Language Arts in Action: Engaging Secondary Students with Journalistic Strategies

Build communication skills that can last a lifetime.

To adolescents enthralled by the instant gratification of social media, the pace of classroom routines can seem glacial. How can educators engage today’s “swipe-happy” students and prepare them to thrive in a world where disinformation is as easy to absorb as information?

Language Arts in Action is a thoughtful guide for middle and high school educators wanting to reengage their classes with more active, student-centered instruction. Here, teachers will find tools rooted in journalistic learning: a model that uses project-based storytelling to develop critical communication skills. By allowing young people to research, write, and publish articles aligned with their interests, educators can transform language arts, especially for students who feel their experiences and concerns are missing from traditional instruction.

15 black-and-white illustrations

Ed Madison is an associate professor at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication and a College of Education affiliated faculty member. His research centers on how journalistic learning methods can enhance overall student achievement. Madison is a co-founder and executive director of the Journalistic Learning Initiative (JLI), a nonprofit committed to empowering student voice and academic success. He is also the author of Newsworthy: Cultivating Critical Thinkers, Readers and Writers in Language Arts Classrooms and coauthor of Reimaging Journalism in a Post-truth World.

Melissa Wantz, MA, is a retired language arts instructor and former journalist from Ventura, California, now living in Eugene, Oregon.

Rachel Guldin, PhD, a former classroom teacher, is a visiting assistant professor at Denison University in Ohio.