Lesson summary
Students will explore the purpose and intention of the news. They will then analyse and evaluate various news items to identify sensationalist elements in the reporting, and work on creating a more helpful, informative, and supportive newspaper front page.
Learning intentions:
Students will...
- understand the impact the news media from the 2020 bushfires had on Australian citizens
- understand that news items simultaneously present and withhold information.
Success criteria:
Students can...
- offer ideas on how they think the media on the 2020 bushfires affected people through it’s reporting of events, and the words and imagery used
- analyse and evaluate news items to gauge what information is offered and what is withheld
- create examples of more balanced, helpful media.
Lesson guides and printables
Lesson details
Curriculum mapping
Australian Curriculum content descriptions:
Relevant parts of Year 6 English achievement standards:
Students understand how the use of text structures can achieve particular effects. They analyse and explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used by different authors to represent ideas and events. Students understand how language features and language patterns can be used for emphasis. They show how specific details can be used to support a point of view. They explain how their choices of language features and images are used. Students create detailed texts elaborating on key ideas for a range of purposes and audiences.
Syllabus outcomes: EN3-2A, EN3-3A
General capabilities: Literacy, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability, Critical and Creative Thinking, Ethical Understanding.
Level of teacher scaffolding: High: some concepts will need to be explicitly taught. Teachers may need to demonstrate some ICT skills to ensure the lesson’s success.
Resources required
- Device capable of sharing a presentation with the class
- Individual devices capable of accessing the internet
- Powerpoint
- Student Worksheet – one per student
- The Story of Bushfires so far Infographic (student worksheet)
- Website https://makemynewspaper.com/templates/free (optional) – please check with your school’s IT admin to ensure you have access to this tool first
Skills
This lesson is designed to build students’ competencies in the following skills:
- Communication
- Critical thinking
- Creativity
- Digital literacy
- Empathy
- Ethical understanding
- Problem solving
Additional info
We encourage you to undertake the free PD Course How to teach a unit on fire and flood resilience for tips on how to best deliver this lesson.
If you’re concerned about the challenging nature of these topics, consider the free PD Course How to approach trauma in the classroom for information on how best to support your students.
This lesson was made in partnership with
Minderoo Foundation (www.minderoo.org).
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