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.
- A post says chocolate cures colds. Which is the best way to check the claim? (ask the person who posted it / look for what health organisations and doctors say / believe it because it has a photo / count how many likes the post has) → look for what health organisations and doctors sayPrompt: Ask: Who made this? Do they know the topic? Is it up to date?
- Read the question and choose. A video claims a new phone 'can't break'. The video is made by the phone company. What is the main problem? (phones are not a real topic / the source has a reason to exaggerate / the video is too short / videos can never be trusted) → the source has a reason to exaggeratePrompt: Think about expertise, evidence, purpose and date.
- A website about a medicine is run by the company that sells it. What should a careful reader think? (it must be the most accurate source / it may be biased, so compare it with independent sources / it is fine because it looks professional / it is useless and completely false) → it may be biased, so compare it with independent sourcesPrompt: 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? 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?
- Read the question and choose. An influencer praises a skincare brand but does not say she was paid. What is the problem? (the product must be bad / there is no problem / influencers are not allowed to like products / viewers may think it is an honest opinion when it is really an advert) → 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.
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.
- Read the question and choose. Why can satire be mistaken for real news online? (satire is always false and harmful / news sites never use humour / satire uses no headlines / 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.
- 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?
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