This is a lesson plan for a double lesson (winter camp) based on reading and writing a newspaper article. There is a rough plan for how to use the materials attached. The reading level is pretty low. I got the articles from the dailymail.co.uk which for those who don't know, is a rag.
If you're not sure what I mean by the "I" writing thing, please download the template which is attached and you will see. It works very well to break down the writing into bitesize chunks. Once they have filled in their little "I" templates you should correct it and they should transfer it to lined paper in paragraph form.
Also, I suggest that you don't do both articles. The students probably won't have time to finish their own if you do. A few of them who stayed up late last night playing computer games will likely fall asleep too. You'll get mired down in vocabulary. I didn't allow dictionary use of any kind and it worked quite well - their attention was on me and they got the vocab after plenty of acting and some confirmatory CCQs.
When you brainstorm articles, they may be a little slow on the uptake that they can write whatever they want as long as they stick to the format of Topic, Subtopic, Detail. I put a few up such as, "Aliens Land in Small Korean Town", "Local High School Girl Is Han Na Montana," etc. They soon start getting creative. I should mention that I also reviewed the past simple, the past continuous and the present perfect before this to help with their writing. And I told them to write the headlines in the present simple. Enjoy!
