School Newspaper

Learners: Korean high school students

Learner level: High Intermediate
Class Size: 25
Time: ~15min
Learning outcomes: Students will practice and gain better skill of extracting information
from text and speaking about the information they have gathered to practice hearsay.

MATERIALS

• Authentic article from an American high school newspaper that has been
separated into two parts labeled A and B on separate sheets of paper. Part A will
have the beginning half and Part B will have the last half of the article. The full
article does not need to be used, but make sure the two parts are part of the same
section of text so they fit together.

Here is a link to an example of a high school newspaper with an article on Stan Lee:
https://lajoyalink.com/10600/news/how-stan-lee-affected-people/

BACKGROUND

Students have been learning about hearsay so this activity is acting as a practice
for this grammar. In American high schools, it is common to have a school newspaper
that is run by high school students. This is a part of American high school life that
Korean students may not know about and presents an opportunity to bring culture into the
classroom. As they move on to college these students will need to know how to read and
gather information effectively. This lesson plan is designed to test the students’ ability,
practice reading strategies, and raise their awareness of areas of improvement in a fun,
rewarding way.

PROCEDURES

1. Ask students if they have a school newspaper. Explain that in the U.S it is

common for high schools to have a newspaper written by students at the school.
 Explain that today the students will be reading an article from an American high

school newspaper.

2. Before giving out the reading go over any vocabulary the students do not know.

Write the vocabulary words on the board. Ask students if they know any of these

words and clarify the meanings. Be sure to write these definitions on the board for

students’ reference and note taking.

For example: from the example article the word “co-created” would be good to go

over since the “co” prefix can be a transferable reading skill. By providing the

definition of “co” as a prefix meaning “together” students are better equipped when

they come across future words containing this prefix.

3. Explain that today the students will be working in partners. Explain that each

partner will get one half of the article. Explain that students will read only their

half of the article and then share with their partner what was on their part of the

article using the hearsay form they have been learning. Students are not allowed

to show their partner their part of the article; they must speak to their partner.

Write these rules on the board as you explain them. Explain that both groups will

be questioned about the other groups’ readings after they finish.

4. Have students find a partner. This could be the person sitting next to them or

alternatively you could assign partners by pairing off students.

5. Pass out the parts of the articles. Allow time for students to read their parts of the

articles and explain to their partners. Walk around and make sure students stay on

task and answer any clarifying questions.

6. Once students have finished, collect the articles from the students. Begin by

having the group B students stand up and ask them 3 true/false questions about

part A of the article. If group A explained the article well, these students will be

able to answer the questions easily. You can simply have them do thumbs up or

down to answer yes or no, respectively. Repeat the same for group A.

7. Go over the whole reading together and make sure students understand the text.

Ask if students have any questions or comments about the article. With the

example article, its likely the students know who Stan Lee is and may have some

comments they would like to express about the subject.

8. Ask students if they would want to make a school newspaper for their school.

This will lead the students into their next writing activity.