Introduce the newspaper by asking students to think and talk about why we have newspapers.
This lesson begins before you distribute newspapers or allow access to the e-edition.
- Ask: What is the function of a newspaper in our society?
Accept all answers.
- Facilitate understanding of the function of newspapers by asking students to discuss why newspapers have been referred to as "watchdogs of government." Why does government need a "watchdog?"
- What kinds of information do your students think can be found in a newspaper? Brainstorm a list and write it on the board.
- One great thing about using a newspaper with students is that the material is thought-provoking and open to discussion and debate. Many questions that you might ask may have no right or wrong answer. With so much emphasis in schools currently being placed on standardized testing and finding the only "correct answer," newspaper lessons offer students an opportunity to voice their opinions without fear of being wrong. You can assign students to "find some good news in today's newspaper," or "find something that makes you smile." There are no wrong answers to these questions and by providing opportunities for this type of critical thinking and reasoning, you allow students to participate without fear of embarrassment.
It's True!IT'S TRUE: Thomas Jefferson said, "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate to prefer the latter. And by that I mean that every man should have one and be capable of reading it."
He also said, "The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing, but newspapers." And, he said, "I do not take a single newspaper, nor read one a month, and I feel myself infinitely happier for it." These statements appear contradictory. What do your students think they mean? Allow time for them to research the context in which each quotation was used. They can write essays explaining Jefferson's views about newspapers.
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TipTIP: The newspaper generates a great deal of excitement and enthusiasm among students. You want to capitalize on that but you don't want newspapers to distract their attention while you deliver instructions. That's why this discussion lesson begins before newspaper distribution. For future lessons, consider giving instructions before you distribute newspapers.
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