It lists each category students should be watching for on the news. Categories include all of the candidates, the parties, issue stories, background stories, polls or public opinion reports, coverage of campaign financing, etc. Students also record the date of the show, the network, and roughly the amount of time in minutes spent on each story. Students with tricky stories could note the focus of the report and ask the teacher or classmates for a ruling the next day. After five days, the students take turns reporting their results with a tally kept on a board in front of the class.
Students grouped by network can then compare results and present a combined report.
The group reports can lead to a class discussion comparing and contrasting coverage among the national networks. Teachers can also tie coverage to the events of that particular week, especially if there has been some special event, revelation or issue that has spotlighted one party or candidate over another. Obviously, coverage of issues, third parties and marginal candidates should be covered. For younger students, a teacher's summation of the results can focus on sheer frequency with more advanced students also considering the length of coverage. Teachers can lead the students in discussing whether frequency or length of coverage is more important to a campaign's successes.