Using the Age in the Classroom

8/2/2019 Using the Age in the Classroom

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A collection of fun ways to use The Age with students.

Using The Age

in the Classroom

Produced by The Age Education Unit


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Using The Agein the classroomA Note To The Teacher

The Age is widely recognised as one of the worlds best broadsheet newspapers. Newspapers are a vital source of

information and accessing this information requires development of media skills. A broadsheet newspaper can be

more difficult to read and use for young students. However, sections ofThe Age are accessible when students are

directed and assisted in their use and understanding. Habit and continuous use are critical to the development of a

newspaper reader.

This kit contains worksheets designed for use with The Age and is easily adaptable to suit a variety of students from

primary, secondary and literacy programs. The aim of many of the worksheets is to encourage awareness of current

affairs, forms of communication and the news. A number of activity sheets also tackle specific mathematical and

language skills whilst other worksheets encourage use of the newspaper in exploring leisure, television and lifestyle

information.

The worksheets can be used as part of a media or communications unit. However, you may choose to use them

throughout the year as part of other units of work eg. advertising, the environment, teaching genres of writing, etc.

Many of the language activities are suitable for use at any time.

Please note that it is permissible to photocopy each worksheet.

We hope you enjoy the activities contained within.

Kind regards,

John Kilner

The Age Education Unit

For more information about this or other resources from The Age Education Unit, please do not hesitate to contact

us on (03) 9601 2316.


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The Age Newspaper School Kit

There are 33 worksheets in this kit. Numbers 1-17 cover exercises on the news aspect of the newspaper;

numbers 18-33 cover more general exercises using the newspaper as a resource.

Worksheet No: Contents

1. Getting To Know The Age - A Scavenger Hunt (parts 1 2 & 3)

2. Discover The Front Page Of The Age

3. What Is News?

4. Gathering The News

5. Advertising

6. Display Advertisements

7. Photography - Whats Happening

8. The Photograph - How Do You Feel?

9. News Headlines (parts 1 2 & 3)

10. The Weather Report

11. Letters To The Editor

12. Writing Styles

13. The Readers - Writing For An Audience

14. The Sports Page15. The Cartoon - A Humorous Look At The News

16. Word Fun

17. Island Escape

18. Space Cadets

19. The Little Word In The Big Word

20. Me

21. Word Pictures

22. Personality Plus

23. Five Minute Fiction

24. My Best Friend

25. Maths Fun

26. Shapes & Angles

27. Measurement

28. Front Page Maths

29. Percentages

30. Green Guide Fun

31. Statistics And Graphs

32. Out And About In Melbourne


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What does being Black Flagged mean?: Understanding The GP.

Getting To Know The Age - A Scavenger Hunt (Part 1)

1

WORKSHEET NO :

1(a). Find an example and/or find and write downthe page number of the following in 15 minutes:

a sports picture ______________________________________________________

a weather map _______________________________________________________

a cartoon character ___________________________________________________

the Letters page_______________________________________________________

the newspaper Index __________________________________________________ a used car advertisement ______________________________________________

the price of the paper _________________________________________________

the number of pages in the front News section ___________________________

1(b). Now find out this information:

the hottest place around the world ______________________________________

the movie I would most like to see ______________________________________

the sport I found most interesting _______________________________________

the sport I found least interesting _______________________________________

the cheapest car _____________________________________________________

1(c). Pick a news story from the front part of the newspaperand complete the following questions:

Its on page_________ Whos the story about?______________________________

When did it happen?____________________________________________________

Where did it happen?___________________________________________________

What happened?_______________________________________________________


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1WORKSHEET NO :

1.(d). Using todays newspaper, how many of the following can you find?Paste them in the boxes.

The initials of your name

A really exciting action word

A person showing a feeling on their face

The names of 3 people in the news.


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1WORKSHEET NO :

SectionSofthepaper

Newspapers are divided into sections. This allows the reader to easily locatethe section they wish to read. Being divided into sections allows the readerto separate the paper, perhaps keeping a wanted section to read at a laterstage.

1.(e). With the help of the Index on the front page, name which sectionof the paper the reader would find the following information(you will find the name of the section at the top of the pagee.g. sport section, arts section etc.)

If I wanted to learn more about business,

I would read the _____________________________________________ section.

If I wanted to give my opinion on an issue,

I would write to the ___________________________________________ section.

If there was an earthquake in Los Angeles in the United Sates,


For Carltons line up in Saturdays game,


If I wished to read a review of a film or television program,

I would read the ________________________________________________ section.


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Discover The Front Page OfThe Age

2Worksheet No:

The front page of a newspaper is an important page - it is the firstpage seen by most readers. It needs to look appealing to thereader and help them to locate other information in the newspaper.

2(a). The largest headline sits over the LEAD story.Write the headline in this box.

2(b). Most stories have the names of the reporterswho wrote them. This is called a BYLINE.Cut out one, paste it into the box andunderline their surname.

2(c).The Agehas an Odd Spot on the front page.

Cut it out and paste it in the box attached.

2(d). Circle the Index. On what page would you find the Editorial? _________

2(e). If you wanted to put a classified advertisement in The Age, what phone

number would you ring?_______________________________________

2(f).Can you quickly circle the following: a caption(the sentence found under a photo)

the masthead(the name of the newspaper)

an advertisement

a graphic (a drawing, if there is one)

a cartoon

the weather information

an index


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Discover The Front Page OfThe Age

2WORKSHEET NO :

2.g (i) Write below a list of 5 stories about happenings in yourschool that students in your school would find interesting (you coulduse your imagination here.)Circle one story you would use as themain story on your front page.

(ii) Why did you choose this story as your main story?

(iii) Why do you think the front page main story is important in anewspaper?


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What Is News?

WORKSHEET NO :

Here are some definitions of thenews:

Laughter, cheers or tears is news.

News is the record we have of the incredible meanness and the magnificentcourage of mankind.

News - a report of any recent event or situation.

Many of the news stories you see in The Agehave probably needed a dozen

phone calls, interviews or two trips to the library to make sure all the facts arecorrect.

Of course, not all the news from the day can be printed. If The Ageprinted all thenews it had, the newspaper would be hundreds of pages in length.

Many factors may make a story newsworthy; it affects a lot of people, it arousesreader curiosity, it is unusual, famous people are involved, it is a human intereststory that would touch reader emotions.

3.(a) Collect 6 news stories from the newspaper. Draw up a chart. List thesestories and then write a one sentence summary.

Story Headline Summary

eg: Crews battle big tyre blaze

3.(b) Write your own definition of what makes the news in a newspaper.

Firefighters had to wear breathing

apparatus to fight a burning pile of

tyres at Crib Point.


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What Is News? (continued)

WORKSHEET NO :

News stories contain details-whowas involved, whathappened,howit happened,whenit happened,whereit happened,whyit happened.

3.(c) Pretend you are a reporter who has just conducted an interviewwith Humpty Dumpty.

Who? Humpty Dumpty, all the kings horses, all the kings men

What? Fell off a wall

Where? Outside the Arts Centre

When? Monday morning at 10.00 am

Why? Humpty was trying to do some somersaults

How? Humpty missed the wall and overbalanced on one backward somersault.

You should try to write about six paragraphs for this story.You may need to make up some details to complete your story.

3.(d) Locate three stories from The Agethat are news stories.You should find them in the first 6 pages. Cut them out.Select one of these stories and answer similar questions to the HumptyDumpty story above.

Who was involved

What happened

Where it happened

When it happened

Why it happened

How it happened


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Gathering The News

4WORKSHEET NO :

News stories come from all over the world. When you sleep at night,somewhere in the world, news is occurring.

Sometimes this news comes from overseas news bureaus; or foreigncorrespondents working for The Age.

For local or national news, the source of news can vary from generalreporters who cover lots of different stories to specialist rounds whocover a particular area.

5.(a) Collect examples of news stories that have been contributed

to the newspaper from the following sources:

general reporters (eg this may be a single name)

different rounds (eg Bill Smith, the state political reporter, crime reporter etc.)

foreign correspondents (eg United States Correspondent)

other newspapers (eg The Sunday Telegraph)

news agencies (eg Reuters)


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Advertising

5WORKSHEET NO :

There are two types of advertising in The Age; classified and display.

Thedisplayadvertisement is printed in a block or square; theclassifiedsare line advertisements.

To assist the reader to use the classified advertisements, a ClassifiedIndex is provided in each edition.

5.(a) Use the Classified Index to find the page numbers for thefollowing,then find and cut out your favourite ad for each:

Houses for sale _______________________

Situations vacant ______________________

Musical instruments ____________________

The birth notices ______________________

Lost and found _______________________

Notices of dogs, cats and pets__________

5.(b) Find two jobs from the employment section.Compare them. What would be good aboutthese jobs? Not so good?

5.(c) Advertising uses language that varies accordingto what is being advertised. There are over 340categories of advertising, such as births, deaths,personals, and lost and found.Write an advertisement for one of the following:

Your ideal job

Your home (an ideal or exaggerated version)

Your home (its worst characteristics)


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Display Advertisements

6WORKSHEET NO :

A display advertisement will often have:a headline (often a brandname, statement or question)

a picture or graphic that is eye catching

the main body of the text

a line at the bottom (called a signature line and

often includes the price, a contact name or number.)

6.(a) In the space below or in your workbook create your own display

advertisement by choosing one of the following products to sell:

a car

a house

a computer

a holiday

6.(b) Use your copy of The Ageto find cut-outs of pictures and graphicsto use in your advertisement.


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Photography - Whats Happening

7WORKSHEET NO :

Photographs are an important part of a newspaper. They add to the visualappeal of the page, as well as provide more information about the reportedevent.

7.(a) Choose an interesting photo from The Ageand look at it closely.Answer the following:

Whats happening in the photo? ________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

What might have happened just before it was taken? _____________________

______________________________________________________________________

What is about to happen? _____________________________________________

What feelings are being shown? _______________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

What might the person or people in the photo be thinking or saying?

______________________________________________________________________

7.(b) Find a photo - write a humorousspeech or humorous thoughtbubble on the photograph.

(See example Who forgot toput his clock forward?)


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The Photograph - How Do You Feel?

8WORKSHEET NO :

Look for a photo in the newspaper of someone showing a feeling.It may be a happy look, or sad, or angry etc.

8.(a) Cut out the persons face and paste it in the square above.Think of wordsthat describe the way this person is feeling. Write them in interesting waysall around the photo.

8.(b)Swap your photo with someone else and make up a story about whathappened to make the person in that photo feel this way.


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News Headlines (Part 1)

9WORKSHEET NO :

All stories have to be interesting to be read. Headlines sella story. Imagine a page without the headlines. Headlines addinterest to a page and attract a reader. They also should suggestsomething to the reader about the content of the story.

9(a). Draw arrows to connect the following headlines toarticles.

Headline Articles

Coral reefs facingruin, scientists say

Old man found twoyears after death

New discovery of oldlife in murky channel

Brave workers save 42

tots from burning centre

Study links freer livesto rising youth unrest

Female fire power hosingdown a gender imbalance

Police and fireman have praised the cool thinking of staff whoevacuated 42 children from a blazing childcare centre yesterday.A fire brigade inspector said the staff - who were helped byneighbours of the Greensborough Child-Care Centre - werebrave people.

The phenomenal rise in crime and alcohol and drug abuseamong young people since World War 2 may have been partlycaused by teenagers increased freedom and independence,

according to a report released today. Sex, drugs and risingexpectations have caused stresses that previous generations didnot have to worry about, the report says.

Forty per cent of the worlds coral reefs will be destroyedwithin 20 years, according to scientists at a workshop of theInternational Coral Reef Initiative held in the Phillipines.

The number of women firefighters in Melbourne rose by 50 percent yesterday. Instead of four, there are now six.There are about

1550 male firefighters in the Metropolitan Fire Brigade and thenew recruits may prove vital in the brigade as it fights years ofgender imbalance.

The body of an 80-year-old man lay on his bedroom floor fortwo-and-a-half years before being found by chance yesterday

morning, Sydney police said.

Prehistoric sea creatures previously unknown to the world havebeen found by scientists in waters off Tasmanias wild south-westcoast. About 20 species of marine animals have been discoveredin the dark, tea- colored waters of Bathurst Channel, 120kilometres west of Hobart.


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9WORKSHEET NO :

9(b). Below are the first paragraphs of an article.Write a suitable headline from the clues in the article.

There is a McDonalds in the Islamic holy city of Mecca, and another one

planned for India, where cows are sacred. The Golden Arches sit on

the edge of Tiananmen Square in Beijing and on the street in Salzburg

where Mozart was born. But the Paris end of Collins Street? Surely not,

say the residents of inner Melbourne, yet that is exactly what is planned.

McDonalds intends to open store number 20,000-or-so (they open so

quickly, any number is probably out of date this morning) one door up

from the Melbourne Club.

A new law enabling Victorian councils to take tougher action on

dangerous dogs does not go far enough, the RSPCA said yesterday.

The RSPCAs state director, Mr Peter Barber, said the new Domestic

Animals Act, effective from April 1996, would be an improvement on the

existing Dog Act, but stopped short of adequate protection.

1

2

Up to 2500 people are believed dead, many of them buried under

rubble, after an earthquake struck Russias far east early today,

virtually flattening a whole town. The quake measured 7.5 on the

Richter scale.

3

1

2

3


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9WORKSHEET NO :

9(c). Below are three headlines.Write suitable opening paragraphs from the clues in the headline.

Girl found safe after 24 hours missing in bush

Car crushed by trains

Thats a lot of spotted dog


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The Weather Report

10WORKSHEET NO :

The brief weather report appears on the front page everyday as well as an extended weather section on the backpage of the news section.

11.(a) Using both weather reports, write in your own words what the weather

is going to be like in Victoria that day.__________________________

_______________________________________________________________

11.(b) Which capital city/cities recorded the highest temperature in Australiayesterday?_______________________________________________

11.(c) Which overseas city/cities recorded the lowest? _________________

11.(d) How much rain fell yesterday? _______________________________

11.(e) What are the tide times today at Williamstown? __________________

11.(f)Are there any news stories about the weather today? If so, write a briefnote about what the weather is doing and what places it is affecting.

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

11.(g)Which sections of the weather report might the following people need

to read?

Surfers _____________________________________________________________

Fishermen __________________________________________________________

An asthma sufferer __________________________________________________

Strawberry growers __________________________________________________

A parent with two children who wishes to organise a picnic for two days

time ____________________________________________________________

11.(h) In your workbook, make a graph to record daily maximumtemperatures for one week in your area.


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Letters To The Editor

11WORKSHEET NO :

The letters to the Editor page is an important part of any newspaper.

It provides a place for people to express their opinions about importantissues and events. It also provides information to the reader and thenewspaper.The Agereceives between 40 and 80 letters each day; the paper prints about8 in full each day. There is also a number of shorter letters printed, called AndAnother Thing.

Read some of the And Another Thing letters.

12.(a) Select one that you agree with. Cut it out and glue it in the spacebelow.

12.(b) State some of the reasons you agree with the letter.

12.(c) Select an And Another Thing letter you do not agree with.

12.(d) State some of the reasons you do not agree with the And AnotherThing letter to the editor.


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The people who write stories for newspapers are called journalists orreporters. They write stories for different reasons. (Sometimes, it is to providefactual information; other times, to provide an opinion about an event.)There are many different reasons for writing an article.

Here are some words to describe writing stylesthat appear in The Age.

Interviewinga person Reportingan event

Reviewinga play

Writing about a personalexperience

Instructingthe reader in how to grow better roses

Using humourto make the reader laugh at an event

Analysingsomething that has happened

Arguingan opinion

13.(a) Cut out 3 different types of articles from The Age. Attach them to apage in your book. Make sure they are articles quite different in style toeach other.Try to explain what each writer is trying to do, eg: reviewing a film,reporting the news, etc.

Writing Styles

12WORKSHEET NO :

Hawthorn coachPeter Knights had

just finished sayingthat his forwardshad played thewrong side ofOptus Oval lastSunday by way ofexplaining theirwoeful first-halfinaccuracy againstFitzroy, whenradio roundsmanDwayne Russellfired in a furtherquestion.The exchangeproceededsomething like

this: Russell:(There was) a lotof handballing andarguing betweenplayers when theball wasnt given.Did you notice anyproblem at all?Knights:If yousaw any arguingbetween players,youre a betterman than I (am).Russell: Therewere a coupleof players whodidnt give off,like Hudson, buthad shots when

they probably hadblokes in betterposition.Knights againsuggested thatnothing likethat happened,and, even if itdid, the windyconditions werean extenuatingcircumstance.Then Knightsadded: Its allvery easy from thesidelines, but ifyouve played thegame, sometimesits not as easy out

Hawks coach wrong-footed by an ex-Cat

Jock and Mandysrent-a-Dream

LITTLE Doreen wanted a dream, so she went tothe one place she knew she could get a good deal

Jock and Mandys Rent-a-Dream, located on acorner site near the top end of Freeway 417.

The minute she walked on the lot she knew she was ingood hands.

Welcome, said Mandy. `Im Mandy. How can Ihelp you? What kind of dream are you after?Im not sure, said Doreen. I have a lot of

unhappiness in my life and I guess I want to fix that.Lack of love? said Mandy.I guess so, said Doreen.Sounds like you could do with a love dream. Step this

way. And Mandy showed Little Doreen a lovely lovedream.

This little baby will give you all the love you need.Does it come with instructions or any optional extras

or a control panel with buttons and switches to slow itdown, speed it up or shut it off or anything?

Of course not, saidMandy. Its a dream. You cant put limits on a

dream, otherwise it wouldnt be a dream, would it?


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The Readers - Writing For An Audience

1WORKSHEET NO :

Writers have an audience, that is, the person or persons who are most likelyto read the article. Writers need to change the style of writing to reflect thereaders.For example, if you were writing for the EG section of The Age on Friday, youwould be writing for a teenage audience interested in entertainment and wouldneed to write in an entertaining way, perhaps using humour.If you were writing for the Business section, you would be writing for peopleinterested in obtaining information about business and would need to write in amore formal way.

14.(a) Find a story from the newspaper that you think each of the followingpeople would read:

a computer buff:

a business person:

a gardener:

a sports fan:

a keen cook:

someone wanting to watch television:

someone wanting to go to the movies,

a concert or play:

someone wanting a laugh:

a bookworm:


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The Sports Page

14WORKSHEET NO :

Search through the sports section of The Ageand answer the following:

18.(a) What is the main sports story today?Write the headline in the space below.

18.(b) List ten sports that have received coverage.

18.(c) Which sport received the most coverage? _______________________Why do you think it receives most coverage? _____________________

________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

18.(d)Make a list of special sports words that are only used when that sport ismentioned. Record them in the space below.

18.(e) In your workbook, write a sports story about one sporting event held atyour school. Write the story in a similar way to how sports journalistswrite stories:

reporting of information e.g. a factual account of what happened feature stories e.g. an interview or background story explaining

why something happened an opinion on a sporting event e.g. suggestions or opinion about the

event


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The Cartoon - A Humorous Look At The News

15WORKSHEET NO :

Cartoons are an important part of a newspaper not only because they providevisual interest to the page but because they often present a view of the newsthat may not have been considered by the reader.

They can make the reader laugh, smile and/or feel disturbed. Sometimescartoons are attached to stories to attract the reader to the story and at othertimes the story makes the joke in the cartoon meaningful to the reader.

16.(a) Write under each of the following cartoons your explanation of what youthink the cartoonist is suggesting.


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The Cartoon - A Humorous Look At The News (continued)

15WORKSHEET NO :

19.(b) Find a story from the newspaper. Try to illustrate it with a cartoon.Stick figures will do. An example is given below.


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Word Fun

In pairs, find 15 interesting words from The Ageand cut them out. Paste themon a blank sheet of paper and then write a funny short story that connectsthem all.

Heres one for you to see how its done.

16WORKSHEET NO :


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Congratulations! You have been selected to be part of a five yearmission to Mars.You will be provided with food and a furnished place to live whileyou are there.

You are to bring all other items. Because of luggage restrictionsyou are only allowed six items. Please choose carefully - there areno shops on Mars!

Scan through The Ageand select six items to take with youon this adventure of a lifetime.

18WORKSHEET NO :

Space Cadets


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19WORKSHEET NO :

The little word in the big word

Using headlines only, you have ten minutes to find the little word contained inthe big word. The first person to find twenty little words is the winner.Here are some examples to help you.


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20WORKSHEET NO :

Me

Draw a large picture of yourself in your favourite clothes.

Look through The Ageand find:

one word that describes you a food you enjoy a food you dont like a TV programme you enjoy a house youd like to live in the car youd like to buy

ads of things youd like a photo or cartoon that you like words or pictures which show what you would like to

be in ten years from now.

Design a me poster using words and pictures from The Age.


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21WORKSHEET NO :

Word Pictures

Scan The Ageheadlines for ten words and draw a picture that shows themeaning of the word.

Show the picture to your partner and have them guess the word.


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22WORKSHEET NO :

Personality Plus...

Choose a photograph of someone in todays Age. The person doesnt have tobe famous, it can even be a cartoon character.Clip the photograph and paste it onto a large sheet of paper.

Scan The Agefor the following then clip and paste them around the photo.

a local story the person might read

a world news story they might read

a photograph which shows where they might have travelled

food they might eat a house they might live in

a television programme they might watch

a car they might drive

a cartoon they might think is funny

one thing that might attract their attention


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2WORKSHEET NO :

Five Minute Fiction

Scan The Ageto find an unusual headline or sentence.Pass it to your partner who has to make up a story using the words you havecut out. The story must have a beginning, middle and an end and can take nolonger than two minutes to say or five minutes to write.

You can also cut out single words to make a story starter.


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24WORKSHEET NO :

My Best Friend

Draw your best friend and cut out letters from The Ageto write their name.

Find words from the newspaper that says something good about them.

find a photograph that they would like find something that you would like to give them as a gift find three words that tell them how much you like them

Make sure you present them with the poster !


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25WORKSHEET NO :

Maths Fun

Count the number of times the letter a appears in the headlines on the frontpage of The Age. If it is an even number, divide it by two.If it is an odd number, subtract seven from it.To that number add the number of Ss in the headlines on the front page.Multiply that number by 29.

Write the answer.


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Find the following shapes using all sections of The Age.

Clip them and paste them onto a sheet of paper and label each cut out correctly.

a) square

b) circle

c) cylinder

d) rectangle

e) triangle

f) cube

Find examples of the following angles by searching through The Age.

Cut them out and paste them on to a sheet of paper

and label them according to their angles.

a) 90 degreesb) 45 degreesc) 30 degreesd) 180 degrees

Use your protractor to measure the angles.

26WORKSHEET NO :

Shapes and Angles


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Word Fun10

Find two large and two small advertisements. Measure their width and depth.Round off the measurement to the nearest centimetre.

Calculate the perimeter and area of each advertisement.

27WORKSHEET NO :

Measurement


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Use only the front page of The Agefor this activity.

Measure its width and depth.

Calculate the area of photographs on the front page

What is the area given to news stories, advertising and the mastheadon the front page?

28WORKSHEET NO :

Front Page Maths


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Word Fun

How much do you have in common with your classmates?

Scan The Agefor ten items needed for everyday living. Then search The Agefor ten items that you would like to have but are not essential for everydayliving.

Clip and mount the pictures under the headings of Wants and Needs.

Calculate the percentage of students in your class who have: five, four, three,two and one similar needs. Do the same for wants.

29WORKSHEET NO :

Percentages

Wants Needs


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Use the Green Guide to find out how many different complete programs canbe taped in a 24 hour period.

To make this a little more tricky, you must include: one news bulletin, oneAustralian produced drama and one sports program.

0WORKSHEET NO :

Green Guide Fun


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Word Fun

Look at the Motor Market section of The Age.Locate five different makes of cars.

Record how many times that cars name appears in the section.Construct a graph to show this.

1WORKSHEET NO :

Statistics And Graphs


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Three friends are visiting from interstate and they have never been to Melbourne.You have $200 to spend over two days. Using the Entertainment Guide, plantwo days of activities. Make sure that you plan a variety of things for yourfriends to see and do.

2WORKSHEET NO :

Out & About In Melbourne

Using the Age in the Classroom

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