Search
Categories , Tags , ,

Student Interview & News Article Writing Assignment: Media Bias Writing Activity

If you’re looking for a unique, more hands on activity to get your students to understand media bias, then try this student interview assignment for learning how a news article becomes sensationalized in the first place. It’s a great activity to use for media literacy units and lessons on bias in the media. Your students will interview each other, take notes, write a news report on their peers, practice sensationalizing the story by skewing facts, and reflect on the entire process through metacognitive questions to deepen their understanding of media bias.

$3.00

Share This:

Add to Cart
No payment method connected. Contact seller.

Get Access to this and ALL Resources on ESL Lifeline

This High School Interview and News Article Assignment is perfect for getting students to understand the process of embellishment and how fake news and media bias happens in the first place. The handouts each have guided instructions, which makes this activity extremely low-prep and easy to use.

The hands on activity is an excellent supplementary assignment for any media literacy unit or journalism class. It can be used in small classes or with larger groups of students. It can also best be used during the beginning of a school year as a fun way to get to know new people.

Do your students need a hands on activity for learning about media bias? This activity gets your students to interview each other, write a news report about the other person, and then sensationalize the story. By focusing on skewing facts, students get a front row seat into how real journalists use words to set agendas and create bias in the media they publish.

How the Activity Works: This hands on student interview and news article writing assignment starts with planning an interview, asking students to prepare questions and follow-up responses. Then, they interview each other using their questions with the goal of getting facts and making them sound more exciting then they really are. Next, they set off writing their report. A word bank is included to help them incorporate language and words for using spin, subjective language, and sensationalism.

After their report is finished, and the class has read it, students use a set of metacognitive reflection questions that gets them thinking about the process of embellishing a text and the emotions they were able to elicit. It’s an excellent way to get them to think critically about their choices of words and use of language.

WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Monika said, “ I used this with my sixth-grade students. We did a lesson on bias news and then they did this activity. They all learned a lot and saw how easy it is for someone to twist words and create fake news. This was a great resource that I will use again and again.”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Alejandra said, “Great resource for journalism!”

—————————————————————————————————————————

This package includes a PDF file that can be opened using your preferred PDF reader. It comes with resource notes with suggested uses and tips for success.

Though this is recommended for high school students, teachers have had success using this for middle school learners.

⭐ Get the Bundle for Big Savings ⭐
Purchase my Media Literacy BUNDLE to get this Interview and News Article Assignment plusMedia Bias News Articles Volume 1, Media Bias News Articles Volume 2, Fake News Reading Comprehension, and Current Event Writing at an incredible discount.

—————————————————————————————————————————

Terms of Use:

This resource was created by Landon S. Seigler of ESL Lifeline, all rights are reserved. The original purchaser is permitted to use it for a single class only. Teachers have the authorization to share this product with their students (and parents) through email, Google Classroom, or the Internet, as long as the site is password protected. Distribution to your own students is allowed, but uploading it to the Internet for public access and download is not permitted.

**If you wish to use this resource for multiple classrooms or share it with fellow educators, please purchase additional licenses.Your adherence to these usage terms is greatly appreciated.

Reviews

There are no reviews yet.

Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.

Related Products

Frequency Asked Questions

Can I share this resource?

No. This resource is for single-classroom use only. In order to share it, you must purchase additional licenses. 

For more information, see ESL Lifeline’s Terms of use.

What do I do if my resource doesn't print correctly?

All resources are designed to be printed as they are packaged, within the PDF file.

    • PRINTING ISSUES: Though all resources have been tested and trialed prior to distribution to ensure quality, computer and printer settings can cause some resources to print as intended.
      • When experiencing printer issues, please refer to the guide below for support:
        • TRY THIS FIRST: When you open the resource in your preferred PDF viewer (Adobe, etc.) and go to print the pages, select printer setup (settings).
        • Be sure that the paper size is set to letter or A4, and check the the ‘scaling’ of the pages is set to 100% or ‘scaled to fit’.
        • For more modern printers, the printing tab on the computer screen usually offers a ‘preview window’ that shows you exactly how the resource will be printed. If your printer has this feature and software, ensure that you look at it before printing.
        • Then, try the printing again.
        • A solution that has also worked in the past is selecting & printing from the PDF only the pages you want to print, instead of printing the whole PDF document.
        • Printing issues do surface from time to time depending on the software being used, so it’s always wise to ensure that your printer drivers are up-to-date.
What level are these resources?

ESL Lifeline’s resources and material are custom built for secondary middle and high school students. Usually, this means students between the ages of 11-18. 

On the CEFR, ESL Lifeline’s resources range between B1-C1 – Intermediate to Advanced. 

Many of the resource are suitable for adult learners as well. 

Though built for secondary students, he resources can be used across multiple grade levels and age ranges. Teachers know their students the best. It is recommended that, before you purchase a resource, you read the product description carefully and take note of the specific ages and ranges that it recommends. 

How much contact time does a typical resource give me?

Teachers from all over the world have used ESL Lifeline’s resources and materials with great success. A lot of the feedback received has to do with the breadth of content and how much there is in a single lesson. Some teachers have even said they can get 1-2 week out of a single reading comprehension lesson.

While the experience of each lesson will vary depending on the teacher, class demographic and other key variables, many lessons plans ESL Lifeline provides have been written to extend past a single class session. To get the most out of all the content in each lesson plan and all the materials, always consider the pacing of your particular class and how students are responding to the lesson in the moment. For language learning, it is often beneficial to revisit certain parts of a lesson to reinforce concepts and check comprehension. Extending skill lessons into even small, more manageable chunks is also a good strategy to ensure all learners in your class are able to access the content.

Many of the lessons and activities offer extension activities for productive follow-ups that take the subject and language even further. If you are looking to extend or, even, differentiate the learning, it is recommended to use these activities.

What file types will I get?

There are usually one or two file types available for download: PDF and Zip files.

    • PDF FILE TYPES: PDF files contain the entire resource, with all resource notes, lesson plans and materials included in one file. To download and open a PDF file, your computer will need a PDF reader. Double click the PDF file you wish to use and the download will start automatically.
      • Open your ‘Download’s folder on your computer and the resource will be there after the download is complete. The file name may contain extra wording after download, but the original name remains within the document.”
  • ZIP FILE TYPES: When a single resource contains multiple file types – for example several PDFs, PowerPoints, or images – they will be available in a ‘Zipped’ file. To download and open the zipped file, double click on it and the download will begin automatically.
    • Open your ‘Download’s folder on your computer and a folder with the resource will be there after the download is complete. At times, extra wording is added to the file name as it filters through your system. This does not, however, change the resource and its original name will be contained within the text as well.
    • Double click the folder to open the resource and you will see the contents. Oftentimes, ESL Lifeline’s zipped files contain separate PDF files for easier printing and organization of resources. For instance: when there is a student booklet available for a resource, this may be separated from the teachers notes and lesson plans. In this way, all you would have to do is open that PDF and print it as is to distribute to students.
    • ESL Lifeline has many professional PowerPoint presentations included in its catalog. While these files require Microsoft PowerPoint to access and use, they will always be contained within a zipped file. This ensures that you will receive both the PowerPoint and resource notes along with it. For more information on PowerPoint, please see the separate section below.

UNLIMITED DOWNLOADS

Get this resource and all resources and materials on ESL Lifeline for an entire year!

LEARN MORE
Shop on TpT!
Learn more about ESL lifeline
Scroll to Top