Newspaper Unit
Created by: Amee Ziegenhagen

Prefatory Statement: Reading the newspaper is one of the many ways the general public gains knowledge about the world around them. At an early age, students need to be introduced to the newspaper and then be shown that it is a valuable tool that can be used for many different purposes. Once students realize that reading the newspaper can be a fun and enjoyable experience, they will be inclined to do it more often; thus, learning more about the world they live in. This unit may be easily adapted into a performance package, meeting the Academic Writing grad. standard.

Throughout the course of this unit, students will assume the role of a journalist. They will be assigned to cover four different news stories and then write up an article about the issue as it would appear in a newspaper. The four assignments include the following: interview a member of the community, write a review of your choice, attend a community or school sponsored event, and finally, write a letter to the editor or an opinion column. After completing each assignment, students will tom their article into the teacher for suggestions andfor corrections. The teacher will then hand them back so students can make corrections and place them into their writing folders. These writing folders will be assessed at the end of the unit. Students will then receive an overall grade for their folders.

After all assignments have been completed, students will also be required to create their own newspapers in small groups of four. Each student must contribute at least one article to their group's newspaper. Students can create this project using any resources they desire and can get as creative as they want. It should be a fun way to show off what they have written and learned during the unit. The final grade will be based upon three things: class participation and daily assignments, the completed contents of their writing folders (which includes all four assignments), and the final, group project.

Class Specification: This unit is designed for a ninth to tenth grade standard English class with students from various socioeconomic backgrounds as well as races. Because this unit is so versatile, it would be good to teach to students at any level, seventh through twelfth grade. The content of the unit may vary slightly, depending upon the grade level you decide to teach it at. For example, if teaching this to an eleventh grade class you may want to go into more depth about the freedom of speech/press issue or you may want to find outside reading sources to complimlent the unit. Different individual assignments may also be used, depending upon the sophistication of your students.

Significant Assumptions:

  • Students are interested in the world around them.
  • Most students do not read the newspaper on a regular basis.
  • Learning is best done though a variety of teaching methods.
  • It is important for students to be allowed to work in groups as well as individually.
  • Students will enjoy writing about topics that mean something to them.
  • Students write better when they have a specific audience in mind.

    Standards to be Met:
    1) Write in the English language for a variety of academic purposes and situations.
    2) Describe, narrate or explain observations of human events or situations.
    3) Analyze patterns and relationships of ideas, topics or themes.
    4) Construct support for a position, argument, plan or idea.
    5) Evaluate an idea, topic or theme based on criteria.

    Whole-Class Activities:

  • Various large group discussions about topics brought up in class.
  • View the movie All the Ring's Men.
  • Daily reading of the newspaper.
  • Practice interviewing another classmate.
  • Create a writing folder rubric.

    Small-Group Activities:

  • Create a group newspaper.
  • Share and edit each other's articles.
  • Compose interview questions.
  • Discuss various topics as assigned.

    Individual Activities:

  • Complete all four articles (interview, review, community or school sponsored event, and either a letter to the editor or an opinion column).
  • Newspaper scavenger hunt worksheet.

    Ongoing Activities:

  • Writing folder
  • Journal assignments

    Student Resources:

  • Journal/notebook
  • Handouts on the four assignments
  • Writing folder rubric
  • Unit overview handout

    Access to the following

  • Duluth News Tribune (or other city newspaper)
  • Wall Street Journal
  • Any small town newspaper (The Morgan Messenger)
  • The Enquirer
  • A computer or word processor

    Other possible activities:

  • Take a field trip to your local newspaper would be a great idea or invite a reporter/journalist into your classroom to share their experiences with your students.
  • If students are computer illiterate, you may need to teach a lesson on desk top/ layout skills that they can use when developing their newspapers.

    Week 1: Unit launch- introduction to unit.

  • Students will become familiar with the local newspaper (Duluth News Tribune).
  • Students will be divided up into small groups consisting of four members.
  • Students will learn how to conduct an interview and will be assigned to interview a notable member of the community.
  • Students will analyze the difference between a credible newspaper and a magazine like The Enquirer.
  • Students will write up their interviews in an article format.

    DAY 1
    See lesson plan

    DAY 2
    See lesson plan

    DAY 3

    Students will view examples of how their interview article should look like. Students will be allowed to practice interviewing another classmate, asking the questions they intend to ask the community member they want to interview.

    Students will divide up into small groups, each consisting of four students, if possible. They will then be told what is expected of them as an individual and as a small group member. Students will be reminded that the final product is to be a small newspaper made by each group.

  • Interviews are due on day 2 of week 2. Time extensions may be given if necessary.

    DAY 4
    See lesson plan

    DAY 5
  • Discuss the writing folder in detail.
  • Allow students to decide what should be included in the writing folder and what they want to
    be graded on. Create a writing folder grading rubric to hand out to students.
  • Students can have the rest of class to catch up on unfinished work or they may read.

    Week 2:
  • Handout writing folder guidelines/rubric.
  • Collect interviews and have students journal about the process. Discuss results. Look over the
    interviews, note corrections that need to be made and hand them back to students to correct and place in their unit writing folders.
  • In small groups, have students discuss what makes a good title of a newspaper and what makes a good heading. Discuss in large group.
  • Show a recording of Jay Leno's Headline News. Discuss why people think that those headlines are funny. Ask students if they are examples of good headlines.
  • Have students find film reviews or critiques in the newspaper. Discuss the importance of these items and note their films.
  • Assign students to write a review of their choice. Develop guidelines for form and content.

    ***Due week 3

    Week 3:
  • Collect reviews, check them over and hand back to students as soon as possible.
  • Discuss freedom of speech/press. You may want to bring in outside essays or stories dealing with this subject. One such example may be UMD's Stateschic.
  • Have students watch the movie All the King's Men. This is the documentary of the two reporters who broke the Watergate scandal. It is a good example of the "power`' of the press (another movie may be substituted).
  • Assign students to attend a community or school sponsored event and write up an article about what they observed

    ***Due week 4.

    Week 4 -5:
  • Allow students to read various opinion columns and letters to the editor. Discuss the purpose of these items.
  • Assign students to write a letter to the editor or an opinion column about something they strongly believe in. Extra credit may be given to students who actually send their letters to the newspaper.
  • Collect the final assignment, correct and hand back to students as soon as possible so that they may include it in their newspapers.
  • Students may spend the rest of the week in their small groups revising their articles, and putting them all together to form a small newspaper. When finished, students will present them to the class and will hand in one copy to the teacher.
  • Collect the finished writing folders.

    Newspaper Unit
    Week 1, Day 1
    Goal: Students will become more familiar with the newspaper so that they can use it as a resource throughout the entire unit.
    Objectives:
  • Students will journal about the purpose of the newspaper and their e~omre to various newspapers.
  • Students will discuss the results with the large group.
  • Students will browse through the Duluth News Tnbune paying attention to page numbering, order, and the location of specific sections.
  • Students will become familiar with the newspaper and its components.

    Materials Needed: ***Students in groups of four (needed throughout Unit)
  • Student journals
  • Duluth News Tribune (enough copies to go around)
  • Newspaper scavenger hunt worksheet


    Methods: 50min
    1. Write the word "newspaper" on the board and invite students to journal about what ever pops into their heads. 5 min
    2. Have students turn to their neighbor and briefly state what they wrote about. Bring students back into the large group for discussion. Such questions that students should discuss include the following: What is the purpose of a newspaper? Why do you read or not read the newspaper? What would the world be like without newspaper? 10-15
    3. Pass out a copy of the Duluth News Tribune to each student. Allow students to page through the paper. Point out specific things such as, page numbers, the order of the sections. 10 min
    4. Give directions for the newspaper scavenger hunt activity while handing it out. Make sure students know that this is an assignment and it will be graded. Allow students to work alone while completing this activity. If they run into a problem students may ask for help from the teacher or a neighbor. 2a min
    5. Close the lesson by again stating the purpose of the newspaper. Students who have finished the scavenger hunt can turn it in. Others can either furnish outside of class or scqnetime throughout the rest of the week: 5 Run

    Evaluation: I will know that students have met my objectives from their journal entries, participation in the Large group discussion, and from their successful completion of the newspaper scavenger hunt worksheet.

    Newspaper Scavenger Hunt

    Find each of the following items in the Duluth Newt Inane. Write the page number next to the item as you locate it.

  • Section A: Major news stories- state, national, and world news; opinion page
  • Front page:
  • Lead stones
  • The directory or index of the newspaper

    Inside Section A:

  • Top Picks
  • Accu Weather
  • Marine Traffic
  • Advertising Index
  • To Reach Us (phone numbers)
  • People in the News
  • UP date on the News
  • National Briefs (sometimes, Nation/World Briefs)
  • Washington Briefs

    Opinion Page:

  • Our View (editorials by the newspapers editors)
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Columns by venous writers (who change daily)
  • Political cartoon
  • Section B. Points North Section: Stories of Local Interest
  • DNT Daily Planner
  • Northland Briefs
  • Minnesota and Wisconsin Briefs
  • Movie Listings
  • BIZ Briefs
  • The Market in Review
  • Obituaries

    Section C, Sports Section: Sports stories, television listings

  • Sports stories
  • Columns by sports writers
  • Fast Break
  • Sports Beat
  • Scoreboard
  • Sports Sidelines
  • Television listings

    Section D, Classified Section: Classified ads, comics, etc.

  • Index
  • Information about placing an ad
  • Comics
  • Days Gone By
  • In History
  • Dear Abby
  • Horoscope
  • Employment Ads
  • Real Estate Ads
  • Car Ads


    Newspaper Unit

    Week 1, Day 2

    Goal: The first half of this lesson presents students with an overview of the unit so that they will know what to expect. The latter half of the lesson focuses an the upcoming interview assignment.

    Objectives:
    Students will come to know what is expected of them throughout the unit. They will receive instructions, as well as a handout stating what the projects will be and the tentative due dates.

  • Students will discuss what an interview is and how one is conducted.
  • Students will receive directions for their first assignment.
  • Students will discuss which members of the community would be good citizens to interview.
  • In small groups, students will brainstorm a list of possible interview questions and may analyze an interview that was printed in the paper.

    Materials Needed: Unit overview handout
  • Interview assignment handout
  • Newspapers to go around
  • Performance Checklist Handout
  • Methods: 50 ruin
    1. Ask for a volunteer to summarize what happened during class yesterday. Briefly state what will happen today. 2-3 min
    2. Pass out the unit overview handout to each student. Go through each section, making sure that students understand what will be expected of them. Answer any questions that arise. 10 Min
    3. Introduce the first assignment by asking students to think about the purpose of an interview. Have students discuss results in large group. Move discussion into how to conduct an interview and who are good people to interview. 5 min
    4. Pass out the directions for the interview assignment. 2-3 Min
    5. After all questions have been answered, direct students to divide up into their previously assigned groups. Their task is to further discuss who they want to interview and to brainstorm a list of questions that would be appropriate to use in the interview. To get ideas, students may look through the newspaper, specifically at interview articles. They will also have small group time tomorrow. 20 min
    6. End class by emphasizing the importance of getting this project started as soon as possible. By tomorrow, students should have several people in mind to interview. 2-3 stun

    Evaluation: I will know that students have met my objectives from their participation in large group discussion, as well as their small group involvement. Tomorrow, each small group will share their list of possible questions with the entire class. Questions that students raise will also indicate comprehension.


    NEWSPAPER UNIT
    Student Handout

    Unit Overview: Throughout this unit, you will assume the role of a journalist. You will be required to complete four written projects which will be placed into a writing folder, one large group project, as well as daily assignments. Your grade for the next four weeks will be based upon the contents of your writing folder, daily assignments, class participation, journal entries, and the large group project. To complete the large project, you must have all ready finished the four written assignments. The assignments are as follows:

    FOUR WRITTEN PROJECTS

  • Interview- You will be required to interview a member of the community and then write/type up your findings in article format.
  • Review-You will be required to write some type of review as it would appear in a newspaper.
  • Report- You will be required to attend a community or school sponsored event and then write/type up your findings in article format.
  • Letter to the editor or opinion column- You will be required to write a letter to the editor or an opinion column far a newspaper about something you strongly believe in.
    ***After you complete each assignment, hand it in to me for suggestions and then place a final copy into your writing folder.

    SMALL GROUP PROJECT
    Throughout the unit you will be divided into groups of four. After completing all four assignments, you will get into your groups and create a small newspaper containing a minimum of four articles, each one written by a different member. You can add any additional items that will make it unique. BE CREATIVE! ! !
    DAILY ASSIGNMENTS
    There will be daily assignments as well as several journal entries that you should complete throughout the unit.

    Performance Checklist
    The following is a checklist designed to help keep you on task. Grading will be based on the following system:
    4= excellent
    3= good
    2= Needs work
    1= Needs a lot of work
    X- completed on time

    You will be required to give yourself a grade and also submit this handout each time you turn something in to me. I will then give you a number grade. For the first four assignments you will receive an X. This X signifies that you have completed the task on time. From here, you should revise each article before placing it into your writing folder.


    ITEM DUE STUDENT GRADE TEACHER GRADE
    Interview article Review Cony school X Letter to the Editor X or Opinion Column Writing folder
    Group newspaper Journal entries Other daily assignments Class participation
    Comments:
    Newspaper Unit


    Week 1, Day 4
    101: This lesson will focus on the many different newspapers that are available. Using the concept attainment model, students will become familiar with the differences between the content of a business newspaper (Wall! Street Journal), a city newspaper (Duluth News Tribune), a small town newspaper (The Morgan Messenger), and finally, a newspaper like The Enquirer.
    Objectives:

  • Students will be given an example of each of the four newspapers.
  • Students will view many examples of the concept and will decide which category each one fits in. For example, students may be shown the article, "Baby Born With Tail". They then must decide if this is an example of an article that might appear in a business newspaper, a city newspaper . . .
  • Students will journal about each category and compose a general definition of each different type of newspaper and the purpose each one serves.

  • n a large group, students will discuss their journal entries.
  • Materials Needed: 5 examples of articles that may appear in The Wal./! street Journal
  • 5 examples " " " " in The Duluth News Tribune
  • 5 examples " " " " in a small town newspaper
  • 5 examples " " " " in The Enquirer
  • Student journals
  • Scotch tape
  • Methods: 50min

    1. Prior to class, divide the chalk board into four sections- The Wall Street Journal, Duluth News Tribune, The Morgan Messenger, and The Enquirer.
    2. Ask for a volunteer to summarize what happened during class yesterday. Briefly describe what will happen today, being careful not to give too much information away, otherwise the exercise may not be as affective. 5 min
    2. Begin the concept attainment model by reading a small excerpt of an article from one of the sections and place it in the section that it is an example of. Give one example for each section. 5-7min
    3. Read another example and allow students to decide which section it should be im Be sure to ask students why they think the example should fall into that category. Continue this process until all examples have been placed into the correct section. 15-20 min
    4. Instruct students to journal about each category, composing a brief definition of each type of newspaper. 10 min
    5. In a large group, have students discuss their journal entries. Lead discussion into the purpose of each different type of newspaper 10 min
    6. Conclude by asking students if they enjoyed this type of activity and remind them that their interviews are due next week. 2 min
    Evaluation: I will know that students have met my objectives from their participation in the concept attainment activity and from reading their journal entries after they hand them in at the end of the week.


    The Interview
    DUE DATE:

    You will be required to conduct an interview with a community member and then write up your findings in article format. We will talk more about this in class. Keep in mind that your audience is your classmates.

    DIRECTIONS:
    1. Decide who on want to interview. It can be any person who you feel has something to offer the rest of the class or someone w lo you find interesting. This may include someone whose occupation is similar to what you want to do in the future, or someone who is making a positive contribution to society in a certain way.
    2. After you have decided who you want to interview, clear it with me. I may ask you to reconsider or to state your reasons for choosing that person.
    3. Create a list of 10 -15 interview questions. We will be working on this somewhat in class.
    4. Contact the person You want to interview either in Person or over the telephone. Ask if it would be all right for you to interview him/her. State that this is an assignment for English class and that the interview will be written up in a class newspaper for all to read. Once you get their consent set up a time to interview.
    5. Conduct the interview. Interviews may last from 15 minutes to an entire hour, depending upon the depth of your questions.
    6. Do not forget to thank the interviewee. This may be done at the end of the interview or you may want to send him/her a copy of the article that you will write.
    7. Write or type up Your findings. Be sure to include WHO you interviewed, WHAT questions you asked and the answers your interviewee gave, WHERE the interview took place, and WHEN it occurred. The bulk of your article should focus on the WHAT part.
    ***see example on back
    8. Rand in to me by next Tuesday the 5th in final form along with the list of questions that you asked. I will add comments and suggestions for revision. After you receive your article back, revise and place it in your writing folder. You may also want a member of your group to look it over and give suggestions. This will be kept until the end of the unit. You will receive a grade for the entire writing folder. As a class we will decide the grading requirements for the writing folder.


    The Review
    DUE DATE:

    You will to write a review of your choice following the format shown below or another format that was discussed in class.

    Directions:
    1. Decide what you want to review. A movie, play, concert, cd, book . . . are a few examples. It can be something that you have all ready seen, read, or listened to. Keep in mind that your classmates make up your audience.
    2. Closely examine the item you want to review. Look for things you like/ dislike or things that make it unique You may want to ask others their opinion of the article.
    3. Decide where you stand If you are reviewing a movie, decide if you want to recommend it to your audience or warn then to avoid it.
    4. Write the review. Follow the example. Average length should be about one typed page. Remember to title your review.
    5. Hand in to me by the due date.
    6. After you get it back, make necessary improvements and place in your writing folder.


    Community/School Article
    DUE DATE:
    You will be required to attend a community or school sponsored event and then write up your findings as it would appear in the Duluth News Tribune. Your audience is now the general public.
    Directions:
    1. Decide upon an event to attend. You may go to a sports event, a town meeting, a church event or anything else that is sponsored by the community or school.
    2. Attend the event. Make outside arrangements if necessary. Bring a notebook along to take notes. This is okay because, remember, you are a journalist.
    3. Get the details of who, what, where, when, and how. You may want to interview several other people who also attended this event. If you attend a meeting, keep track of what was discussed and how conflict was resolved.
    4. Write the article following examples that you found in the Duluth News Tribune. Title your article. Remember that your audience is now the general public. People of all ages might read your article.
    5. Have a member of your group proofread your article .
    6. Hand in to me by the due date.
    7. After you get your article back, make necessary improvements before placing it into your writing folder.

    Letter to the Editor/ Opinion Column
    DUE DATE:
    Your final individual assignment is to write either a letter to the editor or an opinion column following the examples we discussed in class. Your audience is the general public.
    Directions:
    1. Decide which task you would like to perform.

    Letter to the Editor: You must first find an article in a recent issue of the Duluth. News Tribune that you find interesting. It may peak your interest either in a positive or negative way. Most letters to the editor are statements about what was wrong or bad about a certain article. You may; however, choose to write a positive letter to the editor. The decision is up to you. See examples from the Duluth News Tribune.

    Opinion Column: Find an issue that you have an opinion about, one that will be relevant to your audience. The issue should have two sides or in other words, be debatable. Do not write about your opinion on abortion or the death penalty. Choose an issue that you can fully cover in several paragraphs. See examples from the Duluth News Tribune.
    2. Write the article. Create a title.
    3. Have a member of your group proof read your article.
    4. Hand in to me on or before due date.
    5. After you get it back, make necessary changes before placing it into your writing folder.