ACTIVITY 1: ANALYZING WRITTEN MEDIA COVERAGE
Your group will choose a topic from the Topics page and use the internet to conduct basic research. You will choose three valid news articles from verifiable sources and analyze them, and your work will be shared online.
Steps:
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Choose topic and get teacher approval (verbal).
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Reseach topic using the links below and identify three different print news sources.
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Analyze each news source to identify tone, level of formality, level of and intended audience.
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Together, you will write 1-3 paragraphs describing your findings and giving concrete examples from the works to support your position.
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Upload your work to the website ISSU.com, an online publishing website, using the teacher's credentials. Be sure to include your names and topic at the top of your publication, and links to the news items you analyzed.
How do I analyze a news source?
Your group will need a structured and organized way to record your analysis of each of the news sources used during the course of this project. Below you will find two tools to acheive this.
The online worksheets below can be used to provoke questions you may have about they writing style used in each article. Your teacher will provide printed worksheets if you wish to take handwritten notes. This is the phase in which we will address "big" questions such as What is the author trying to acheive in writing this piece? How are these articles different? What audience is the author addressing? What is the tone and register of the article and how does it effect the way it may be understood?
Determining the Difference Between Fact and Opinion
Ways in Which A Writer Gets Your Interest
Writer's Use of Tone and Style
Critical Analysis of Information Sources Worksheet
Suggested Resources:
The New York Times News Network
