7th Grade News Article Analysis Lesson Plan Example (Language Arts)

Topic:News Article Analysis

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to analyze a current event news article using the three-read close reading strategy.

Materials

• News article
• Pen or pencil
• Notebook for taking notes

Warm-up

• Ask students to share their recent experiences with reading news articles or any other type of articles.
• Ask students if they have ever encountered any difficulty in reading news articles.
• Encourage students to share any strategies they use to overcome the difficulty.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the concept of close reading and explain that it is a way to analyze the text of a news article by focusing on specific features such as the language, structure, and content.
• Provide the students with the copy of the news article and ask them to read the article closely, noting any difficulties they encounter.
• As the students read, encourage them to use the following strategies:
• Underline or highlight key words and phrases
• Make notes in the margins or on separate paper
• Pay attention to the organization and structure of the text, including headings, sub-headings, and any paragraphs that might be related
• Identify and make note of any main ideas or supporting details
• Ask the students to share their notes with the class.

Guided Practice

• Divide the students into small groups and provide each group with a different news article.
• Ask the students to use the close reading strategies to analyze the text of the news article and create a chart that lists the main ideas, supporting details, and any key words or phrases.
• Have each group share their chart with the class and discuss any similarities or differences in their analyses.

Independent Practice

• Provide each student with a different news article and ask them to complete a news article analysis on their own.
• Give the students time to read the text of the news article and use the close reading strategies to analyze the text and create a chart that lists the main ideas, supporting details, and any key words or phrases.
• Encourage the students to ask questions and seek clarification if needed.

Closure

• Have the students share their news article analyses with the class.
• As a class, discuss the main ideas and any key words or phrases that were identified in the analyses.
• Review the close reading strategies that were used to analyze the text.

Assessment

• Evaluate students' news article analyses for their use of close reading strategies and their ability to analyze the text.
• Assess students' oral presentations of their news article analyses for their use of close reading strategies and their ability to analyze the text.