English lesson plan · 7th grade (Year 8 in England) · 45 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 · 5 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.
- You want to find out if a new trainer really makes you run faster. Which source is most reliable? (an independent test that compares several trainers / the advert from the company selling the trainer / a celebrity who is paid to wear them / the shoe box) → an independent test that compares several trainersPrompt: Ask: Who made this? Do they know the topic? Is it up to date?
- Read the question and choose. Which is a warning sign that a post may be misleading? (it gives the date it was written / it tries to make you angry and share it quickly / it links to an official report / it quotes a named expert) → it tries to make you angry and share it quicklyPrompt: Think about expertise, evidence, purpose and date.
- A post says chocolate cures colds. Which is the best way to check the claim? (count how many likes the post has / believe it because it has a photo / look for what health organisations and doctors say / ask the person who posted it) → look for what health organisations and doctors sayPrompt: Ask: Who made this? Do they know the topic? Is it up to date?
Hook · 5 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 · 10 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 · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- What kind of text is this? A wildfire has burned 4,000 hectares near the coast. Firefighters expect to contain it by Friday, officials said. (news report / opinion piece / advertisement / satire) → news reportPrompt: Is it reporting facts, giving a view, selling something, or exaggerating to make fun of something?
- Read the question and choose. A post looks like a news article but is labelled 'Sponsored' at the top. What does that mean? (it has been checked by fact-checkers / it is the most popular story / a company paid for it, so it is a form of advertising / it was written by a journalist with no connection to anyone) → 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 · 10 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- What kind of text is this? The council voted 7–2 on Tuesday to close Mill Road to cars on Sundays from June. The change will be reviewed after six months. (news report / opinion piece / advertisement / satire) → news reportPrompt: Is it reporting facts, giving a view, selling something, or exaggerating to make fun of something?
- Read the question and choose. An influencer praises a skincare brand but does not say she was paid. What is the problem? (there is no problem / viewers may think it is an honest opinion when it is really an advert / influencers are not allowed to like products / the product must be bad) → viewers may think it is an honest opinion when it is really an advertPrompt: 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