One of the great things about using a newspaper as a teaching tool is that it can be geared to many different ability levels. Emerging readers benefit greatly from newspaper use as the material is authentic and sophisticated. It lends itself beautifully to primary-level teaching.
Beginning readers may be any age but all can use newspapers easily.
- A good beginning lesson is to have students begin searching headlines to find letters of the alphabet in order, beginning with A and proceeding to Z if possible.
You can assign students to find words in headlines that begin with certain beginning consonant sounds or blends. You can also assign them to locate various parts of speech or to identify root words and prefixes and suffixes.
- Ask students to make up new captions for interesting photos.
- Teaching contractions can be accomplished by using the comic strips. Ask students to look at the strips and to write out any contractions in two words.
- Reading with expression is a great activity for students. Invite them to read the comic strips aloud as mini plays.
- Ask students to locate plural words in the newspaper and to identify the root words.
It's True!IT'S TRUE: Emerging readers love the rewarding feeling of finding words they know in the newspaper. Ask them to identify any words they recognize even if they cannot read. They will be likely to find logos or easily-recognizable product names. They might also be able to identify some sight words. Ask them to put together a list of all the words they know in one section or on one page of the newspaper.
TipTIP: Beginning readers may be overwhelmed by the entire newspaper. Consider having them work with only one page at a time. Also, using the e-edition summary feature will aid in reading comprehension.
Try This...3.1.1 3.1a TRY THIS: Click here for a graphic organizer that emerging readers can use. It is all about self-esteem.