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English lesson plan · 7th grade (Year 8 in England) · 30 minutes

News, opinion, advert or satire?

Reading Comprehension

CCSS RI.7.6CCSS RI.7.8England: KS3 Reading (non-fiction and media)England: GCSE English Language Paper 2

Objective and success criteria

Students will: News, opinion, advert or satire?.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Which source is most reliable?

Leads to: Does the headline match the story?; Checking claims online: lateral reading and tracing sources

Materials: A short text or extract (one copy each), Highlighters, Question cards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Which source is most reliable?). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. You are researching how many moons Jupiter has. Which source is most reliable? (an old encyclopedia from 1985 / a space agency's website, checked for its latest update date / a quiz app with no sources / a science-fiction film about Jupiter) → a space agency's website, checked for its latest update datePrompt: Ask: Who made this? Do they know the topic? Is it up to date?
  2. Read the question and choose. Why does the date of a source matter? (old sources are always wrong / information can change, so old facts may be out of date / newer sources are always longer / it doesn't matter) → information can change, so old facts may be out of datePrompt: Think about expertise, evidence, purpose and date.
  3. You are writing about the history of your local castle. Which source is most reliable? (a comment under a holiday photo / the local museum's guide, written by historians / a fantasy novel set in a castle / a ghost-story website) → the local museum's guide, written by historiansPrompt: Ask: Who made this? Do they know the topic? Is it up to date?

Hook · 3 min

  • Read the first lines of a short text aloud and ask what students predict will happen and why.
  • Share the objective: News, opinion, advert or satire?. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: What kind of text is this? Tired of slow Wi-Fi? Switch to ZoomNet today and get your first three months half price!
  • Step 1: News reports inform; opinion pieces argue; adverts sell; satire exaggerates to criticise or amuse.
  • Step 2: It is trying to sell a product.
  • Step 3: So the answer is: advertisement
  • Answer: advertisement
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. What kind of text is this? Government Announces Plan To Solve Traffic Jams By Making Every Road One Metre Long (news report / opinion piece / advertisement / satire) → satirePrompt: Is it reporting facts, giving a view, selling something, or exaggerating to make fun of something?
  2. Read the question and choose. A post looks like a news article but is labelled 'Sponsored' at the top. What does that mean? (it was written by a journalist with no connection to anyone / it has been checked by fact-checkers / a company paid for it, so it is a form of advertising / it is the most popular story) → a company paid for it, so it is a form of advertisingPrompt: Ask who made the text and what they want you to do or think.

You do: independent practice · 7 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 3 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. What kind of text is this? The school will replace its paper planners with a free app from September, the head teacher announced in a letter to parents. (news report / opinion piece / advertisement / satire) → news reportPrompt: Is it reporting facts, giving a view, selling something, or exaggerating to make fun of something?
  2. Read the question and choose. Why can satire be mistaken for real news online? (satire uses no headlines / satire is always false and harmful / news sites never use humour / when shared without its source, the joke can look like a real headline) → when shared without its source, the joke can look like a real headlinePrompt: Ask who made the text and what they want you to do or think.

Watch out for

  • Answering from memory or opinion instead of evidence in the text.
  • Copying a long quote without explaining what it shows.

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Which source is most reliable?.
  • Use concrete materials: a short text or extract (one copy each).
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Move on to: Does the headline match the story?; Checking claims online: lateral reading and tracing sources.
  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-7.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

eurekami

News, opinion, advert or satire?

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    Read the question and choose. Why can satire be mistaken for real news online?

    • A. satire is always false and harmful
    • B. satire uses no headlines
    • C. when shared without its source, the joke can look like a real headline
    • D. news sites never use humour

The Shark on the Motorway

During a storm last spring, a photo exploded across social media. It showed a large shark swimming beside cars on a flooded motorway. Within hours it had been shared more than 80,000 times, often with captions such as "Stay indoors — sharks in the streets!" Fourteen-year-old Amira Haddad saw the photo in her family group chat. Something felt wrong. "The shark looked too sharp compared with the blurry water," she said. "So I decided to check." First, Amira ran a reverse image search. She found the same shark in a wildlife photo published years earlier, on a website about ocean animals. Next, she checked two local news sites. Neither mentioned sharks; both reported flooding and road closures. Finally, she found an article from a fact-checking organisation explaining that the image had been edited and had appeared during several different storms in different countries. Amira posted the fact-check in the group chat. "My uncle had already shared the photo," she laughed. "He was embarrassed, but he thanked me." Fact-checkers say edited images spread fastest when they are shocking and arrive during real emergencies, when people are anxious and want to warn others. Their advice is simple: pause before you share, look for the original source, and check whether reliable outlets are reporting the same thing.

  1. Question 2

    Read "The Shark on the Motorway". Why do edited images spread fastest during real emergencies, according to the article?

    • A. Fact-checkers are on holiday.
    • B. News sites stop working.
    • C. Phones work better in storms.
    • D. People are anxious and want to warn others, so they share without checking.

  1. Question 3

    What kind of text is this? Tired of slow Wi-Fi? Switch to ZoomNet today and get your first three months half price!

    • A. news report
    • B. opinion piece
    • C. advertisement
    • D. satire

  2. Question 4

    Read the question and choose. An influencer praises a skincare brand but does not say she was paid. What is the problem?

    • A. viewers may think it is an honest opinion when it is really an advert
    • B. influencers are not allowed to like products
    • C. the product must be bad
    • D. there is no problem

  3. Question 5

    What kind of text is this? Government Announces Plan To Solve Traffic Jams By Making Every Road One Metre Long

    • A. news report
    • B. opinion piece
    • C. advertisement
    • D. satire

  4. Question 6

    Read the question and choose. Which feature best shows a text is an opinion piece rather than a news report?

    • A. it has a photograph
    • B. it quotes a police spokesperson
    • C. it includes a date
    • D. it uses 'I believe' and tells readers what should happen

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Answer key: News, opinion, advert or satire?

  1. 1. C. when shared without its source, the joke can look like a real headline

  2. 2. D. People are anxious and want to warn others, so they share without checking.

  3. 3. C. advertisement

  4. 4. A. viewers may think it is an honest opinion when it is really an advert

  5. 5. D. satire

  6. 6. D. it uses 'I believe' and tells readers what should happen