Side Quests--Spring 2024

🏆Climb up the game leaderboard by doing these optional side quests. As you get promoted in the game, you'll earn gold that you can spend on items to earn even more XP in these side quests. 

Side quests are optional, and they must be completed and submitted by May 10 (except for some which expire earlier). 

• New! Read the opinion piece, "Talk Radio Is Turning Millions of Americans Into Conservatives," summarize it, and argue for or against the piece's premise, citing your reasons. 75 XP

• New! Make a flip book on the topic of your choice (can be on the edges of a notebook), after watching this 2-minute film on zoetropes. Film the flip and email me the film. 75 XPTake this quiz, "How news literate are you?" and send me a selfie with you and the score on your screen after you take it. 50 XP

• Think you know the difference between a factual statement and one that contains opinion? Take this quiz and send me a screenshot of you with the results. 50 XP

• Watch Final Edition: The End of a Newspaper and answer the embedded questions.  (Email that you've done this quest.) 100 XP

• Listen to this podcast episode, What Happens When Local News Disappears, from Five Thirty Eight. The episode is 45 minutes long and you should type a one-page response to the the episode that draws from the beginning, middle and end of the podcast. 100 XP

• Look at Freedom Forum's Today's Front Pages (and let me know the date you viewed them). Pick 2-4 of them--two that discuss the same news event from different perspectives--and compare what their headlines evoke. Make sure to tell me which newspapers you chose and what city/state they are in. Send me an email with your comparison. 50 XP

• Watch this video on the wave of book challenges and bans and email me at least two paragraphs that summarize the video. 50 XP

• Read this commentary on book censorship and email me at least two paragraphs telling me whether you agree with the opinion in this piece or not. 50 XP

• Read this article on reading fiction making you nicer and more empathic. Then, make a case in at least two paragraphs of why you agree or disagree. Include at least one quote from the article. 50 XP

• Listen to this audio story from NPR and type up a 1-page response to the piece. In it, you should summarize the key points of the audio story AND you should weigh in with whether or not you agree with Mark Coker. In considering your answer, also address why Mark Coker might advocate the position he does. 50 XP

• Take this quiz on press freedoms and send me a selfie with you and your computer screen at the end. 50 XP

• Watch Corporate Consolidation: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and type of an assessment of how this relates to our class and one of the trends we've discussed in this class. 50 XP

• Take this quiz on your knowledge of the First Amendment. Take a selfie with the screen showing your score in the background. No matter what your score is, you'll get the XP. Send the selfie to me via email. 50 XP 

• Watch the 1 1/2 minute-long video of Sinclair Broadcasting Group TV anchors delivering a message. Then, do a Google search of what this whole thing was about and summarize the results in an email to me.  50 XP

• Play Google's Interland Reality River game to learn more digital citizenship skills. Send me a selfie of you at the end of the game with the score showing. 50 XP

• Sign up for your free digital subscription of the New York Times. Then, show me proof that you've done so. (You can email me a screenshot.) 50 XP