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If your students aren't familiar with newspaper writing, it's a good idea to start them off with some simple activities that get them into the material. The first five weeks' activities offer some examples.

Week 1: Scavenger Hunt

A good introductory activity is to start by skimming and scanning for information. Have students "scavenge" for different items in Teenlink. For example, find someone wearing glasses, locate a map or graph, an animal, a TV listing, the name of a city, an athlete, a TV star, a drawing, a movie review or ad, a number over 1,000, etc.

LA.A.1.4 – The student uses the reading process effectively.
LA.A.2.4 – The student constructs meaning from a wide range of texts.

Week 2: Take 5

A second introductory activity is to have students spend 5-10 minutes reading headlines, looking at photos and captions, and subheadings. After the time is up, have them briefly write down what they learned from their 5 minutes of reading Teenlink.

LA.A.1.4 – The student uses the reading process effectively.
LA.A.2.4 – The student constructs meaning from a wide range of texts.
LA.B.2.4 – The student writes to communicate ideas and information effectively.

Week 3: News Vocabulary

Have students find and label the following definitions in the pages of Teenlink.

Teasers: Words and photos that promote articles inside the tabloid.

Flag: The name of the newspaper on the cover.

Headline: Words above an article or story, printed in large type, which summarize what the article is about.

Folio: Information under the flag that may include the newspaper's date, price, volume and issue, edition, and Internet address.

Photo Credit: Name of the person who took the photograph or the agency that supplied it.

Rule: A thin, vertical or horizontal line often used to box or separate stories.

Pull-out Quote: A way of highlighting a special quote in an article. May be used to break up type on a page.

Byline: Name of the writer of the article.

Subhead: Smaller headline under a larger headline, that leads into the story.

Cutline: Words that explain a graphic or photo (caption).

Index: Table of Contents listed by topics and page numbers.

Mug Shot/Head Shot: A close-up photo of someone's face.

LA.A.1.4 – The student uses the reading process effectively.
LA.A.2.4 – The student constructs meaning from a wide range of texts.
LA.B.2.4 – The student writes to communicate ideas and information effectively.

Week 4: A What Kind of Pyramid???

Talk about the Inverted Pyramid-style of writing that is typical of many hard news stories. Explain that most of the important facts of a news story will be in the beginning one or two paragraphs, allowing them to get the full idea of an article without having to read to the end. Ask them why they think news articles are written this way. Point out the differences between this format vs. a fictional writing. Let them search through Teenlink to find examples of the Inverted Pyramid-style of writing articles.

LA.A.1.4 – The student uses the reading process effectively.
LA.A.2.4 – The student constructs meaning from a wide range of texts.
LA.C.3.4 – The student uses speaking strategies effectively.

Week 5: The 5W's (and Sometimes H)

Have students choose at least two articles in Teenlink that interest them. After they read the articles, ask them to highlight the 5 W's (and H, if included): What is the article about? Who is the article about? When did the events occur? Where did the events occur? Why did they occur? How did it happen? Have them practice looking for these elements when reading any material to encourage active reading.

LA.A.1.4 – The student uses the reading process effectively.
LA.A.2.4 – The student constructs meaning from a wide range of texts.