Guide
Guide > Core: The Modules > ACTIVITIES FOR THE NEWSSTAND

ACTIVITIES FOR THE NEWSSTAND

This module lends itself to a great variety of activities. Here are just a few. You can add many more, depending on the level of your students and how much time you want to devote to that particular module.

ACTIVITY 1:

Tell students to look at the front page of one American daily and one French daily on a particular day, compare the events/issues covered, and to make observations about which events are covered. It is preferable to work with a partner.

Follow-up class activity:
Have students form groups of 3 or 4 (students who have worked together should not be in the same group). Ask them to share their observations with the other members of the group: did they all make similar observations or not? Did they all come to the same "conclusion"?
Reunite the whole class and see what general "conclusions" the students have come to (with the names of the newspapers next to them). Write these remarks on the board for everyone to see. Elicit more observations or comments. Do the conclusions differ depending what newspapers have been compared, etc....

ACTIVITY 2 (or follow-up to activity 1):

Have students do the same activity as above, but for one week, not just for one day. Have them keep a log of the events/issues covered every day during that week for both newspapers.

Follow-up class activity:
Have students report to each other in groups or to the class as a whole what they found. Elicit a discussion: do some patterns emerge? Etc...

ACTIVITY 3:

Ask students to choose one French and one American newspaper or magazine and select one news item which both newspapers or magazines have covered. Have them compare the way in which that same event was described, written about, etc...

There can be several variations to this activity:

• the event/issue can be an "American" issue or a "French" issue, as long as that issue is mentioned in both newspapers/magazines.
• the event can be an international one which is reported in both national presses.

Follow-up class activity:
Have students report to each other in groups or to the class as a whole what they found. Elicit a discussion: was there a difference between the newspapers/magazines in terms of objectivity versus subjectivity? Did they find any cultural bias? Which? Etc...

ACTIVITY 4:

Ask students to look at the daily forums of an American and a French newspaper/magazine (for a specific given day or for a week). What topics do the Americans talk about? What do the French talk about? Are they focusing on the same issues or not? Why or why not?

Follow-up class activity:
Have students report to each other in groups or to the class as a whole what they observed. Elicit a discussion about:

• the kind of topics discussed
• the language used by the American and the French when expressing their opinion and point of view (any differences?)
• how the French and the Americans use the forums (for what purpose?)

ACTIVITY 5:

Ask students to look at the daily forums of an American and a French newspaper/magazine (for a specific given day). Ask them to choose one single topic on which both French and Americans express their ideas (probably either an international event or an event of international relevance).
Ask students to:

• observe whether the French and the Americans hold similar views or not on the subject
• analyze the language used by the French and the Americans and compare.

  
  Follow-up class activity:
  Have students report to each other in groups or to the class as a whole what topic they followed and what they observed.
  Elicit a discussion about whether the Americans and the French express similar or differing views on any particular topic; which topics seem to elicit similar views? which topics seem to elicit the most differing views?