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Lesson plans: Activities using the media
From the Dealing with Disasters online
resource
Getting the story
Age group: 11 - 14
Aims:
To show that there are different ways of constructing news articles.
To explore ways in which news is presented.
To think about the issues facing journalists who are reporting on
disasters.
What to do:
Collect a range of broadsheet and tabloid newspapers. Download and
photocopy Shafiqul Alam's story so
that every student has a copy. Download and photocopy the Bangladesh
background information sheet so that
every student has a copy.
Give students copies of the Bangladesh background information sheet
and the selection of newspapers. In groups of six, ask them to imagine
that they are journalists or news reporters, preparing a report
on Bangladesh. They should remember that their job is to present
an exciting report to catch the public’s attention. Using the
selection of newspapers as a guide, they should decide what sort
of newspaper or TV channel they are working for and what story they
want to present. What sort of people will they interview -- those
affected by flooding, people working for the government, people
working for UK-based charities, businessmen, community leaders?
What sort of messages do they want to convey to their readers? What
sort of photos and headlines will they use? Students can then have
three minutes to present their reports verbally to the class, with
different students saying quotes and reading reports.
Now hand out Shafiqul Alam's story. As a class, discuss how it must
feel for Shafiqul documenting a disaster in his own country. How
do students think what he says would be similar or different to
what they say? What are some of the problems that journalists face
when reporting on disasters (for example, language barriers, access
to particular places...)? How do students think this will affect
their reports? Would students wish to change their articles in the
light of what Shafiqul says? How do students think that foreign
news reports differ from those written by journalists who live in
the country concerned?
Further work
Imagine that the tables are turned and you are with a Bangladeshi
news crew doing a report on the UK. The news crew want to show a
racy news item which will interest viewers, but one which you think
will give a negative image of your country. What do you think would
be chosen?
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How would you feel if this negative news style provided the
only information people got about your country?
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How do you think the Bangladeshi people feel about the way
we present their country in our news items?
Whose news?
Age group: 11 - 14
Aims:
To understand that different media reports reflect diverse points
of view.
To encourage students to question the media reports that they are
presented with.
What to do:
Download and photocopy newspaper articles one
and two
so that you have enough for each pair of students to share both
articles. You could find your own articles if this is more appropriate.
It is helpful if students have some understanding of Bangladesh
-- they may read the Bangladesh background information sheet
beforehand as preparation.
In pairs, ask students to read both of the abridged newspaper articles
that were written in August 1998. Ask them to consider what the
similarities and differences are between the two reports. Is one
article more positive about Bangladesh? How is this presented? Why
do they think there are differences between the articles? What do
these things tell us about the media?
Fact or opinion?
Age group: 11 - 14
Aims:
To examine bias and neutrality in the media.
What to do:
You will need a variety of coloured pens.
Photocopy a variety of press articles on the disaster you wish
to cover. Give each pair of students two coloured pens and one or
more press cuttings. Ask each pair to use different colours to underline
words and phrases that:
(a) are intended to arouse the reader's emotions;
(b) express a judgement on the news reported.
Make sure that no confusion arises by ensuring that the same colour
pen is used by each group for (a) and (b). Put all the sheets up
on the wall and you should have a graphic demonstration of fact
in relation to opinion in each of the articles -- emotive language
and subjective commentary should be highlighted.
Now ask the class to consider to what extent the articles were
biased or neutral. Was it easy to tell the difference between fact
and opinion? To what extent were opinions expressed supported by
facts. Were there more facts or more opinions? Could all the facts
be checked? Why do we expect newspapers to give us facts?
Analysing the news
Age group: 11 - 14
Aims:
To show that there are different ways of presenting the same
news story.
What to do:
Collect a range of newspaper articles on one particular disaster.
These should be from a range of broadsheet and tabloid newspapers.
Photocopy the articles so that each pair of students will have two
different articles. Alternatively, you may wish to download and
photocopy the articles
provided.
Give each pair of students two articles and ask them to compare
their two stories, looking in particular at who is interviewed,
what impression is conveyed, whose point of view the story is told
from, what type of words appear most frequently, how much of the
article is based on fact and how much on emotion.
Pairs of students could then report back on how different their
two articles were and how this affected their understanding of the
event. As a class, students could discuss what they think about
presentation of news, whether on TV or in newspapers. Were they
surprised by their findings or not?
Curriculum links for activities
| England |
Scotland |
Wales |
| English:
- Group discussion and interaction - contributions to groups;
taking different views into account.
- Reading for meaning - analyse and discuss alternative interpretations;
how ideas, values and emotions are explored; identify perspectives;
how meanings are changed when texts are adapted to different
media.
- Media and moving image texts - nature and purpose; choices
and response of audiences; how meaning is conveyed. |
English:
- Listening in groups; listening in order to respond to texts;
talking in groups; talking about experiences, feelings and
opinions; audience awareness ; reading for information; awareness
of genre.
Environmental Studies; Society:
- Developing informed attitudes. |
English:
- Group discussion and interaction - contributions to groups;
taking different views into account.
- Reading for meaning - analyse and discuss alternative interpretations;
how ideas, values and emotions are explored; identify perspectives;
how meanings are changed when texts are adapted to different
media.
- Media and moving image texts - nature and purpose; choices
and response of audiences; how meaning is conveyed. |
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