Two Week Unit on Newspapers

1.1 YEAR LEVEL

Year Five/Six class (Focus on SACSA Standard 3)

1.2 TOPIC AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT FOR STUDNETS TO LEARN

The topic for this assignment is “The Media: Exploring Newspapers”. It is important for students to learn the structure and the language of newspapers and how to locate and evaluate the Local, State and International information that is presented.

1.3 KEY ASPECTS OF ENGLISH TO BE TAUGHT IN THIS UNIT

Form of a Recount: Purpose to retell events with the focus on the sequential specific events Framework:  Orientation  Events in time-order  Evaluation (optional)

Recount Language Features:  Specific participants  Linking words to do with time. eg. Later, after, before, etc.  Action verbs  Simple past tense

Editing a piece of work: Punctuation and sentence structure: eg. Capital letters, full stops and commas.

Writing: A newspaper story using the inverted pyramid format.

Grammar: the correct use of tense and specific language appropriate to recounts.

1.4. SPECIFIC TEXTS SELECTED FOR NOMINATED CATEGORIES

Starting point text Rushby, P. 2002, Fast Tracks, Tracking Through Newspapers, Rigby Heinemann, Victoria, pp.6-7

Rushby, P. 2002, Fast Tracks, In the News, Rigby Heinemann, Victoria, pp.4-5

1 Literature text Magazines: K-Zone, D-Mag, Krash, Total Girl, New Idea and That’s Life

Pre-School Books, 1993, The Mouse Family Nursery Rhymes, Brimax Books, Newmarket, England.

Media text National Newspapers: The Advertiser, The Sunday Mail, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier Mail, The Australian, The Herald Sun, The Western Australian, The Hobart Examiner, The Sydney Morning Herald.

The Messenger local Newspapers: The Standard and The Leader

Everyday text Recounts and Reports from Rigby Literacy Collections:

Rigby Literacy Collections, 2000, Rigby Literacy Collections 5, Upper Primary, Chocolate Bar Arrest: Newspaper Report, Rigby Heinemann, Victoria, p.10

Rigby Literacy Collections, 2001, Rigby Literacy Collections 6, Upper Primary, Kids’ Big Annual Event: Sports Report, Rigby Heinemann, Victoria, p.6-7.

1.4 HOW ARE THESE TEXTS IMPORTANT TO STUDENTS’ LIVES BOTH IN AND BEYOND SCHOOL?

It is essential that young people know and care about what is going on in the world around them in order to make sense of it. As teachers it is important to raise students’ interest and awareness of the stories making news headlines around the world. So the more exposure students have to newspapers in learning and reading more about them will help develop lifelong newsreaders. By enabling students to further develop their skills in interpreting and evaluating information through purposeful and critical observation of newspapers, this will assist students in developing the understanding required to make sense of the information.

2 Section 2. THE PROGRAM PLAN

2.1 ENGLISH LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THE UNIT Students will  Identify the sections of a newspaper  Identify the format of a news article  Write a newspaper article (News and Sports story)  Edit a newspaper article  Interpret and evaluate information  Understand that language varies according to the context, purpose, and audience.

By the end of the unit students will be able to write a news article using the correct framework for a Recount:  Orientation  Events in time-order  Evaluation (optional)

Students will recognise the language features specific to Recounts:  Specific participants  Linking words to do with time. eg. Later, after, before.  Action verbs  Simple past tense

2.2 RICH TASK: Read All About It!

Newspapers contain valuable information about current events happening nationally and all around the world. Exploring a variety of text in National Newspapers students will discuss and compare the type of language used by reporters and editors, the structure of news and sports stories and the layout of the different sections of a newspaper. Using a computer the students will create a published version of the front page of a newspaper. Students will create a name for their newspaper and include a heading for a news story. Students will provide a picture or photograph and re-write a news story in the form of a recount, about a current news event that has happened in the world during the last month. They will be required to use specific language terms appropriate to newspapers, concentrating on typical recount grammatical patterns such as action verbs.

3 2.3 ASSESSMENT TASK

DESCRIBE THE ASSESSMENT TASK Students will produce a finished product of a newspaper front page that is aimed to be read by students in the school and their families. It will incorporate a title of the newspaper and a news story that is a recount of a current news event that has happened during the last month.

The focus of the Assessment is Reading and viewing Recount format: Purpose is to retell events Focus: Sequential specific events Framework: Orientation, Events in time-order Language features: Specific participants, linking words to do with time, eg later, after, before; Action verbs and simple past tense

CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT

Students will be given a choice of five current event news stories that have happened around the world in the last month. The students will select an article and read and re-write it in the form of a recount. They will be required to re-write the existing headline to create a front page of the newspaper. The Newspaper front page must have a title, a captivating headline, with carefully selected words to gain attention. The news story recount must have sequential specific events including orientation, such as who, where, when, why and the events must be in time-order The language features must include linking words to do with time, eg later, after, before and action verbs. The recount should be written in simple past tense.

ASSESSMENT STRATEGY

Product analysis of a written piece of work

Newspaper Front Page When the students have completed their Newspaper front pages, the teacher collects the published product to assess for accuracy. Using a rubric the teacher will determine the level of meaning and understanding that the students have of the recount genre by checking the story for orientation eg. Who, When, Where, Why and How and that the events are written in time-order using the correct past tense. Teacher will assess that students have used the appropriate language and linking words to do with time and the appropriate action verbs. Presentation is assessed using a checklist. The teacher will assess the students understanding of the layout of the newspaper front page by checking the positioning of the news story, the relevance of the picture and the size and language used for the heading.

WHO WILL ASSESS?

Teacher will assess

4 SACSA OUTCOME (Number only)

3.7

RECORD OF ASSESSMENT

Teacher will assess using a rubric for the recount, indicating if the students demonstrated the following criteria or if they need further opportunities to reach the required standard.

 Introduces relevant background in a clearly written orientation (who, what, when, where, why).

 Includes significant events in detail.

 Includes significant events in chronological order.

 Uses vocabulary to suggest time passing.

 Writes in paragraphs to show separate sections.

 Maintains past tense.

 Writes a conclusion with an evaluative comment

5 2.4 SACSA CONNECTIONS FOR MIDDLE YEARS BAND Select the Select the bloom’s Equity, Cross ICTs Texts Essential Thinking skills Curric, Voc Ed Learning that will that will be the be the main focus main focus for this unit  Futures Bloom’s Taxonomy  Ab & Torres St Is  Digital camera  Remembering  Multicultural  Computer/Printer  Literature Texts  Identity  Understanding  Gender  Video camera  Media Texts  Applying  Socio-econ  Calculator  Everyday texts  Interdependence  Analysing  Disability  Internet  Evaluating  Rural/isolate  CD Player  Thinking  Creating ………………..  Clock  Enterprise ed  Fax  Communication  Career ed  Scanner  Work-based lng  Email  Community-based lng 

Strand Key ideas Outcomes Texts and 4.1 Listens to a range of texts to examine Key Students respond to increasingly complex ideas 3.1 Listens to a range of texts to develop ideas, Ideas and diverse opinions and to Contexts and information and examine diversity of opinion identify diversity of opinion and to consider the understand the effect of purpose, context when listening to a range of texts. They critically appropriateness of context, purpose and audience and audience. Id  T  C  KC2 and creatively produce a range of spoken texts T  C  KC2 about topics and issues for a wide range of 3.2 Produces a range of spoken texts about topics 4.2 Produces a range of spoken texts about audiences. T  C  KC2  KC6 and events of personal and community interest, topics, events and issues of personal, for school and wider community contexts and community and world interest and adjusts audiences. In  T  C  KC2 speaking for a wide range of contexts and audiences. In  T  C  KC2 Students examine past, present and future 3.3 Reads and views a range of texts containing 4.3 Reads and views a range of texts containing representations of society as they critically interpret some ideas and issues of social/cultural interest multiple social and cultural perspectives and a range of visual, multimodal and written texts and more complex text structures and language examines personal and diverse which contain increasingly complex ideas about features and explains possible reasons for understandings of the contemporary world. local and global issues. F  In  T  C  KC1 different interpretations of texts. In  T  KC1 In  T  KC1

Students choose and compose a range of written 3.4 Composes a range of texts that include ideas and 4.4 Composes a range of texts that include texts which explore different perspectives about information about familiar and some unfamiliar detailed information and explore different local and some global issues. They apply an topics and applies an understanding of audience, perspectives about a range of issues and understanding of context, purpose and audience to purpose and context. Id  T  C  KC2 adjusts texts for particular audiences, their own writing. In  T  C  KC2  KC3 purposes and contexts. Id  C  KC2

Language Students listen to and interact with a wider range of 3.5 Discusses and analyses aspects of spoken 4.5 Evaluates specific aspects of spoken audiences/users for different purposes and language when listening and responding to texts language when listening and responding to contexts, and learn about and integrate aspects of in a range of contexts. T  C  KC1  KC2 texts in a wide range of contexts. T  C  spoken language. They produce a variety of KC1 spoken texts, demonstrating control of language, as 3.6 Selects and uses most aspects of language when 4.6 Controls and adjusts most aspects of they communicate with school and extended producing a variety of spoken texts appropriate for language when producing a variety of community audiences. In  T  C  KC2 a wide range of school and community audiences. spoken texts for a wider range of school and Id  T  C  KC1 appropriate community audiences. Id  T  C  KC2 Students independently read, view and interpret a 3.7 Identifies and analyses features of written 4.7 Analyses and evaluates features of written range of written, visual and multimodal texts dealing language and visual images when reading and texts and visual images when reading and with more complex themes and issues. They viewing independently, a range of texts about viewing independently a range of texts identify and critically appraise combinations of familiar and unfamiliar topics. T  C  KC1 dealing with more complex themes and language choices in these texts, and discuss how issues. In  T  C  KC1 these work to influence readers’ and viewers’ responses and understandings. In  T  C  KC1  KC2 Students plan and compose, independently, an 3.8 Selects and uses a variety of language aspects 4.8 Controls and adjusts most aspects of extensive range of texts on different themes and when planning and composing a range of well- language when planning and composing an issues. They demonstrate knowledge about and structured fiction, factual and media texts about extensive range of written and multimedia competent control of language choices in texts in familiar, new and possible experience. Id  T  C texts on different themes and issues. T  C different modes and media. T  C  KC2  KC3  KC3  KC3  KC7

Strategies Students apply a variety of strategies for listening in 3.9 Uses and discusses a variety of strategies for 4.9 Uses and compares a variety of strategies order to summarise critically, make inferences and listening attentively to summarise alternative for listening critically to diverse perspectives respond to what they have heard. They apply viewpoints in a range of spoken texts. T  C  in a range of spoken texts. T  C  KC1 these strategies when adjusting their speaking for KC2  KC6 wider contexts and audiences in order to 3.10 Selects and uses a variety of strategies for 4.10 Controls and adjusts a variety of strategies communicate challenging ideas and opinions about planning, composing, presenting and evaluating for planning, composing, presenting and issues. spoken texts for an increasing range of evaluating spoken texts for wider community Id  T  C  KC1  KC2 community audiences. Id  T  C  KC3  KC6 audiences. Id  T  C  KC2  KC3 Students use a range of reading/viewing strategies 3.11 Selects and uses a variety of strategies for 4.11 Controls, adjusts and compares a variety of to research independently and in terms, record locating and recording information and for strategies for locating and recording specific information and critically interpret reading, viewing and critically interpreting a range information and for reading, viewing and increasingly complex texts. F  Id  C  KC1  of written and visual texts. F  Id  T  C  KC1 critically interpreting written and visual texts KC2  KC4  KC2 for specific purposes. T  C  KC1  KC2 Students develop a range of strategies for planning, 3.12 Selects and uses a variety of strategies for 4.12 Uses, compares and adjusts multiple composing and reviewing specific written texts. planning, composing and reviewing own written strategies for planning, composing and They use a multi-strategic approach to develop texts and for consistently spelling most common reviewing written texts. T  C  KC3 consistency and accuracy in the conventions of words accurately. T  C  KC3 written texts. Id  C  KC3  KC6

6 2.5 SEQUENCED ACTIVITIES SPECIFIC STEP BY STEP DESCRIPTION OF EACH ACTIVITY RESOURCES Rushby, P. 2002, ACTIVITY 1 Fast Tracks, In Introduction the News, Rigby What is Media : Newspapers, Radio, Television, Magazines Heinemann, Ask the students to focus on Newspapers Victoria, p.4-5 Read ‘In the news’ by Pamela Rushby  What do you expect to find when you open the Newspaper? Eg: the National latest information on what is happening in their town, in their Newspapers country and around the world. Discuss what can be found in Newspapers. The Advertiser,  Advertisements, News stories, Sports stories, Sunday Mail,  Editorials, letters to the editor The Australian  Employment section Herald Sun  Reviews of movies, books, television and the theatre  Comics and cartoons The Messenger  Advertisements Local  Classifieds, items for sale Newspapers: The Standard Discuss what can be found in other forms of text such as novels, magazines. The Leader Magazines The News  Colourful glossy pages and pictures Review  Gossip pages  Feature articles, colourful front cover Magazines  Advertisements K-Zone D-Mag  Cartoons and comics Krash  Puzzles and crosswords Total Girl New Idea Discuss the way people read Newspapers, the use of headlines, photographs, That’s Life captions, diagrams, the target audience and the layout that is used to get a message across.

ACTIVITY 2 Rushby, P. 2002, Read ‘The features of the Newspaper Genre’ in Tracking through Fast Tracks, Newspapers by Pamela Rushby, pp.6-7 Tracking Students are to consider the features of a newspaper by comparing and Through contrasting it with a magazine using a Venn Diagram. They will need to Newspapers, focus on the similarities and differences between newspapers and magazines. pp.6-7 Students fill in the Venn diagram by writing the features of the Newspaper on the Right side of the circle and the features of magazines on the left side Venn Diagram and then they write the similarities in the overlapping centre circle. outline handout

Summarise the information presented on the Venn diagrams by writing a whole class Venn Diagram on the board from the information presented by each student.

ACTIVITY 3 Locating information in a Newspaper Students to create an organised cluster map about the Contents section of the Newspapers newspaper.

7 The Advertiser, Students to write the headings below for the main Ideas of their organised Sunday Mail, cluster map: The Australian  Headlines Herald Sun  News story  Sports stories  Advertising  Weather  Classifieds – For Sale  Classifieds – Cars  Real Estate section Students are to search the newspaper to find each of the above sections. Discuss in small groups: o The difference between daily and weekly newspapers. o The difference in the Real Estate in The Australian. o Feature days and Feature sections

Ask the students to consider the type of language used within each of the sections. Then students then create a cluster map by using the appropriate action verbs used in each of the topics. The words that are written around the headings to create a cluster map are examples of the type of language specific to each of the sections of the newspaper. Explain an example on the board with the whole class:

recommend investigate decide

Inspecting Real Estate Section selling

describe auctioning construct

ACTIVITY 4 Newspapers Analyse the headlines on the Front page of newspapers. The Advertiser Read and discuss headlines on the front page of at least two different daily newspapers from different Australian states that are printed on the same date. The Australian Ask  Is the information in the leading article similar or different The Herald Sun depending on which state the Newspaper was printed? If so, how have the different headlines been presented? The Daily Discuss Telegraph  The type of language and the grammar that is used in the Newspaper Headlines. The Courier Mail  The way the information is presented. Is the layout the same in the local papers compared to the interstate newspapers? Newspaper  How mush space has been devoted to articles of the same topic? articles and the Cut out several headlines from various different State and National matching newspapers, and then cut out the matching news stories. headlines separated and In small groups of 4-6 photocopied Hand out six headlines and the corresponding news stories that have been from the jumbled up for each group. following Ask the students to read the six headlines, and then read the six matching various news stories. As a group the students are required to work together to match newspapers: up the correct heading with the correct news story.

8 Ask each group to select one heading to report back to the class The group announces the heading and describes the news story they have chosen as a match. The rest of the class can confirm if they agree with their choice.

ACTIVITY 5 The type of words used in Newspaper Headlines can influence readers. Display several Front pages of Newspapers. The Daily Brainstorm with the class the type of words used in the headlines on the Telegraph front pages. The Courier Mail Discuss the size, style and type of font used, choice of words and the position of the writing on each page. The Australian Ask: What variations are used to grab the reader’s attention? The Herald Sun What makes the story seem more dramatic? Are some aspects of the stories made to appear more dramatic? The Western Australian Distribute article to the students. Ask students to select one of the six different photocopied articles (with the The Hobart headlines removed). Ask them to read the article and create a headline for Examiner their article. The Sydney Discuss the headlines the students have created. In particular, note the ways Morning Herald different students have treated the same article.

Provide the original headlines, allow the students to compare them with their own. Then discuss some of the factors that might affect the choice of headlines in the newspapers.

ACTIVITY 6 Creating a headline for a newspaper banner Students are to consider the emotive language used on the front cover of a News articles cut newspaper banner to grab the buyers attention. out from various Hand out a copy of a Newspaper article to each student and ask them to read National the article and think of another version of the headline that could be used. newspapers. Students are to compose a Newspaper Banner to display the main headline of the newspaper. For this activity the students must consider the different headlines they could compose for their banner using the following criteria:  a serious headline  a humorous headline  a slang headline  a one-word headline  a two–word headline  a three word headline Students report back to the whole class the headlines they have chosen. Ask

9 the students to comment on why they chose the particular words and if they think they will grab the attention of the readers. Rigby ACTIVITY 7 Collections no:5 Read the students a newspaper story from Rigby Collections: “Chocolate Bar Arrest”. Inverted Pyramid Then analyse the structure of a News story on the front page of the Format Model newspaper. from: Rushby, P. 2002 Explain that a news story provides accurate, up-to-date information. They Fast Tracks, are objective and the writer does not offer any opinions. Tracking The news story that follows the main headline on the front page of the Through newspaper presents facts. It provides the “Who, What, When, Where, Why, Newspapers, and How”. p.10

Students are to create a News story based on a traditional Nursery Rhyme Examples of using the inverted pyramid format. Traditional Nursery Rhymes Using an example of a nursery rhyme explain how to use the ‘Inverted from: Pyramid’ model: Pre-School  The most important information is written in the headline and the Books, 1993, first (lead) paragraph The Mouse  The introduction contains the who, what, when, and where. Family Nursery  The rest of the information – the why and how – comes in the body Rhymes, Brimax of the story. Books,  There is one main idea in each paragraph. Newmarket,  The least important details are written into the last paragraph. England Students to present their news story to the class. Jack and Jill news story.

ACTIVITY 8 Rigby Analyse a Sports Report Collections no:6 Read the students a sports report from Rigby Collections: “Kids Big Annual Event”. Sports Story Read to the class a recent sports report written about the Australian from the Socceroo’s from the Sunday Mail. Advertiser or Sunday Mail Make sure you elaborate and question the students about the events that happen in the article. These events can be recorded on the whiteboard as the students identify them. Introduce the students to the model of a blank storyboard that has eight frames.

Explain that every frame represents one of the events from the sports story.

Students are required to retell the sports report using sequenced drawings and labels of events to create a storyboard. Ask the students what the first frame might be? Eg. Socceroo’s captain tossing the coin before the start of the match. Ask the students what might be in the last frame? Eg. The players congratulating each other. A3 paper for

10 Explain that each frame will need to be in order and remember to illustrate Storyboard and label each frame.

The frames are created by using an A3 sheet of paper that has been folded in half, 3 times. Creating eight boxes on the page. Students work individually creating a storyboard by drawing the main events that happened in the sports article in a sequenced order.

ACTIVITY 9 Copies of News News stories provide us with information about past and current events stories from that help us to understand the world in which we live. various Students are to re-write a current news story that has happened around the newspapers world in the last month.

Students are to retell the events in the form of a recount. They will need to have a clearly written orientation providing background information such as who, what, when, why and how of the story.

The significant events will need to have a chronological order, they will need to use appropriate language such as action verbs and use linking words to do with time such as: before, later, after and they will need to maintain past tense in the news story. The news story may conclude with an evaluative comment.

Once the draft of the news story is complete the students need to proof read and edit their work correcting spelling mistakes and punctuation to enable them to produce a final product.

ACTIVITY 10 The students Using a computer, students are to compose a Front page of a newspaper. draft of their They will need to create a title name for the newspaper and a heading for the news story from main news story which is a published version of the news story they have the previous written in the form of recount. activity

For the layout students will then need consider the:  Heading for the news article  Font size  Position of the text  Selection of an appropriate photo or picture  Target audience

Once students have typed their newspaper front page they can swap with another student to proof read prior to creating the final printed product.

Students will need to check that the news story recount uses the appropriate grammar such as the correct use of tense and that they have used specific language appropriate to recounts such as action verbs.

The final creation will need to be published product that is typed using the correct punctuation and sentence structure, eg. Capital letters and full stops and commas.

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