Topic: Newspapers

10-second review: Activities to use in studying newspapers at the elementary level.

Title: “Teaching About the Newspaper in elementary Schools.” AS Beeler. Elementary English (February 1972), 227 – 229. Elementary English was renamed Language Arts by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Activities:

If you can find one in today’s newspapers, have students analyze the “lead” in a news story. What questions does the “lead” answer?

What type of opening is found in feature stories?

Compare the first page of today’s newspapers with the first page from a newspaper fifty years ago. How are they the same and how do they differ?

Follow a story for several days. Why does it change locations?

Evaluate headlines. Write headlines for news and feature articles.

Compare an editorial with a news story on the same subject. Interpret the cartoon on an editorial page.

Write an editorial based on a news story. How organize the editorial?

Interview an editorial writer, reporter, photographer.

Note unfamiliar vocabulary in headlines and in comic strips.

How is a column organized? Write a column. What are the subjects of a continuing column? Interview a columnist.

What are some topics in feature stories?

Study classified ads. How are they organized? Write a classified ad. Write a letter answering a classified ad. How should you organize the letter?

How can a newspaper be helpful in each of your subject areas?

Define newspaper words: flag, ears, deck, lead, by-line, cutline, date-line, etc. Compile a class dictionary. Clip illustrations for each word from old newspapers.

Make a field trip to a local newspaper and/or newspaper plant.

Play the word games available in the daily newspaper.

Comment: Begin by finding out how many of your students read a newspaper and how often. Never too early to familiarize students with what the newspaper has to offer. RayS.