Examining newspapers

Ten Tors

Synopsis

This lesson explores newspaper articles as a form, with particular focus on the differences between tabloid and broadsheet articles. Students will study a range of lively and topical material relating to the newspaper coverage of the abandoned Ten Tors trip in May 2007.

Accompanying Student Worksheets containing extracts from both tabloid and broadsheet newspapers are included and students are asked to consider these extracts at word, sentence and text level.

A separate reading table facilitates and guides students through their analysis of these articles and allows for differentiated learning in groups of mixed ability. Students are encouraged to reflect on and summarise key learning skills by writing a simple guide for younger students on the major differences between the two types of newspaper articles.

MOD Topic

Ten Tors

Curriculum Checklist

EN2 1a; 4a-d; 5a-d; EN3 1e-g

Curriculum Links

• Geography
• History
• Citizenship

Prior Knowledge

A basic knowledge of both tabloid and broadsheet newspapers.
A basic ability to distinguish between fact and opinion.

Learning Outcomes

Lower ability students will:

• Consider meaning beyond the literal and consider an explanation of how choice, language and style affect meaning.
• Consider the relevant from the irrelevant and distinguish between fact and opinion.
• Consider the characteristic features of the featured text.
• Consider how the nature and purpose of media products influence content and meaning.

Average ability students will:

• Consider how to extract meaning beyond the literal and might be able to explain how the choice of language and style affects implied and explicit meanings.
• Consider how to sift relevant from the irrelevant, and distinguish between fact and opinion, bias and objectivity.
• Consider and possibly identify the characteristic features, at word, sentence and text level, of different types of texts.
• Consider, and possibly indicate, how the nature and purpose of media products influence content and meaning.

Higher ability students will:

• Be able to extract meaning beyond the literal, explaining how the choice of language and style affects implied and explicit meanings.
• Be able to sift the relevant from the irrelevant, and distinguish between fact and opinion, bias and objectivity.
• Be able to identify the characteristic features, at word, sentence and text level, of different types of texts.
• Be able to indicate how the nature and purpose of media products influence content and meaning.

Lesson code

EN3