Welcome to the Eyes on Israel Curriculum
The news media, the Internet and social media all convey messages and images about Israel and the Middle East. Some of the information is accurate and some is not. For those concerned with the transmission of biased and inaccurate information about Israel and the Middle East, this curriculum provides a comprehensive history with accompanying class exercises to help young people develop critical thinking skills to assess what they read, see and hear about Israel and the Middle East conflict.
Eyes on Israel, a dynamic, modular curriculum, will help teachers and students tackle tough subjects, examine the facts and appreciate the vital role of responsible journalism and teaching in a democracy.
About CAMERA and the development of the Eyes on Israel Curriculum
For nearly forty years, CAMERA (the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis) has been a leader in examining coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and alerting the public to the role of the media in shaping public perceptions of the conflict. CAMERA monitors and analyzes coverage in newspapers, magazines, television, radio, professional journals, websites and other news sources on the Middle East. CAMERA staff and representatives educate hundreds of thousands of Americans about Israel and the Middle East conflict. Educators and other community leaders contact CAMERA's offices with requests for curriculum materials for middle and high school students to help examine and correct misleading and incomplete media portrayals of Israel and the Middle East.
Recognizing the media's role in shaping the public's perception of events, CAMERA developed Eyes on Israel in 2007 to help students reconcile perceptions with fact. The curriculum has been updated. The revised version comes at a time when students are increasingly exposed to unreliable teaching materials and fed biased accounts in agenda-driven teacher-education workshops.
The comprehensive curriculum-containing Lesson Plans, Student Handouts and Teacher Aids-presents Israel's history and current events, fosters an awareness of media ethics, and encourages critical thinking about the Middle East. This approach provides an exciting educational experience and appeals to all types of learners in a variety of settings. The central goal of this curriculum is to help students become critical and educated media consumers, while focusing on the facts of the Arab-Israeli conflict.