Understanding Multiple Perspectives

STUDENTS SHOULD EXPLORE ISSUES AND TOPICS FROM MULTIPLE LANGUAGE PERSPECTIVES.

Multilingual News Comparisons

Bilingual News Websites

The way news is reported can vary depending on language, country, culture, and perspective. In this activity, students explore a current event by comparing two news articles, one in English and one in their home language (or a language of choice) that cover the same topic. This empowers multilingual learners to use their language skills to critically analyze bias, tone, and cultural perspective, and helps them realize that language influences not just what is said, but how it’s said.

Materials:

• Access to the internet or printed articles

• Bilingual dictionaries or translation tools

• Graphic organizer for comparing the articles

• Sentence stems for written and oral comparison

• Optional: Google Slides or poster materials for presentations

Procedure 

1. Introduce the Idea of Media Perspectives: Ask students if they think news stories are the same in every language/country. Explain to students that they will be comparing how the same news event in reported in two different languages to uncover differences in tone, detail, vocabulary, and cultural perspective. 

2. Select Articles: Create a list of pre-approved news articles in all different languages for students to choose from. Each student will pick an article in English and an article in their home language to read about. 

3. Read & Compare: Use a compare/contrast graphic organizer where students analyze 

• Headlines – Do the titles use different language or framing?

• Tone – Is one article more emotional, neutral, or urgent?

• Details – What facts are emphasized or left out?

• Quotes/Sources – Who gets to speak in each article?

• Language Use – Are there key terms or idioms that reflect cultural values?

4. Prepare a Presentation or Poster: Students prepare a brief summary of their findings in both English and their home language, including:

• A 1–2 sentence summary of each article

• At least 3 differences or similarities they noticed

• A reflection on why those differences might exist

5. Share & Discuss: Students share their comparisons with the class in small groups or as presentations. Encourage the class to ask questions about how language and culture shaped the reporting.

6. Class Reflection: Ask students to reflect on how might someone's understanding of the world change depending on what language they read the news in and why it is important to have multiple perspectives.

7. Assessment: Did students clearly identify differences in tone, perspective, and detail? Were they making thoughtful comparisons across languages and cultures? Did they use both languages to express their understanding? 

Two Voices, One Question

Every language gives us a different way to see and understand the world. In this quick activity, students answer a big, meaningful question, first in English, then in another language (their home language or one spoken by a classmate). This helps multilingual learners see how ideas can shift, expand, or take on new meaning when expressed in a different language. By comparing responses, students build awareness that language and culture shape how we think, feel, and communicate, and that every language offers a valuable perspective.

Materials:

• A list of age appropriate discussion questions

• Paper or whiteboards

• Access to peers who speak other languages (or home language knowledge)

• Sentence starters in both English and home languages
  
  
  

• Procedure: 

• Pose a Big Question: Ask a simple but thought provoking question, such as:

• “What does it mean to be a good friend?”

• “Why do people celebrate holidays?”

• “What makes a community safe and happy?”

• Think & Translate: Students write or discuss their answer in English. Then they either:

• Translate their answer into their home language
  OR

• Ask a classmate who speaks another language how they might answer the same question.

• Compare the Responses: Ask students

• Did the answers change in meaning when translated?

• Were there words that didn’t quite fit in the other language?

• Did the cultural perspective shift? (For example, ideas about friendship might emphasize sharing in one language and loyalty in another.)

• Quick Share Out: Have students share both “voices” with the class and reflect:
  “What can we learn when we ask questions in more than one language?”

• Assessment: Observe whether students can express an idea in more than one language, reflect on how answers might shift due to language/culture, engage in respectful listening.