Students will examine how bias and exaggeration are used in newspapers and magazines during this lesson. At the end of the lesson, students are able to:
- Identify bias and exaggeration in newspapers and magazines.
- Examine the reasons behind the bias and exaggeration used by magazines and newspapers.
- How can readers decide which information from what they hear, read, and see to believe?
- How do literary and informational texts become meaningful to strategic readers?
- How does interaction with text elicit thought and response?
- What is the true purpose of this text?
- Bias: A judgment based on a personal point of view.
- Claim: A statement put forth as true; in an argument, a statement of position on an issue.
- Exaggeration: An overstatement or stretching of the truth.
- Reason: A general statement that offers support for a claim.
- Evidence: Facts, statistics, examples, and other information used to support reasons.
- Newspaper Story (L-6-2-2_Newspaper Story)
- Chocolate Is Good for You (L-6-2-2_Chocolate Is Good for You)
- a collection of age-appropriate magazines and newspapers in print or online, such as the following:
+ http://www.timeforkids.com/news
+ http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/scholasticnews/index.html
+ http://www.dogonews.com/
+ http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/default.stm
- National Geographic Kids
- red and blue markers
- This lesson's objective is to examine how bias and exaggeration are used in newspaper and magazine articles.
- Observe students during the lesson and go over the articles they found as well as their explanations for exaggeration and bias. Assess the following abilities of the students:
+ Recognize bias and exaggeration in newspaper and magazine articles
+ Justify the use of bias and exaggeration in newspaper and magazine articles.
+ Give pupils feedback regarding how well they comprehend the concept.
Explicit instruction, modeling, scaffolding, and active engagement
W: Expand on the knowledge of bias and exaggeration among students by investigating the applications of these strategies in news and magazine articles.
H: Ask students to find instances of exaggeration by comparing two different versions of a news article.
E: Assist students in recognizing bias, assertions, justifications, and supporting details in news and magazine articles.
R: Give students the chance to share examples with a larger group after discussing them with a partner. Encourage students to defend or modify their decisions to reinforce understanding.
E: Examine students' comprehension of bias and exaggeration in news and magazine articles by watching them.
T: Give students access to materials with varying degrees of complexity so they can show that they grasp, conceptually, how bias and exaggeration are used.
O: This lesson's learning exercises include large-group instruction and discussion, small-group inquiry, partner work, and individual application of the material.
Focus Question: How do bias and exaggeration affect news stories?
Assign students to work in pairs. Give a copy of "Sixth Grade Boy Is a Hero!" to each couple. Go to the Resources folder and look for L-6-2-2_Newspaper Story. At this point, omit "The Real Story." To find any instances of the story that they feel are inflated, assign students to work in pairs. They should highlight these parts of the story with red markers.
Part 1
Print and distribute "The Real Story." Ask students to identify the parts of the original story that have been exaggerated by comparing this version to the original.
Have a class discussion about the students' responses to ensure that the exaggeration has been correctly identified. The cat is howling like a lion; Mrs. Linwood claims the cat would have stayed on the fence until next winter; the fence is "giant," and Sam leaps over it in one motion, making him a "hero" for his efforts.
Ask, "What makes 'The Real Story' different?" (Only facts are present in the true story.) Say, "We associate factual information with the news. Why would a journalist fabricate such a tale?" (To make readers want to read the story; to make it more exciting; to make the story more interesting.)
Say, "It's critical to distinguish between fact and fiction when reading the news. Exaggeration distorts the truth in writing. The more they exaggerate, the more the story loses accuracy. Particularly in a news story, readers must pay close attention to what they read and be able to discern the facts." In what contexts—opinion pieces, persuasive texts, fictional stories, or tall tales—might exaggeration be more appropriate? Remind the class that news reports ought to be as impartial as possible.
Part 2
Place the magazine article "Chocolate Is Good for You!" in advance. (Refer to
L-6-2-2_Chocolate Is Good for You on the interactive whiteboard, document camera, or overhead projector.) For this portion of the activity, do not include "What This Article Doesn't Tell You."
Read aloud the article "Health Benefits of Chocolate." "Do you really think chocolate is good for you?", you may ask. "If not, why not?" Give pupils some time to react. Then ask, "If you believe chocolate is healthy for you, what proof did you find in the article to be credible?" Remind students to consult the text for assistance at all times.
Say, "This article's author claims that chocolate is healthy for you. A claim is an assertion of one's position on a matter. The assertion must be backed up by logic and proof from the author." Inquire with the students about the author's justifications and supporting details for the assertion (such as the effects of antioxidants on blood pressure, cholesterol, and the brain).
Encourage students to present their solutions to the class. Next, display "What This Article Doesn't Tell You" on the interactive whiteboard, document camera, and overhead projector.
Talk about the instances of bias in "Chocolate is Good for You!" Justify the author's decision to present the information that they wanted readers to read. Say, "Instead of providing information objectively and letting you make up your mind, the author is trying to persuade you to agree with him or her by not providing all the facts."
Identify the following indicators of article bias:
shows just one side of a dispute
excludes crucial information.
can lead to misunderstandings or misconceptions.
Put these hints on a chart so that students have a reference point.
Part 3
Ask students to scan newspapers and magazines for anything they perceive to be biased or exaggerated. The following websites offer news articles geared toward students:
http://www.timeforkids.com/newshttp://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/scholasticnews/index.html
http://www.dogonews.com/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/default.stm.
To identify blatant instances of bias and exaggeration, have students examine reviews and editorials. Remind students that it is often what an author does not say that reveals bias.
Give students the task of selecting one article they believe to be biased or overly dramatic. Ask them to name the example and justify its use. Permit students to discuss their ideas and share what they have discovered with a partner. Encourage them to make any necessary revisions to their ideas at this point.
Extension:
If students are willing to go above and beyond the call of duty, they can create their own inflated newspaper articles based on events that aren't particularly noteworthy. The following are a few ideas for topics:
There's a beehive on the playground.
A student helps a young child cross a busy street.
A missing dog was discovered in the backyard of a neighbor.
Students who require additional learning opportunities can make a list of words they might use to exaggerate stories, such as the following:
words that magnify a situation's size
words that magnify the excitement level of something
words that magnify how dangerous something is
words that minimize something's true significance
