Lesson Plan | Active Learning | Text Comparison

Assumptions: This Active Lesson Plan assumes: a 100-minute class, prior student study with both the Book and the start of Project development, and that only one activity (among the three suggested) will be chosen to be conducted during the class, as each activity is designed to take up a significant portion of the available time.

Objectives

Duration: (5 - 10 minutes)

The Objectives stage is crucial for establishing a clear foundation of what is expected for students to achieve by the end of the lesson. In this context, the main objectives are to guide students to compare texts from different sources, identifying not only superficial differences but also the purposes and editorial approaches behind each text. This not only strengthens their critical reading skills but also prepares them to be more conscious and informed consumers of information.

Main Objectives:

1. Empower students to compare different types of texts, such as news from various sources, identifying and analyzing purpose, editorial line, and resources used.

2. Develop critical skills so that students can discern between different perspectives and approaches in similar texts.

Side Objectives:

1. Encourage active participation from students in group discussions about the analyses made.
2. Foster critical thinking and the ability to formulate relevant questions during the analysis.

Introduction

Duration: (15 - 20 minutes)

The Introduction stage is designed to engage students and make them think critically about the lesson topic. The proposed problem situations aim to activate students' prior knowledge and prepare them for deeper analysis in class, encouraging them to think about how different sources of information shape our perspective. The contextualization serves to connect the topic with real and relevant situations, increasing interest and awareness of the importance of studying text comparison.

Problem-Based Situations

1. Imagine you are reading news about an important political event in two different newspapers. While one newspaper highlights the efficiency of the government, the other harshly criticizes the same actions. How do you think the purposes and editorial lines of these newspapers influence the way the news is presented?

2. Consider the coverage of a traffic accident on different news websites. How does each site approach the topic? Do they use different visual resources, like photos or videos, to tell the story in distinct ways? What does this reveal about the target audience of each site?

Contextualization

The ability to compare texts is crucial in the modern world, where we are bombarded with information from various sources. Understanding how different media address the same topics can help develop a more critical and informed perspective. For example, a news story about health may be presented very differently on a serious news site, a health blog, and an online forum, each with its own audience and editorial purpose. This skill not only improves students' understanding but also prepares them to consume media more consciously and critically.

Development

Duration: (70 - 80 minutes)

The Development phase is designed to engage students in practical activities that make use of prior knowledge acquired about text comparison. The proposed activities are challenging and stimulate collaboration, critical thinking, and students' creativity, while they apply concepts of textual analysis and comparison of perspectives. This stage is crucial for solidifying learning and allowing students to explore the theme in depth, preparing them to be more critical and conscious consumers of information.

Activity Suggestions

It is recommended to carry out only one of the suggested activities

Activity 1 - News Detectives

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Develop critical analysis and comparative skills between different news perspectives.

- Description: Students will be divided into groups of up to five people. Each group will receive two articles from different newspapers that address the same event but with clearly different perspectives. The challenge is to identify the purpose and editorial line of each newspaper, as well as to find differences in the resources used to tell the story (such as the use of photos, word choice, highlighting of information).

- Instructions:

• Form groups of up to five students.

• Distribute two different newspaper articles about the same event to each group.

• Ask them to read both articles and discuss in group the notable differences.

• Using a provided matrix, students should classify the differences found in purpose, editorial line, and resources used.

• Each group will present their findings to the class, justifying their analyses with concrete examples from the texts.

Activity 2 - Editor-in-Chief for a Day

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Understand the importance of the target audience in writing and editing journalistic texts.

- Description: In this activity, students are challenged to take on the role of an editor for a news website and rewrite a news article, maintaining the essence of the event, but adapting the tone and resources to attract a different target audience. Groups will choose one of the provided articles, identify the original target audience and create a version of the news article for a different target audience, such as young people, elderly, subject matter experts, etc.

- Instructions:

• Divide the class into groups of up to five students.

• Provide each group with a news article and inform them of the original target audience.

• Students should identify the target audience of the article and select a new target audience for the new version of the news article.

• Groups will rewrite the article, adjusting the tone and resources to suit the new target audience.

• Each group will present their new version of the news and discuss the editorial choices made.

Activity 3 - The Title Game

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Understand how titles can influence the perception of news and the importance of adapting content for different audiences.

- Description: Students, organized in groups, will receive a series of short news items, without the original titles. The challenge is to create titles that accurately reflect the content, but that are also attractive to different target audiences. After creation, the groups will present and justify their titles to the class.

- Instructions:

• Organize students into groups of up to five.

• Provide each group with a series of short news items without their original titles.

• Groups should create titles for each news item that attract different target audiences.

• Each group will present their titles, explaining why they were chosen and what type of audience they are aimed at.

• Conduct a class discussion about the importance of titles in attracting and informing readers.

Feedback

Duration: (10 - 15 minutes)

The purpose of this stage is to consolidate the learning obtained during the practical activities, allowing students to articulate what they discovered and hear their peers' perspectives. This discussion helps reinforce students' understanding of the influence of editorial choices and the importance of considering the target audience in writing and reading texts. In addition, it promotes communication skills and critical argumentation.

Group Discussion

At the end of the activities, promote a group discussion with all students. Ask each group to share the discoveries and analyses made during the activities. Start the discussion with a brief introduction: 'Now that everyone has had the chance to explore different perspectives and techniques in the writing and analysis of journalistic texts, let's share what we learned. Each group will present the main conclusions and insights they obtained. This is a moment to reflect on how editorial and structural choices affect the way we receive and understand information.'

Key Questions

1. What were the main differences you found in texts from different sources on the same topic?

2. How can word choices and visual resources in the texts influence the reader's perception of the subject?

3. What was the importance of considering the target audience when rewriting or creating titles for the news articles?

Conclusion

Duration: (5 - 10 minutes)

The purpose of this Conclusion stage is to ensure that students have a clear and consolidated understanding of the concepts discussed during the lesson, as well as to recognize the applicability of these concepts in their daily lives. Summarizing and reinforcing what has been learned, this stage helps to ensure that students can carry forward the knowledge acquired, applying it in new contexts and situations.

Summary

To conclude, recapping the content covered, in this lesson students explored the art of comparing texts, especially news from different sources. They were able to identify not only superficial differences but also analyze the purpose, editorial line, and resources used in each text, enabling a more critical and informed reading.

Theory Connection

Today's lesson effectively connected theory and practice by utilizing practical activities that simulated real situations of text comparison and editing. This not only solidified the theoretical knowledge previously acquired by students but also demonstrated the applicability of these concepts in everyday situations, reinforcing the importance of being critical about the information we consume.

Closing

Finally, it is crucial to highlight the relevance of the topic to students' daily lives. The ability to compare texts from various sources not only improves students' critical analytical skills but also prepares them for a better understanding and interaction with the world around them, making them more conscious and informed media consumers.