Floodland: Newspaper Reports

These lessons are based on the novel 'Floodland' by Marcus Sedgwick.

How can newspapers create different effects for the reader? Challenge your class to write two newspaper reports which meet specific briefs set by the editor. Your class will have to make reasoned choices with the language and structure of their reports in order to create the desired effects on the reader.

This complete newspaper report KS2 planning pack includes four fully resourced lessons, themed around Marcus Sedgwick's 'Floodland' novel. They could be taught at any point during the reading of the book, but are best used in context at near the beginning of the story. 

You may also like our Extreme Earth Geography scheme of work exploring natural phenomena, including earthquakes, floods, drought and tsunamis. 

Research

Challenge your class to think about what information they, as reporters, will need to know in order to report on the rising sea levels in the story of ‘Floodland’. Using research and questioning skills, the children will need to organise and evaluate the importance of the background information they gather for their report.

This lesson pack offers a thorough planning guide, PDF slides to support your teaching input, a variety of differentiated activity ideas, and printable materials to help your class during independent tasks.

View Lesson 1

Planning

In this planning lesson of the series, the children are challenged to think about the appropriate features of a newspaper report, as well as the structural features that lend themselves to this genre. They then plan these into a report on rising sea levels in Norwich, thinking about the most effective way that they can use each feature.

This lesson pack contains a comprehensive lesson plan, a set of PDF slides for delivering the main teaching input, a range of differentiated activity suggestions, and printable resources to support your class during independent work.

View Lesson 2

Meeting a Brief

This writing a newspaper report KS2 lesson plan and accompanying printable resources comes with all you need to guide your Year 6 class as they write an article to meet a brief from an editor. They must think carefully about the information, structure and word choices they should include to make sure that the editor will be happy with their article.

This lesson pack includes a detailed plan, a set of PDF slides for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas and printable resources to support your class in their independent work.

View Lesson 3

Changing the Effect

Has your class ever noticed how the same story can be told in different ways? After writing a news article in the previous lesson, they are challenged to write the story again for a different editor. This time, they want something slightly different. Using the included teaching input slides, discuss the different choices they are going to have to make to meet the new brief and how the articles will be different.

This lesson pack provides a detailed teaching plan, engaging PDF slides for instructional input, a selection of differentiated activity options, and printable resources to assist pupils with their independent learning.

View Lesson 4