Hook: 
What Is a News Report?

*I’ll try make it in to a Canva presentation :-)

Mini Lesson: 

Read and compare 2–3 news reports on the same topic. 

Identify structure: headline, lead, body, conclusion.

Independent/Guided:

📒 Student Tasks:

Label the Structure: The articles 

Highlight or underline the headline, lead, body, and conclusion in each article.

Compare the Articles:

Which article is the most factual?

Which one uses the most emotive or biased language?

How does each writer feel about the skate park?

Reflection

Which article did you find most interesting to read? Why?

Which article do you think gave the clearest information? Explain.

Was there an article you didn’t agree with? Why or why not?

Hook:  
Headlines that Hook:

Display these headlines on the board:
“Giant Snake Found in School Carpark!”

“Local Hero Saves Cat from Tree”

“Boring Budget Cuts Sports Fun”

“It’s Raining Pigs and Planes!”

“Council’s New Plan Stinks!”

Ask:
Which ones grabbed your attention?

What made them interesting?

Which would you click on first? Why?

Discuss:
To grab attention

To give a snapshot of the story

To hint at the tone of the article (serious, humorous, dramatic)
Create an anchor chart ‘How to hook with headlines”  with the following headings. Then add a definition and examples for each.
Alliteration
Puns/wordplay

Sensationalism

Rhyme or rhythm

Questions

Read ‘Local dog rescued from river’. Create 3 different headlines as a group. 

Mini Lesson: 

Students stick this sheet into their Writing Book to refer to.

Students will be given a short passage to read and they need to create different headlines for different emotions. 

Independent
Students stick this sheet into their Writing Book to refer to.

Students will be given a short passage to read and they need to create different headlines for different emotions. 

Reflection

Invite 3–5 students to share one of their headlines.

How would different headlines change your expectations of the article?

Can headlines be misleading? Why might that be a problem?

Hook:  
Fact vs. Opinion:

Assign this Kahoot to the class:

https://create.kahoot.it/details/b0cc40ee-56a4-4043-a952-bff8e28b34e9 

Mini Lesson: 

Create an anchor chart: fact or opinion. As you discuss the concepts below, add them to the anchor chart.

Facts:
Based on evidence: A fact is something that can be proven true or false.

Objective: It’s not influenced by feelings or beliefs.

Verifiable: You can check it by looking it up or through observation.

Opinions:
Based on feelings, beliefs, or preferences: It reflects how someone thinks or feels.

Subjective: Different people can have different opinions.

Cannot be proven true or false: It’s personal and varies.

Often uses words like: I think, I believe, best, worst, should.
Bias:
means having a preference or prejudice that affects how information is presented. It’s when someone favors one side or idea, sometimes without realizing it. Opinions often show bias, because they are based on personal feelings or beliefs.
Loaded language:
is words or phrases that are emotional or powerful, designed to influence how someone feels about a topic — often to persuade or sway opinions. Loaded language can be used to make an opinion sound stronger or more convincing — even if it’s not a fact.

Read this article together and highlight the opinions in one colour, and facts in another.

Independent:
Group sorting activity: Fact or Opinion?

I have who has game?

Reflection:

Go around the class. 

They state a fact or an opinion.

Hook:  
Point of View in the News

*I’ll try make it in to a Canva presentation :-)

Mini Lesson:
Compare how different news outlets present the same event. 

Use a graphic organiser to record differences.

Independent:

Pick a Current Event: Choose a news story that is being covered by multiple outlets.

Read Different Articles: Have students read articles on the same event from different sources.

Compare:

Language: Are there any differences in tone? (Emotional vs. neutral)

Details: Does one article include more information or a different point of view?

Bias: Are certain words or phrases used to persuade the reader?

Reflection:

How does point of view shape reader understanding?