Hitting the Headlines
Subject: KS3 English
Hitting the Headlines
Learning Objectives:
-Text Analysis – recognising and producing persuasive language
- Developing a global viewpoint
- Formal letter writing
Introduction:
This resource is designed for teachers of KS3 English to be used to meet the learning objectives outlined above, and provide an engaging and relevant background for lesson planning.
Task 1:
These newspaper headlines from the fictional newspaper ‘The Daily News’ are talking about displaced people who have fled from their homes, often because of persecution or conflict, and are hoping to live and work in a safer country. Many of them would have liked to have come to the UK to find work and start a new life. Instead, they were living in an illegal refugee camp in Calais, France, which has been nicknamed ‘the jungle’.
•What are the connotations of the word ‘jungle?’
•Think of the expression ‘it’s a jungle out there’… does this imply it is a calm or safe place?
•Can you think of some adjectives that spring to mind when a refugee camp is described as ‘the jungle’?
Task 2:
Can you pick out some of the words used in the headlines to describe refugees / displaced people?
- Do you think the newspapers are in favour of refugees and displaced people coming to the UK?
- Can you find some examples of persuasive words and phrases in the headlines?
- What information do these headlines provide about the people they are describing?
The image below gives an idea of what conditions were like living in the ‘Jungle’ in Calais.
Hero from Iraqi Kurdistan carries her 4-year-old son, Lawey who has downs-syndrome and has been receiving medical help and support from MSF. © Jon Levy/MSF
Task 3:
Watch the following short video by Vickie Hawkins, UK Executive Director of the charity Médecins Sans Frontièrs / Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
- Why does Vickie say people have tried to come to Europe illegally?
- Does Vickie’s video agree with the headlines presented here?
- What does she say are the main reasons people are living in the refugee camps in France?
- How does Vickie describe the refugee camps that she has seen?
Task 4:
Can you write a tweet (280 characters or less), using persuasive language and facts to respond to some of the ‘mean tweets’ that Vickie was looking at on her phone? Tweets are short, catchy lines aimed at getting your opinion across in as few words as possible (a bit like headlines). You can use @ to address someone directly (such as Vickie), you can use a # to make the subject of your tweet easy for people to find (a bit like an index), e.g. #MSF or #calaisjungle.
Here is an example from MSF:
Task 5:
Working in pairs, imagine you are editing a newspaper and that the content of Vickie’s video was going to be made into an article. Can you think of a headline that would capture the spirit of her video and some of the facts provided in the video? Present your headline to the class and explain why you chose that. Use alliteration, punctuation, and persuasive words to get your point across in as few words as possible.
Task 6: (optional)
Working individually and using the outline providedbelow, can you write a formal letter to the editor of ‘The Daily News’ newspaper, putting across your point of view on the headlines?
A reminder of how to write a formal letter:
Add your address here
(e.g. 25 London Road,
Winkworth)
Add the date here
Add the recipient address here
(e.g. The Editor
The Daily News
12, Headline Drive
Broadsheetville
Address the recipient
(e.g. Dear Mrs Editor)
Introduce your letter here
(e.g. I am writing to you about….. / I am writing in response to …..)
Add the main text below, the following phrases may be useful:
-In a recent headline you stated that…
-This suggests
-The UK Executive Director of the charity Medecins Sans Frontiers / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) argues that…
-My view on this is….
Signing off
Yours Faithfully (if you don’t know their name)
Yours Sincerely (if you do know their name)
Add your name here, leaving space above to sign in pen.
Further information
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A wall in the Calais 'Jungle', May 2016. © Nicola Swann/MSF
MSFUK was set-up as a registered charity (Charity Number 1026588) and a company limited by guarantee (Company Number 2853011) in September 1993.
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