Teaching Sequence

10 minutes – Part A: Brainstorming Local Community Issues
40 minutes – Part B: Analysing Local News Media Texts
10 minutes – Reflection

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

Part A: Brainstorming Local Community Issues

Step 1.

Introduce the lesson by informing students that they will be gathering and analysing a variety of news media texts to interrogate the issues facing their local community in both the present and the future. Explain that before they work in small groups to analyse texts, they will engage in a 'think, pair, share' activity to establish a broader and shared understanding of some of the issues that are facing their local community. Point out to the class that this thinking strategy allows them to refine their own thoughts, to think collaboratively with partners and make more considered contributions to group discussions.

Step 2.

Invite students to use the template for the activity on their Student Worksheet. Give students a little time to complete the think and pair stages, before inviting pairs to contribute to a class discussion. Facilitate this by asking students to listen carefully to their peers’ input and offer thoughtful additions where appropriate.

Student responses will reflect the community or region they live in, though students might refer to common social issues such as environmental concerns, responsible/safe leisure opportunities for youth, job availability or unemployment, local community facilities or businesses. Some students might refer to some deeper social issues such as attitudes towards diversity or political issues. Encourage students to maintain a respectful tone of discussion and debate.

Explain to the class that now they have identified some local issues, they will now consider news media as source of new or different information about those issues. You could say something like: “in recent lessons we have identified some issues, now we're going to consider news media as a source from which we can find out information and perspectives."

Part B: Analysing Local News Media Texts

Step 1.

Explain to students that they will now conduct some brief research and analysis of a local community issue, especially concerning how it is communicated through news media texts. Invite students to form groups of three and either select an issue that was raised and discussed in Part A of the lesson or choose a new issue in the local community that they are particularly interested in or passionate about.

It is recommended that the issue students select at this stage of the Finding Out lessons in this unit should be one they would be comfortable and inspired to address in the Social Action lessons that follow. Doing so will allow students to develop their project design, research and communication skills more effectively than changing issues frequently.

Depending on time/resources available or the needs of your students, you might like to prepare a selection of articles, video clips or recordings of news media about issues from your local community or region for students to choose from. Otherwise, give students enough time to find and select an appropriate news media text about an issue to analyse in the lesson. Students could search online, or, if the school library subscribes to local or regional papers, they could access them there. Emphasise to students that by considering issues relevant to their local community they are better placed to critique and examine the various perspectives that might be raised within their community.

The following prompts are provided in a retrieval table on the Student Worksheet to help guide students’ analysis:

What is the issue being examined or reported on?

Is this an short term or long term issue?

Who is a stakeholder (who has a special interest) in the issue and what is their perspective?

Who does this issue affect and what impact does/might it have and what is their perspective?

Does this news media text provide any insight or suggest potential courses of action about the issue? If so, what?

What are costs (social, financial, etc.) or challenges with respect to this issue?

What language is used to portray or present the issue? Does it seem very emotive or powerful or sensationalised?

What techniques are used in the media text? (think about: images and visuals, music/audio, word choices, opinions or interviews used, sequence of points, emphasis on certain aspects, layout (if printed), etc.)

How do you feel about the issue? How do you think it will affect you, either now or in the future?

What possible solutions or suggestions do you have that might help resolve the issue or provide opportunities for positive outcomes in the future?

While students are working through the prompts and analysing their news media texts, look closely to see if there are any patterns forming in terms of the issues chosen or similarities of perspectives about those issues. Encourage students to think critically and from different perspectives when discussing the issues. While they need to think carefully and deeply, remind them that they do not have to be comprehensive about the issue at this stage, rather just be confident to share with their peers enough about the issue and it’s representation in news media.

Explain to students that practicing and being comfortable with presenting to an audience is an important skill, in school and beyond.

Step 2.

After the groups have had time to analyse the article, bring the class back together and facilitate a brief presentation from each group about their issue and the news media text selected. Invite groups to share their analysis with the class, and encourage any discussion about solutions and suggestions and the ways these might be achieved. After discussions and presentations, students can add thoughts to the relevant sections of the retrieval chart on the Student Worksheet. Groups should be encouraged to move to the front of the room to present.

Step 3.

Remind the class that the issues or sub-issues they choose can span other project work in the unit, and any work they may do with La Trobe University’s Aspire Generation in the future. To reinforce the various issues and ways they can be involved or take action, watch the following short clip from La Trobe University about Rebecca’s initiative in response to the issue she identified: bullying.

Aspire: Rebecca (https://youtu.be/BdpGBO6YRHk)

After watching the clip, remind students that they don’t need to focus on the a large-scale issue, but can focus on issues that impact a smaller group of people.

Reflection

Invite students to complete an ‘I used to think... now I think..’ routine on the Student Worksheet to reflect on their understanding of the issue and/or perspectives they examined. Explain to the class that this is a visible thinking routine that helps them think deeply and reflect on changes in their thoughts and understanding of issues, considering what has led to any changes or reinforced ideas. There is also space for students to write a short explanation for each of their choices.

Aspire Generation - Examining Local Media to Identify Community Issues

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