Examining newspapers

2. Analysis of a tabloid article

Required Resources

• Slides 5-8
• Student Worksheet 1-2

Delivery

• Using Slides 5 - 6 introduce the Ten Tors expedition before distributing Student Worksheet 1 which features a tabloid newspaper report on the abandoned Ten Tors expedition of May 2007. You may wish to read this as a class or invite students to read through it independently.
• Prior to reading the article, highlight the name and nature of the title to students. It may be helpful to bring a copy of the Daily Mirror to class for reference. Encourage students to annotate the text as they read it.
• Having read the article, students work in pairs to complete the questions on Student Worksheet 2 and the table on Student Worksheet 2a. This requires analysis of the core elements of the article, including: a. the headline and any sub-headings, b. images, c. layout d. presentation of facts e. use of opinions and comments f. language used and g. tone of the piece.
• Once students have completed the table, ask them to feedback as a class and note down their conclusions on the board.
• It may be helpful to analyse one of the items in the table as a class prior to asking students to work independently.

Differentiation

Lower Ability:

Project a copy of the article onto the whiteboard and ask students to highlight prominent vocabulary or phrases. These can then be entered into the reading table.
Ask lower ability students more specific questions such as: find five facts in both reports. What does each reporter call the people? Who took part in the race? Which report uses more slang? Which report is longer? Etc.

Higher Ability:

Ask students to consider alternative vocabulary or phrases that a broadsheet newspaper might employ in lieu of each element identified in the reading table.