Using Newspapers in the
Classroom
Clearly, the newspaper is a valuable teaching tool. Children of all
ages can benefit from newspaper lessons related to reading, writing, content area
subjects, and character development. Further, the newspaper builds a bridge between the
school curriculum and the real world. Finally, using the newspaper with other forms of
news technology can stimulate an interest in current events and motivate children to get
involved in their school and community. newspapers support learning in many, many ways!
Support Language and Literacy Develompent for Young Children
1. Young children benefit from learning about print in their
world. Introduce them to books, newspapers, magazines, letters, catalogues, phone
directories, road maps, encyclopedias, etc. Let them explore each of these types of
material. They can discover what’s included in the materials, learn how the materials
are organized, and develop an interest in different types of print materials.
2. Have young children search for different letters of the
alphabet. Throughout the various sections of the newspaper children will find type
written in different sizes, colors, fonts (type faces), and styles (bold, italic, etc.).
When they cut out letters of the alphabet, they discover the many ways that a letter can
be written and still be that letter. These letters can be glued to paper to make an ABC
poster or stapled together to make a book.
3. Introduce children to some simple concepts related to
newspapers: headlines and articles. Show them that the headline is like the title of a
book: it is written in larger type and tells what the article is about. Cut out and
laminate articles; separate the headline from each article. Have the child sort the
“pieces” into two piles: headlines and articles.
4. Introduce children to the differences between articles and
advetisements. Show them both and have the children generate the characteristics of
each. Point out the drawings, prices (with dollar sign), and borders that often surround
ads. Talk about the purposes of newspaper articles and ads: articles are intended to
inform while advertisements are intended to influence us to buy something.
5. Read short, appropriate articles to students. This
develops their schema for informational writing, broadens vocabulary, and helps them
understand the variety of topics in newspapers.
6. Children can use the pictures in the newspaper, the
advertising supplements, and magazines to make an alphabet book. Have the children
peruse the newspaper for things that start with the letter/sound that they are supposed to
focus on. They can mount these objects on the appropriate page and bind them together in
alphabet book form.
7. Introduce the children to comic strips. Show them that
the people in comic strips are characters and the words the characters say are written in
the “bubbles”. This introduces the concept of dialogue.
Why should you utilize English-language newspapers in your classroom?
They are inexpensive.
They are versatile.
They can be used for individual or cooperative activities.
They are a source of current information.
Interested? Try these activities:
Parts of Speech
When teaching the parts of speech to your class, use the newspaper to
reinforce word identification. Give the students a piece of manila paper or newsprint.
Select two or three parts of speech on which to focus. Have them divide their paper into
the necessary number of columns and label each column with the name of a part of speech.
Give each student a newspaper or a section of a newspaper. Have them search the paper for
words that match the parts of speech on their paper. Using scissors, have them cut out the
words. Then have them glue the word on their papers in the proper column.
Main Idea
Select a story from the newspaper that will be of interest to your
students. Read the story aloud to your class. Discuss the main idea of the story. Pass out
newspapers to your students. Have them select several stories from their papers to read.
Tell them to number the stories. Then write the same numbers on a sheet of paper. Next to
each number have them write the main idea of the same numbered story. Have your students
exchange stories with a partner. Their partners should read the stories and write main
ideas on another piece of paper. When both partners have finished this activity, they
should compare answers, discussing any discrepancies.
Outlining
After teaching the rudiments of outlining, give your students a
newspaper. Have them select an article to read. After reading the article, have them
outline it.
Sequencing, Story Structure
Give each of your students a newspaper. Have them select an article to
read which clearly demonstrates an introduction, a body containing several paragraphs, and
a conclusion. Tell them to cut out the article then to cut it into paragraphs. Give them
an envelope and have them write the article’s title on the front. After placing the
paragraphs in the envelope, have them exchange envelopes with another student. This
student is to arrange the paragraphs in proper order. Once the article is in order, have
the first student check the article for proper order. These articles can be used several
times for further practice.
Who, What, When, Where, Why?
Give each student a newspaper. Have them select an article to read. On
a piece of paper have them list the five W’s. Next to each have them write the
information from the article that pertains to each. Encourage the students to write their
answers in a sentence form.
Visualizing
Give each student a newspaper. Have them select an article to read.
Give each student a piece of unlined white paper. Have them fold the paper into six or
eight blocks, numbering each. Tell them they are to retell the article in pictures, no
words allowed. When they are finished, have them share their visual articles with the
class. See if the other students can retell the article from the pictures.
Content Discrimination
Have your students turn to the local section of your newspaper.
Instruct them to read the articles on this page to determine which items are “good”
news and which are “bad.” Have them circle the “good news” articles with blue
crayon and the “bad news” articles with red crayon.
Inference
Have your students turn to the front page of a newspaper and copy all
of the headlines on a sheet of paper. Instruct them to think carefully about each headline
and try to determine what the article is about. Tell them to write their inferences next
to each headline. After they have completed this portion of the assignment, have them read
the articles’ contents and write how close their inferences really were or weren’t.
Locating Specific Information
Have your students turn to the sports section of a newspaper and select
three articles. On a sheet of paper have them list the following information:
Title of article
Name of sport
Team names
Final scores
Something interesting or unusual about the game or event
Fact and Opinion
Have your students look through a newspaper to locate four articles
that give facts and four that express an opinion. Have them explain their decisions.
Evaluating
Have your students make a poster, collage, or booklet of what they feel are the most
important news items for a WEEK. They may draw pictures, cut out articles, or summarize
the events. Ask them to give reasons why they included each item.
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