It is vital for our children to be informed and educated citizens, and of course, to consider the source(s) of what they are reading.
At present, this lesson feels very timely.
I teach an elective class called, Journalism & Yearbook.
As a part of the class , it’s important to find ways to make the learning tasks creative, practical, fun and hands on.
Our school district has been very fortunate and has been a part of a program that supplies enough newspapers for our journalism class each week.
As an introduction to the class, one of the first learning activities that students engage in is learning the parts (anatomy) of a newspaper.
The learning targets with this activity are:
“Learn how to read a newspaper and find the information you want by learning how it is organized.”
“Knowing the organization, layout, and key features of a newspaper will help you find the information you need in a more timely manner.
• Sections of a newspaper
• Features of a story”
“I understand the elements and layout of the newspaper.”
I used Teachers Pay Teachers to purchase a lesson (unit bundle) created by another teacher called: Anatomy of a Newspaper. It’s in the format of a PowerPoint (or Google Slideshow).
To access Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) use this website link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/
Or get the app:
The resource I used for this particular lesson is from the seller called: The Daring English Teacher
You’ll need to create an account (free) if you haven’t used Teachers Pay Teachers before.
You can follow me on TPT by using link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Sellers-Im-Following/Add/Royale-Walter
Materials you need to label the newspaper:
– Newspaper (we use the front page only for the first time labeling)
– Scissors
– Glue or Scotch tape
– Construction paper (or plain paper)
I’ve created a rubric to use with students. It’s important to go over this prior to starting the labeling portion of the activity. Remind students, especially if using the front page of the newspaper only, that they may not be able to find all of the parts.
The students enjoy this activity.
Later in the year, we create our own newspaper which reinforces these learning targets.
Also, since our newspaper is delivered to the classroom (now weekly), we spend time simply reading the newspaper and when we speak as a class about the current issue, it’s important to have a common language using newspaper terms.
If you engage in this activity at home or at school, I would select a front page that you are comfortable labeling with your children/students.
In light of current events, it depends on the age of the children with how much of the news you want to share.
Important: As a class and prior to this activity, we are able to discuss the role journalism (and journalists) play in our country. My students have witnessed the local newspaper moving to only one publication a week, along with moving toward online subscriptions. There are many valuable lessons and conversations linked with this activity.
Michigan Mama 