansion and Reform (1815-1860)

Continue/Read Original Article: https://blogs.loc.gov/teachers/2026/10/using-newspaper-journalism-to-introduce-units-of-study-in-united-states-history/