Throughout the course, you will assign many articles or topics for students to read that will provide a framework for their writing. Aside from having them read the assigned material, you should encourage them to dip into the newspaper to find what interests them and to share what they are reading. Part of the fun of this class is having students discover articles of itnerest and urge their peers to read them, too.
As regularly as they can! Don't simply have students read the assigned articles. Make reading the newspaper a regular activity. Doing so will certainly help them, not just in the composition class, but also in their other classes, both in terms of developing their reading ability and in terms of keeping them informed about the world. To encourage them to get started reading, ask students to set their homepage to www.nytimes.com and challenge them to read one article every time they open their browser. Or suggest they read the paper version of their newspaper with breakfast every morning.
It is important for them to realize the difference between objective (unbiased) and subjective (opinionated) news articles. Most of the newspaper is supposed to be objective, but there are some specific sections that offer a credible, subjective opinion. In the hard copy of the newspaper, if they open the back page, they will see the editorial and op-ed pages. Those two pages include editorials by the paper, op-eds by various individuals with opinions on current events, and letters to the editor. As they are reading the newspaper, tell them to keep in mind the purpose of the article as that will influence the content, just as their own writing will change depending on their purpose and audience.
The strategy for reading the newspaper depends on purpose.
If students are reading assigned materials for class: suggest that they print out articles from the web so that they can make notes in the margins. As good readers, they should be having a conversation with the text, writing down their responses and questions.
If they are perusing the paper casually: tell them to have fun! They don't need to read every article. They can start in the middle or at the end. They can skim the headlines and just read what they like. Or they can challenge themselves to read an article about something entirely new to them.
Assigning articles vs. allowing students to choose
Allow students to pick articles that interest them: Students love choosing their own articles. Many of them are inexperienced at selecting reading material, and they find it both overwhelming and exciting to be able to pick their own. Plus, it fosters a love of independent reading of the newspaper.
Assign certain topics for students to follow: Rather than giving them free reign of the whole paper, select a topic or topics that you want them to read. Education is a reliable topic. Technology. Politics. Have them follow a specific country or even a particular reporter.
Allow students to choose articles for the class: Although we have not yet experimented with this, it could provide a good way to develop a class anthology in reverse. By having students select the reading material, it ensures that the class will be talking about the same ideas while still allowing some choice and input from the readers.
Choose the articles yourself: If you choose the articles, you can guide the class to discuss ideas that are relevant to what is happening in the class.
A mixture!: This is the best way to give students a rounded perspective of the newspaper.