This lesson plan is designed to teach students how to find and assess important news angles for a breaking news story.
It’s based on the article ‘Story development‘ which we recommend trainers read before adapting this lesson outline for your own purposes.
Learning objective
Students will identify and analyse multiple news angles for a breaking story, focusing on the complexity and interconnections of the issue. They will evaluate the significance of each angle to enhance public understanding and debate.
- Student-facing objective: By the end of this lesson, I’ll be able to find and assess different angles of a breaking news story in order to help the audience understand its importance to their lives.
- Standards: Students will be able to find multiple related and informative news angles to follow when covering a breaking news story.
Learning activities
Warm-up
Show students a recent news headline about a natural disaster. Ask them to jot down answers to the following questions:
- What happened?
- Why is it important?
- Who is affected?
Have students share their responses with a partner. Then, select a few students to share their thoughts with the class. This will activate their understanding of basic journalistic questions and prepare them to explore multiple angles in news story development.
Direct instruction
- Introduce the story development model: Explain the concept of story development using the flooding in Vietnam as a case study. Highlight the importance of asking the basic journalistic questions: What, Why, When, How, Where, and Who. Emphasise that these questions form the foundation of the main story and headline.
- Expand with facts and data: Discuss how to expand the story by piecing together facts and verifying them with at least two independent sources. Use the flooding example to illustrate how to gather a fact file, maps, and profiles. Introduce the role of data in supporting evidence, and demonstrate how to verify data reliability by consulting officials, NGOs, and academics.
- Explore angles and consequences: Guide students in identifying new story angles by examining the impact and consequences of the flooding. Discuss potential angles such as the economic impact, infrastructure damage, and community effects. Encourage students to think critically about accountability and future prevention plans, using the flooding scenario to explore these aspects.
Guided practice
Think, Pair, Share: Guide students through a structured activity to practice identifying and analysing news angles.
- Think: Present students with a brief news article about a recent flooding event. Ask them to individually identify potential news angles beyond the main story. Encourage them to consider angles related to impact, responsibility, and future prevention.
- Pair: Have students pair up to discuss their identified angles. Instruct them to compare their ideas and refine their angles by considering additional perspectives or missing information.
- Share: Facilitate a class discussion where pairs share their refined angles. Encourage students to explain the significance of each angle and how it contributes to a deeper understanding of the story.
- Collect and display: As students share, scribe their angles on the board, organising them into categories such as impact, responsibility, and future plans. This visual display will serve as a reference for the class.
- Reflect: Conclude the activity by asking students to reflect on how identifying multiple angles enhances the depth and quality of news reporting. Encourage them to consider how this practice can be applied to other news stories.
Independent practice
- Research and analyse: Assign students to independently research a recent news story about a natural disaster. Instruct them to identify at least three different angles related to the story, focusing on impact, responsibility, and future prevention. Encourage them to use credible sources and verify information.
- Write a brief: Have students write a brief summary for each angle they identified, explaining its significance and how it contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the story. Remind them to consider the audience’s perspective and the importance of each angle in public debate.
- Peer review: Pair students to exchange their briefs. Instruct them to provide constructive feedback on clarity, depth, and the relevance of the angles. Encourage them to suggest additional angles or perspectives that may have been overlooked.
- Revise and submit: Allow students time to revise their briefs based on peer feedback. Collect the final versions for assessment, ensuring they demonstrate a clear understanding of news story development and the ability to identify and analyse multiple angles.
Assignment
Ask students these questions:
- What is one new angle you identified in today’s lesson that you hadn’t considered before?
- How does exploring multiple angles change your understanding of a news story?
- What’s one question you still have from today’s lesson?
Some suggested answers:
- Suggested answer to Question 1: An angle related to the long-term economic impact of the flooding.
- Suggested answer to Question 2: It provides a more comprehensive view and highlights interconnected issues.
Teacher resources
Differentiation guide
- Advanced learners: Encourage them to explore additional angles, such as international aid dynamics or climate change implications. Suggest they analyse the effectiveness of past interventions and propose innovative solutions. Challenge them to create a multimedia presentation to convey their findings.
- Striving learners: Provide structured graphic organisers to help them categorise angles. Offer sentence starters to guide their analysis. Pair them with peers for collaborative research and discussion. Use simplified articles to ensure comprehension and build confidence in identifying angles.
- Recommended reading: This lesson plan is based on the article ‘Story development‘ which we recommend trainers read before adapting this lesson outline for your own purposes.
Notable definitions
- News angle: A specific perspective or approach to a news story that highlights particular aspects or issues, providing depth and context to the main event.
- Investigative journalism: A form of journalism that involves in-depth research and analysis to uncover facts, often focusing on issues of public interest, accountability, and transparency.
- Accountability: The obligation of individuals or organisations to explain their actions and decisions, often scrutinised in journalism to ensure responsibility and transparency in public affairs.
Required materials
- Recent news articles about natural disasters
- Whiteboard and markers
- Access to computers or tablets for research
- Graphic organisers for angle categorisation
- Peer review checklists
- Access to credible news sources and databases
Lesson summary
- Warm-up
- Direct instruction
- Guided practice
- Independent practice
- Assignment
The free teaching tools at the Khan Academy were used in the production of this lesson plan.
