Citizenship Lesson Plans / KS4 - Citizenship and the Media - 4 lessons / Citizenship and the Media Lesson Plan 2 - Newspapers

Connect the Learning

This lesson introduces students to various newspapers as examples of mass media.

The Big Picture

Newspapers appeal to different people for various reasons. Some readers are only interested in local news whereas others like to focus on what is happening nationally. Some newspapers are more business and politics orientated than others.

Learning Outcomes

Students should understand that newspapers are not all the same. There are significant differences between the ‘tabloids’ and the ‘broadsheets’. Also newspapers report news according to their target audience.

Introduction

Working in groups, students name all the newspapers they know. Have copies of various newspapers, local and national, available for use in this lesson.

Begin by showing students the PowerPoint Slide 1
In groups list all the newspapers you know of.
Winners are the group who know the most.

Activity 1

What information does a newspaper give you?
PowerPoint slide 2.
The students should break it down into categories such as sports, travel and politics for example.
Teacher to record all categories on board and assign a colour for each.
See example on slide 3 of the PowerPoint.
If you want to you can adapt this slide to suit your own findings.