Using The Newspaper in the classroom at KS2
The Newspaper helps children to learn and develop reading skills, think critically and become informed members of society. A key focus of the National Curriculum is citizenship. The Newspaper helps its readers to prepare for adult life by informing them of the world they live in and their place and responsibilities within it.
The Newspaper provides a source of non-fiction reading material covering many levels of interest to appeal to even the most reluctant reader. Through The Newspaper, children read and challenge the opinions of others.
The National Curriculum
The National Curriculum requires levels of literacy that The Newspaper encourages ie reading, writing and comprehension.
The content of the paper helps teachers meet National Curriculum standards for various subjects and it also encompasses many areas of the National Curriculum.
Below are just a few requirements from the National Curriculum where The Newspaper will prove an invaluable teaching aid.
Non-Fiction: Reading Comprehension
To identify the main features of newspapers, including lay-out, range of information, voice, level of formality; organisation of articles, advertisements and headlines.
Predict newspaper stories from the evidence of headlines, making notes and then checking them against the original.
Writing composition:
To write newspaper style reports.
Non-Fiction - Reading Comprehension
To read, compare and evaluate examples of arguments and discussions, eg letters to press and articles.
To evaluate advertisements for their impact, appeal and honesty, focusing in particular on how information about the product is presented.
Non-Fiction
To identify the features of recounted texts such as sports reports.
Non-Fiction, Reading Comprehension
To read a range of explanatory texts.
Non-Fiction - Reading Comprehension
To read and evaluate letters eg from newspapers.
To read other examples, eg newspaper comment, headlines, adverts, fliers.
Writing composition:
To draft and write individual, group or class letters for real purposes.
Non-Fiction - Reading comprehension
To comment critically on the language, style, success of examples of non-fiction such as periodicals, reviews, reports and leaflets.
Writing composition:
To develop a journalistic style through considering:
Balanced and ethical reporting;
What is of public interest in events;
The interest of the reader;
Selection and presentation of information;
To use the styles and conventions of journalism to report on real or imagined events;
To use IT to plan, revise, edit writing to improve accuracy and conciseness and to bring it to publication standard, e.g. through compiling a class newspaper, paying attention to accuracy, layout and presentation.
Non-Fiction- Reading Comprehension
To recognise how arguments are constructed to be effective.
Non-Fiction- reading comprehension
To review a range of non-fiction text types and their characteristics discussing when a writer might choose to write in a given style and form.