Topic: In the maze of information

Author: Anna Rabiega

Addressee:

8th grade primary school student

Core curriculum:

X. Mass media.

The student:

1) presents the functions and types of mass media; explains the importance of the mass media for free speech;

2) finds in the media messages on the indicated topic; distinguishes information about facts from comments and opinions; explains what the reliability of journalists should be.

The general aim of education:

The student uses information to create his own statement.

Learning outcomes:

The student:

• presents the difference between an opinion‑forming newspaper and a tabloid.

• explains the role of both types of newspapers in a democracy.

• creates effective information.

Key competences:

• communicating in a foreign language,

• digital competence,

• learning to learn,

• social and civic competences,

• sense of initiative and entrepreneurship,

• cultural awareness and expression.

Teaching methods:

• source material analysis (comparative),

• teaching conversation using schemes, interactive exercises, interactive board,

• trash and suitcase method.

Forms of work:

• group work,

• whole‑class activity.

Material & equipment needed:

• computers with loudspeakers/headphones and internet access, headphones,

• multimedia resources from the e‑textbook – chapter: W gąszczu informacji, In the maze of information,

• tabloid and opinion‑forming newspaper copies for each group of students,

• small pieces of paper in two different colours (e.g. green and yellow) for each student,

• interactive whiteboard/blackboard, felt‑tip pen/a piece of chalk.

Lesson plan overview (Process):

Introduction:

1. The teacher presents the goal of the lesson: You will learn how to differentiate tabloids from opinion‑forming newspapers and how to create effective messages.

2. The teacher asks the students to list several newspaper titles or online information portals, and then asks if they notice a difference between these magazines and their content. The students write their suggestions on the board. Together with the teacher, they talk about where these differences come from. The students should find both opinion‑forming and popular sources (tabloids, gossip portals). If this does not happen, the teacher indicates a couple of titles himself.

Implementation:

1. The teacher says that now the students will take a closer look at the content of specific newspapers. He divides the class into groups and distributes copies of magazines (one tabloid - newspaper A, and one opinion‑forming title - newspaper B, or parts of such newspapers for each group). He informs the students that their task will be to compare both newspapers. During their work, students should pay special attention to:

• graphic design and page layout,

• proportions of the size of photos to texts,

• amount of text in individual articles,

• fonts and colours used,

• the form and style of headlines,

• what information the newspaper emphasizes, what the nature of the topic is in most texts.

The teacher informs the groups that they have 10 minutes to prepare.

2. After concluding their tasks the groups present the results of their work: first they discuss paper A, then paper B.

3. Then the teacher says that the students will listen to the recording, in which two types of newspapers will be described. He asks them to pay attention during the listening to what characteristics each type of newspaper has in order to be able to assign their newspapers to one of the categories later. After listening to the recording of the abstract „In the maze of information”, the groups indicate which of their newspapers is a tabloid and which is an opinion‑forming magazine.

4. In the next stage of the class, the students in the same groups work with an interactive board from the abstract. The teacher asks them to imagine that they are journalists employed in various editorial offices: part of each group works in a tabloid and the other part in an opinion‑forming newspaper. Their task is to come up with articles, and then to edit headlines for each of them appropriately to a tabloid and an opinion‑forming newspaper. The teacher can modify this task and propose that the subject should be common to the tabloid and opinion‑forming newspaper, and only the headlines differ.

5. After completing the task, the students and the teacher assess whether the groups managed to reflect the nature of the magazine in the proposed headlines.

6. The teacher initiates a teaching conversation, and explains that a good journalist must have an efficient writing workshop in addition to ideas for articles. He asks if students know how to properly edit information about an event, and what it should contain. Students present their proposals, and one of them writes them on the board.

7. Then the teacher presents a diagram from the abstract, which illustrates the principle of six questions. He asks the students to compare their proposals with the information contained in the infographic and to assess whether their ideas were accurate, what they forgot about, etc. If necessary, the teacher provides explanation.

8. The teacher asks the students to do Exercise 1 from the abstract, which consists in editing the message about an event.

9. Willing students read the messages they have created and others comment on them, pointing out to whether they meet the six‑question requirement.

Summary:

1. The teacher carries out a summary part of the lesson using the trash and suitcase method. The teacher hands out small pieces of paper in two different colours (e.g. green and yellow). On the green pieces of paper the students write down the useful knowledge and skills they acquired during the class – these go into “the suitcase” (students stick it to a board under that category). The yellow pieces of paper are used to write down things the students did not find useful or interesting – these go into “the trash” (under the sign that reads “trash” on the board). The teacher explains, that their reflection can concern both the acquired knowledge, and the new skills they have learned. The teacher reads students’ reflections on the experience – first the “trash” contents, then the “suitcase”.

2. Homework proposal:

a. Do Exercise 2 from the abstract: write a short article in the tabloid style or an opinion‑forming newspaper style about the event presented in the picture.

b. Listen to the abstract recording to review the material and new vocabulary. Then do the vocabulary exercise at the end of the chapter.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

In the maze of information

Traditional papers can be divided into two broad categories: opinion‑forming newspapers, and popular newspapers, called tabloids. Tabloids use screaming headlines, blunt language, big pictures, short and emotional texts. They are addressed at a mass reader, they express his opinions, cater to his average taste, feed him with rumours about celebrities, scandals, sometimes make stories up. There is no space here for multilateral analysis or nuances. However, the popular newspapers are also important in a democracy. They present every event, new law, an economic phenomenon from the point of view of a common man. They help calculate the consequences of the economic changes for the home budget. They control and criticise the government. Nowadays the papers are slowly being replaced with the internet.

How to create information? A well created piece of information should answer six questions: