English materials for
​Secondary school in México

Second Grade

Unit 4

Lesson plan

Lesson plans | Worksheets & Handouts | PowerPoint presentations
​Exercises for students | ​Project Ideas | Pop Quizzes & Exams
Introduction (10 mins.)
T shows some flashcards about types of media and asks Ss to describe them. T elicits the word “media” and asks Ss “What’s media?”. If Ss are not sure of the answer, T then prompts them with: “How do you get news?” and “How can you communicate with others?”. T explains Ss that media is anything used to convey a message and used to reach a lot of people, like newspapers, magazines, emails, web sites, video streaming, etc.
Development (15 mins.)
In pairs, Ss classify a list of media. Ss discuss which of those kinds they like the most, which ones they dislike and why.
Then T holds a newspaper and asks Ss about its use. Ss may reply with many purposes:
  • To convey current information.
  • To cover the news.
  • To offer details on a story.
  • To give gossips about celebrities.
  • To inform people.
  • To expose corruption.
Ss take notes.
Consolidation (20 mins.)
T puts Ss into teams of 4 Ss and asks them to use the vocabulary that they learned by talking about their favorite newspapers, magazines, movies, podcasts, or video streaming. Ss make a top 5 list of examples of each category.
A volunteer of each team shares the list with the class.
Closure (5 mins.)
Then, T reads aloud to the class the achievements for this unit and encourages Ss to share their ideas about the meaning of each achievement. Ss say their expectations they have of the unit.
Introduction (5 mins.)
T asks Ss to name some of the sections they would expect to find in the newspaper, such as international news, sports, crime, etc. T writes on the board Ss’ answers. Then, T asks Ss to discuss their favorite section of the newspaper with a classmate and explain why.
Development (15 mins.)
T hands out a worksheet for each S and asks them to label the different sections in a newspaper.
Consolidation (20 mins.)
T asks Ss to identify the purpose of each section in a newspaper by completing the following sentences:
  1. If you are interested in renting an apartment you should search for in the ___________ section.
  2. If you want to check the final score of a baseball game, you can read the ___________ section.
  3. If you are interested in reading about news in different countries, you can go to the ___________ section.
  4. When people look for important or well-known people who are celebrating special occasions, you can consult the ___________ section.
  5. If you want to check the weather forecast in different regions or countries, you have to go the ___________ section.
Ss read some headlines from different newspapers and classify them into the section where they can find them. Put “I” for international news, “C” for classified ads, “S” for sports, “W” for weather and “A” for arts/culture.
  1. _____ Local team scored a goal in the last minute.
  2. _____ Five things to see at the architecture festival.
  3. _____ Snowstorm closes North Dakota interstates.
  4. _____ México deports 311 Costa Ricans attempting to illegally enter US.
  5. _____ Properties for rent.
  6. _____ $1,000 a day to start. No experience necessary.
  7. _____ Hotel collapses in China, leaves 22 dead, 2 missing, over 40 injured.
  8. _____ Ronaldo appears to respond to Messi winning The Best.
  9. _____ Yankees win game 1 of the World Series.
  10. _____ The Antarctic ozone hole is the smallest since it was discovered.
Closure (5 mins.)
Ss rank a list of sections based on their importance for the society and explain why. 
Introduction (10 mins.)
T writes some headlines on the board and asks Ss to infer information from them to answer the following questions:
  1. Which headline caught your attention? Why?
  2. What events can be predicted by reading these headlines?
  3. What tense is used for headlines?
Here are some headlines:
  • Gymnast dies after a fall in training
  • 10 reasons to get married
  • How does global market work?
  • "Video games induce violence" admits Bill Gates
Development (15 mins.)
Ss match some headlines with pictures. Then identify the type of the heading.
In pairs, Ss complete the body of 2 headlines. Then, T invites Ss to share ideas to write another paragraph for both articles.
Consolidation (20 mins.)
In pairs, Ss:
  1. Choose a topic they like.
  2. Choose the type of the heading and write the heading.
  3. Write a short body for the article.
Closure (5 mins.)
T asks Ss:
  • Why do the newspapers have headlines?
  • Do headlines and pictures help you anticipate the topic? How?
Homework: Bring different pages of a newspaper.
Introduction (5 mins.)
T asks Ss to name some of the elements they would expect to find in a newspaper, such as headlines, photos, captions, etc.
Development (25 mins.)
T distributes newspapers to each pair of S. Then T reads aloud the characteristics of each element of the newspaper and encourages Ss to identify it and give examples.
Here are the descriptions of the elements:
  • Headline: It sums up the story or article. It’s usually in a larger font and often in bold.
  • Dateline: It describes where and when the story was written or filed.
  • Drop line: It’s under the headline and indicates the subject of the article.
  • Byline: It tells who wrote the article.
  • Lead: It briefly gives the most important information.
  • Body: It supplies additional information. It’s divided into small paragraphs.
  • Photos: They are used to make a text easier to understand or more interesting.
Consolidation (15 mins.)
Ss complete a worksheet to identify the elements of a newspaper.
Closure (5 mins.)
T asks Ss to reflect on how the layout and elements of the newspaper help readers locate information easily. 
Introduction (5 mins.)
T shares opinions with Ss about an article he/she read before. T shows images to support his/her ideas.
T asks Ss if they know something about the article and encourages them to share their opinions.
Development (20 mins.)
T asks Ss to complete a short conversation and then Ss try to underline the adjectives that describe opinions. Next, T asks Ss what the question “What do you think of…?” expresses.
A: Have you read about Global warming?
B: Yeah.
A: What do you think about it?
B: Well, I think that’s important for all people.
A: Why do you think so?
B: Well, global warming causes climate change. You know, polar bears really are starving because of global warming. That’s so sad. Most people are still unaware of this.
A: What do you mean?
B: People think climate change is not a big problem.  
A: I’m with you. That’s terrible and tragic.
Consolidation (20 mins.)
In pairs, T asks Ss to use the information they found and discuss points of view of different newspaper articles. Then, Ss practice the conversation, taking turns. Ss have to use their own opinions to give response. T goes around monitoring and giving help.
A: Have you ever read about ____?
B: Yeah.
A: What do you think about it?
B: Well, I think ___________.
A: Why do you think so?
B: In my opinion __________.
A: What do you mean?
B: I believe __________.
A: I agree with you/I don’t think so
Closure (5 mins.)
T asks Ss to share their work with others orally.
Exit tickets: Ss practice what they have learned. Ss should write on a piece of paper their opinions about a newspaper article. 
Introduction (5 mins.)
T writes on the board 2 headlines of the same topic from different newspapers and encourages Ss to decide which headline is catchier. Also, T shows some photos or pictures and asks Ss to infer what the article is about.  
Development (15 mins.)
T invites Ss to read the lead from each article and helps Ss to answer the following questions:
  1. What happened?
  2. Where did it happen?
  3. When did it happen?
  4. Who was/were involved?
Then, Ss read the articles and highlight important details and background information.
Consolidation (15 mins.)
T puts Ss into small teams and asks them to use a graphic organizer (Venn diagram) to find similarities and differences between the 2 articles.
Closure (10 mins.)
A member of each team come to the front of the class and share their findings.
They can use the following phrases:
  • This article is as (adjective) as that one.
  • In my opinion, both articles are (adjective).
  • The information here is not as (adjective) as that one.  
  • This article is more/less (comparative adjective) than that one.
Adjectives: interesting, boring, serious, informative, original, important, genuine, influential, comprehensive, remarkable, etc.  
T puts Ss into small teams.
Ss make a list of recent and interesting news stories. Then, they choose a news story and search information.
Ss identify relevant information and answer the information questions (what, who, where, when, why, how).
Ss complete a graphic organizer to find similarities and differences.
Ss present their group’s comparative chart.