Newspaper Article Structure

📚 Curriculum Alignment

Curriculum Area: English
Key Stage: 1 (Year 1)
Programme of Study: English – Writing
Strand: Composition – Planning, Drafting, Evaluating, and Editing
National Curriculum Objective:

Pupils should be taught to write sentences by: saying out loud what they are going to write about, composing a sentence orally before writing it, and sequencing sentences to form short narratives.

Though newspaper writing is not specified in the Year 1 POS, it can be used creatively to develop early non-fiction writing, sentence structure, sequencing events, and understanding purpose and audience—especially in thematic cross-curricular units.

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🎯 Lesson Details

Unit Title: Reporting with Zaps!
Lesson Number: 5 of 15
Lesson Title: The Structure of a Newspaper Article
Duration: 45 minutes
Class Size: 10 pupils
Age Group: Year 1 (ages 5–6)
Teacher Note: This lesson introduces the concept of article structure gently through oral storytelling, physical movement, colourful visuals and collaborative language play.

🗞️ Zap is the class’s alien news reporter—students will help him learn how news articles on Earth are written!

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🧠 Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, pupils should be able to:

• Identify the main features of a newspaper article: headline, lead (intro), body, and conclusion.
• Sequence a simple newspaper article in the correct order.
• Begin to use time connectives ("First", "Then", "After") in retelling news events.
• Orally generate sentences for each part of a sample news story.

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⭐ Success Criteria

• I can point to and explain the headline, intro, body and end of an article.
• I can retell a news story in the right order.
• I can help Zap the alien reporter understand what makes a good news story!

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🧰 Resources Needed

• Enlarged printed sample newspaper article with colour-coded parts (story suitable for KS1, e.g. “School Chickens Lay First Egg”)
• Zap the Alien puppet or soft toy
• Large story sentence cards (headline, intro, body, end)
• Mini article sequencing cards for group work
• A3 newspapers built from folded sugar paper to create “Zap’s News Journal”
• Star stickers for student-led evaluation
• Newsroom music background (optional for atmosphere)

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🕒 Lesson Breakdown

0–5 mins: 🛸 Warm-Up – Meet the Reporter!

• Teacher introduces Zap the Alien (puppet/toy): "Zap landed on Earth and saw something AMAZING at playtime!"
• Ask: “If you saw something surprising at school, how would you tell others?”
• Build excitement around becoming 'Junior Reporters' and helping Zap learn the ways of Earth writing.

5–15 mins: 📰 Guided Discovery – Parts of a Newspaper Article

• Display enlarged sample article using document camera or printed A2 version.

• Shared reading (teacher-led) with pointer, modelling fluent reading of each section.

• Ask pupils:
  ➤ Where is the title? What does it tell us?
  ➤ What happens at the start of the story?
  ➤ What details come next?
  ➤ How does it finish?

• Colour Code as you read:
  🟡 Headline
  🔵 Lead (intro)
  🟢 Body
  🔴 Conclusion

• Invite students to attach matching coloured post-its or stickers.

Wow Factor: Let Zap (puppet) make "mistakes" when explaining the parts—pupils must correct him!

15–20 mins: 🧠 Quick Recall — Structure Stomp

• Physical movement game:

  • On teacher signal:
    • "HEADLINE" → pupils strike a superhero pose and shout a title! (e.g. “Egg Surprise!”)
    • "INTRO" → pupils clap once and give a who/what sentence.
    • "BODY" → march on the spot slowly and say small details.
    • "CONCLUSION" → slow twirl and say how the story ends.

• Repeat 2–3 times with Zap silly prompts like: “Alien finds jam in boots!” or “Pencil disappears in maths!”

20–35 mins: 🧩 Main Task – Sequence a News Article

• In pairs, pupils receive four shuffled sentence cards from a short article.

• Task: read together (support with visuals, teacher assists struggling readers) and place in right order:

  • Headline
  • Start/Intro
  • Body/Details
  • Ending

• Pupils glue sequence onto foldable A3 “Zap’s News Journal” newspaper page. Add drawings of event.

Differentiation:

• Support: One adult-led group assembles structure using colour templates.
• Extend: Invite confident pupils to create their own 3–4 sentence article based on classroom event.

35–42 mins: 🗣️ Sharing and Reflecting

• Pupils present their ordered articles as a team—each pupil reads one part.
• Zap reacts dramatically (“Gasp! Your ending made my antenna wiggle!”)

42–45 mins: 🌟 Peer Feedback & Sticker Stars

• Pupils place a star sticker on another team’s article if they could follow the structure.
• Class makes a "Structure Rules!" chant together:

  “Start with who, then what they did,
  Details next, then end it quick!”

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📌 Plenary

Reflection (Call & Response):

• "What goes first?” – “Headline!”
• “Then what?” – “Start the story!”
• “Next?” – “Tell some detail!”
• “End it with…?” – “A great last line!”

Teacher displays colour-coded anchor poster of article parts to be used in future lessons.

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📈 Assessment for Learning

• Observation of pupils during sequencing task.
• Listening to oral retellings and structure explanations.
• Use of appropriate sequencing and time connectives in speech.
• Annotated examples stuck in their Zap’s News Journals.

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🧠 Extension Opportunities

• Role-play as field reporters with toy microphones.
• Begin developing shared class article as a working wall project across the unit.
• Zoom call (recorded or live) from “Zap's Cousin” with a mystery event to report.

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📎 Notes for Next Lesson

Pupils will begin drafting their own very short newspaper reports based on a class event or shared video stimulus. Emphasis will be on writing a simple lead and 1–2 detail sentences, using the structure learned here.

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🌟 This lesson integrates speaking, listening, drama and early writing skills while maintaining rigour and alignment to English KS1 expectations. Ideal for engaging mixed-ability Year 1 learners creatively. The use of Zap encourages narrative play within a structured nonfiction genre.