This lesson has been updated and the new version can be found by following this link:

They consider news stories of interest to different audiences and different types of news e.g. local, international, sport, entertainment.

Students also reflect how to tell the news in a way that is correct and objective. The BBC do this by adhering to a set of "news values."

These documents outline the key curriculum areas covered in lessons 1-6 for 11 to 14-year-olds.

England, English England, Citizenship England, ICT Scotland, English Language Scotland, Citizenship Scotland, ICT

Wales, English Wales, PSE Wales, IT Northern Ireland, English Northern Ireland, Learning for Life and Work Northern Ireland, Using ICT

VIDEO: WHAT IS THE NEWS? Huw's tips

He examines the need to be correct and objective as reflected in the BBC news values.

He discusses different types of news e.g. local, international, sport, entertainment and their appeal to different audiences.

Ask students for examples of current news stories and compile a list. Now ask students: Why is this story in the news? Compile their answers. Here are some examples:

Explain that all of these elements are what makes a story newsworthy.

Now ask students: Who would be interested in each of these stories?

Explain: The people who watch, listen or read the news are the audience.

Headline Grabber game

It invites them to grab the good news headlines and ignore the bad.

It can be played on individual computers or as a class, using an interactive whiteboard.

Play "Headline Grabber" on paper using Worksheet 1.1.

Students feedback their thoughts on what makes a good/bad headline and why.

Re-iterate the concept of newsworthiness for different audiences.

Pair and group work

Designate a blank wall or notice board as a "display area" where students can (temporarily) stick some work.

Distribute a picture to half the students in the group.

You can print real news photographs from either the BBC News Online or Newsround websites using these in the top left of this page. Using the mouse, right click on a photograph and select the print picture option. Alternatively, you can use pictures from newspapers, magazines etc.

The remaining half of the students have a few minutes to walk around the classroom, view the pictures and chose one they think looks particularly interesting.

The students should now be in pairs.

Each pair invents a news story around the picture, by asking and answering questions.

These are good to begin with:

• What happened?
• Who is involved?
• Why did it happen?

Students can use either their knowledge of the news or their imagination to answer the questions, drawing on information in the picture.

Based on the answers, each pair composes a headline for the story and writes it on the picture. They can use the "good" headlines from the previous exercise as models.

Now each pair teams up with another pair, forming a group of four.

They discuss their stories and decide which of the two would be most appropriate for an audience of 11 to 14-year-old students. They stick this ONE in the display area.

Whole group work

Students order the final seven or eight stories in the display area to create a schedule, or running order, for a news programme, explaining their choice. Ask students: Which story would you put first? Why? Which story would you put last? Why?

DEFINITION: BROADCAST Broadcast: To make sound or images available to lots of people. It has an agricultural origin, meaning to scatter seed widely.

• Finding the news - choosing a newsworthy story
• Gathering the news - asking questions about the story
• Writing the news - composing headlines
• Assembling the news - putting words (headlines) and pictures together
• Ordering the news - putting the news stories into an order according to newsworthiness and audience
• Broadcasting the news - displaying the news for others

BBC NEWS VALUES Here are the values in full - the ones BBC journalists adhere to Truth and accuracy Impartiality and diversity of opinion Editorial integrity and independence Serving the public interest Fairness Balancing the right to report with respect for privacy Balancing the right to report with protection of the vulnerable Safeguarding children Being accountable to the audience

Explain that during this exercise, students may have made up information but that when they are reporting the real news they have to be correct and objective.

In other words their facts must be accurate and they must tell both sides of the story. The BBC refer to these as "news values."

Group work

THE NEWS PROCESS Huw's day in pictures from CBBC Newsround

Students put the pictures into six piles. Ones that show journalists:

• Finding the news
• Gathering the news
• Writing the news
• Assembling the news
• Ordering the news
• Broadcasting the news

Some pictures show a mixture of different stages, which can prompt discussion about how to combine journalistic tasks

The different types of news indexes on the Newsround and BBC News websites

Students identify the different types of news in the display area e.g. local, international, sport, entertainment. They brainstorm other types of news and compile a class list.

Explain that during their News Day, students will broadcast news reports on their school (or educational) website.

Ask students to:

• Define their News Day audience
• Identify which types of news will interest their audience

Additional resources demonstrating the news process can be accessed from the SEE ALSO and RELATED BBC LINKS at the top right of this page.

This lesson has been approved by the BBC College of Journalism.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version