News Article Starter
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Why the news
A current article shows learners their subject happening now, in their industry, and builds the background knowledge that makes the next text easier to read. Five minutes at the start of a lesson is enough.
For exampleSport: concussion in football. Construction: a new housing development. Engineering: electric vehicles.
Your jobWrite the topic, a “should” question, a retrieval question and a stretch. Leave with the board text.
Pick this week's article first. A line in each box is enough.
On the board
This week: [the article]. Read it. Highlight the key facts. In pairs: what happened, and why does it matter? Then argue it: [a “should” question] Remember it: [a question on the facts] Finished early? [a link to a course idea]
100 to 300 words, five minutes, the same questions every week.
Why this works in your room
Five minutes of real news links your subject to the world they will work in.
For your learners: They read about their industry every week and argue about it using the facts.
For you: The same routine every week means a starter you do not have to plan.
The article
100 to 300 words, five minutes
A short, current story about your industry. Keep a bank and reuse the questions.
Highlight
As they read
The key facts about [the issue].
In pairs
What happened? Why does it matter?
Two sentences each, to this industry and to them.
Should…?
The discussion
A question with two sides.
Remember it
Now, or next lesson
One retrieval question on the facts.
Stretch
Finished early
How might this link to [a course idea]?
Elsewhere in Bradford ThreadWorks
Big 4Copilot: writing a simple prompt and asking for a draft, such as a summary, a starter or a quiz.Open Big 4 (opens in a new tab)
Lesson WeaverGo Read writes a short article on your topic with the starter questions.Open Lesson Weaver (opens in a new tab)
Prompts to paste into Copilot
Two prompts to paste into Copilot. They are our own wording, not Big 4 training. Change what is in brackets, and leave out learners' names.
A “should” question
I teach [subject] to [level] learners. Here is a news article I am using as a starter: [paste the article or its link]. Write three “should” questions on it with two sides each, that learners need the facts in the article to argue. Then one retrieval question and one stretch question linking it to [a course idea].
Where to find this week's
I teach [subject] to [level] learners. Suggest five kinds of recent news story that link to [unit or topic], and where in BBC News, trade magazines or professional body websites I would find them. Do not write the articles.
What they know helps them read
Recht and Leslie found that weaker readers who knew a lot about baseball understood and remembered a text about it better than strong readers who knew little. Regular reading about their industry builds the knowledge that makes the next text easier.
Recht and Leslie (1988), prior knowledge and memory of text
Reading with a question
Reading for a purpose and discussing what was read are reading comprehension strategies. The EEF Toolkit rates them among the highest-impact, lowest-cost approaches it lists.
EEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit: reading comprehension strategies (opens in a new tab)How sure is this?
Moderately. Background knowledge and reading with a purpose are well supported. The starter routine is from the college's CPD deck, Reading Across the Curriculum, and has not been tested as a named activity.
No source claimed