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Comparing headlines
KS3 > Media & Non-Fiction > Newspapers > Comparing headlines

How it works This is a worksheet with three columns. The first has names of
newspapers; the second has the headline used by each newspaper to
report the death of the new-born child of Gordon Brown and his
wife. The third column asks students to rate the impact and
effectiveness of each headline.
Try this! This sheet is very helpful with developing Reading Assessment Focus 5
(Explain and comment on writers’ uses of language, including grammatical
and literary features at word and sentence level). Instead of just giving
out the sheet, give each student pair or trio the middle column only, but
snipped into individual cards. (Tip: if you copy each set onto a different
colour of card you’ll find collecting them in much easier later!) Now ask
them to diamond rank the nine cards, placing those that are most
emotional at the top and the least emotional at the bottom, thus:

This process means they don’t have to achieve an exact rank order, but
they do have to make decisions based on discussion and collaboration.

Or this! You can also give them other criteria for the ranking: how factual; how
personal; how dramatic, etc. If you have one set of the cards printed
onto acetate, then you can get students to come out and share their
diamond using an OHP. Better still, set up versions of the cards on your
IWB so that students can move ‘cards’ around on the screen, thinking
aloud as they do it. The rest of the class can even yell out “up”, “down”,
“left a bit” and so on as one pupil moves the screen cards.

Or this! Then ask the class if they can work out which paper each headline
belongs to. How do they know? Ask them to have a go at writing the
first paragraph for each headline.
Richard Durant

© 2006 www.teachit.co.uk 6030 - 6100

Newspaper Headlines for 8th January 2002
Gordon Brown’s wife gave birth to a baby girl, Jennifer, but she died 10 days later.
The following shows the headline decisions made by editors across the country,
attempting to convey the right degree of sensitivity, sympathy and information. An
almost impossible task!

How do you rate their efforts? Give the editor a mark out of ten.

This is one of those occasions where emotion is legitimate in news – indeed omitting
emotion sounds wrong. How have the editors conveyed emotion? Which words do
the job? Where is the focus for sympathy – the baby or the parents? How has the
paper handled the problem of names?

Your
rating
Paper Headline
out of
ten

Financial Times Browns’ baby daughter dies in their arms at hospital

Yorkshire Post Browns’ baby dies cradled in their arms

Star [No mention]

Pray for Jenny …

Mirror
WEEP FOR HER MUM AND DAD
END OF THEIR WORLD
Sun
Grief of Browns as Baby Jennifer dies

Times (subhead) Browns’ baby girl dies after 10 days

Guardian Browns devastated as baby dies

In her parents’ arms, Jennifer finally loses her

Independent
struggle for life

Derby Telegraph She died in their arms

Mail SHE DIED IN THEIR ARMS

Daily Express SLEEP IN PEACE POOR JENNIFER

Sport Tears as Browns’ baby dies

Daily Telegraph Jennifer dies in their arms

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