Grade 4 English First Additional Language: Reading and Summarising Newspaper Articles – Week 5-6 Term 4

1. Headline

The title of a newspaper article that summarises the main idea in bold, large letters. Example: “Local School Wins Science Competition”

2. Byline

The line that shows who wrote the article and when it was published. Example: “By Thandi Ndlovu, 8 November 2025”

3. Lead Paragraph

The first paragraph of a news article that answers the 5 Ws and H (Who, What, When, Where, Why, How). It gives the most important information.

4. Summary

A short version of a longer text that includes only the main ideas and most important details, written in your own words.

5. Current Events

Important things that are happening now in the community, country, or world. Example: A new park opening in your town is a current event.

Hook Activity:

Show learners several different newspapers (The Sowetan, Daily Sun, local community papers). Ask: “Has anyone at home read a newspaper? What did you see?” Allow 3-4 learners to share. Display a large newspaper article on the board or chart paper and ask: “What do you notice about how this is different from a storybook?”

Activate Prior Knowledge (3 minutes):

• Quick oral discussion: “What is news? Where do people get news?” (newspapers, radio, TV, phones)
• Explain: “Today we are learning about newspaper articles – special writing that tells us about important things happening in our community and world.”

Introduction to Vocabulary (4 minutes):

• Introduce the 5 key vocabulary words using a visual chart
• Point to each feature on the displayed newspaper article as you explain it
• Have learners repeat the words: headline, byline, lead paragraph, summary, current events

Direct Instruction (10 minutes):

Teaching Newspaper Structure:

• Use a large chart or projected article to teach the inverted pyramid structure
• Explain and label each part:
  • Headline: “This is like the title – it tells us what the article is about in a few words”
  • Byline: “This tells us who wrote it and when”
  • Lead Paragraph: “The first paragraph is the most important – it answers all our questions!”
  • Body: “The rest gives us more details and information”
• Introduce the 5 Ws and H framework with actions:
  • WHO? (Point to people) – Who is the article about?
  • WHAT? (Hands spread wide) – What happened?
  • WHEN? (Point to watch/calendar) – When did it happen?
  • WHERE? (Point around room) – Where did it happen?
  • WHY? (Questioning gesture) – Why did it happen?
  • HOW? (Gesture showing explanation) – How did it happen?
• Model using a simple example: “School Garden Wins Award – Learners at Sunshine Primary School won first prize in the community garden competition on Monday, 4 November, because they grew the healthiest vegetables using water-saving methods.”

Modelled Reading (8 minutes):

Teacher models reading strategies:

1. Predicting (1 min): Look at headline and pictures: “What do I think this article will be about?”
2. Skimming (2 min): Read quickly to get the general idea – “I’m looking at the lead paragraph and headings”
3. Scanning (2 min): Look for specific information – “Now I’m searching for the 5 Ws and H”
4. Read the full article aloud (3 min) with expression, pausing to think aloud: “Ah! Here’s the WHO – it’s the Grade 6 learners. Here’s the WHERE – at Springfield Primary School.”

Sample article topic: “Local School Celebrates Heritage Day with Traditional Dance Performance”

Guided Practice (12 minutes):

Whole Class Activity – Finding the 5 Ws and H:

• Display a second newspaper article (age-appropriate, South African context)
• Read together as a class (choral reading)
• Complete a 5 Ws and H graphic organizer on the board together:
  • Draw a large table with 6 boxes labeled: WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, HOW
  • Call on different learners to come up and fill in each section
  • Discuss and check answers as a class
• Teacher models writing a summary: “Now I will take this information and write a short summary in my own words. I will use complete sentences and include only the most important information.”
• Write summary on board, thinking aloud: “First I write WHO and WHAT… Then I add WHEN and WHERE… Finally I explain WHY or HOW…”

Independent Practice (15 minutes):

Individual Activity – Read and Summarise:

• Distribute a printed newspaper article to each learner (simplified, age-appropriate article about a South African topic – e.g., new library opening, local sports team, school achievement)
• Learners work individually to:
  1. Read the article silently (5 minutes)
  2. Complete their own 5 Ws and H graphic organizer (5 minutes)
  3. Write a 3-4 sentence summary (5 minutes)
• Teacher circulates, providing support and checking understanding
• For early finishers: “Underline the headline, byline, and lead paragraph in different colours”

Consolidation Activity (3 minutes):

• Select 3-4 learners to share their summaries with the class
• Class discusses: “Did this summary include the main ideas? Did it answer the 5 Ws and H?”
• Quick review game: Teacher calls out “Who!”, “What!”, “When!” etc. and learners respond with the answer from the article

Exit Ticket (2 minutes):

On a piece of paper or in workbooks, learners complete this sentence: “The most important thing to include in a newspaper article summary is _____ because _____.” Collect as learners leave.

Closing Reflection:

“Today we learned how to read newspaper articles and write summaries. This is an important skill because it helps us understand what’s happening in our community and country. Tomorrow we will practice writing our own newspaper articles!”

📝 Formative Assessment

• Observation during guided practice: Check if learners can identify the 5 Ws and H correctly
• Exit ticket analysis: Review responses to assess understanding of summary writing
• Circulation during independent work: Monitor and provide immediate feedback on graphic organizers
• Oral responses: Listen to learners’ contributions during discussions for comprehension
• Self-assessment: Learners check their own work against a checklist

📋 Summative Assessment

• Completed 5 Ws and H graphic organizer: Marks for accuracy and completeness (10 marks)
• Written summary: Assess for:
  • Inclusion of main ideas (4 marks)
  • Use of own words (3 marks)
  • Grammar and sentence structure (2 marks)
  • Spelling and punctuation (1 mark)
• Total: 20 marks

🤝 For learners who need support:

• Pre-teach vocabulary: Review key words before the lesson with a small group
• Simplified articles: Provide shorter articles with simpler language and more pictures
• Sentence frames: Give fill-in-the-blank sentence starters for summary writing: “This article is about _____. It happened on _____.”
• Pair with a buddy: Partner with a more confident reader for support
• Highlighted 5 Ws: Pre-highlight or underline where each W appears in the text
• Picture support: Use articles with clear, supportive images
• Audio support: Read the article aloud to them or provide an audio recording
• Graphic organizer with examples: Provide partially completed graphic organizers

🚀 For advanced learners:

• Compare two articles: Read two articles on the same topic from different newspapers and compare them
• Write their own article: Create an original news article about a school event
• Critical thinking questions: “Why do you think the reporter chose this headline? What other headline could work?”
• Extended summary: Write a longer summary including more supporting details
• Opinion piece: Write a short paragraph expressing their opinion about the news event
• Vocabulary extension: Find and define 5 additional challenging words from the article
• Research task: Find another article on the same topic from a different source
• Peer teaching: Help explain concepts to classmates who are struggling

♿ For learners with barriers to learning:

• Large print materials: Provide articles in enlarged font (16pt or larger)
• Reduced text: Use very short articles (1-2 paragraphs)
• Visual supports: Use colour-coded highlighters for each W (blue for who, green for what, etc.)
• Oral responses: Allow learners to verbally explain instead of writing
• Scribe support: Teacher or assistant writes while learner dictates summary
• Alternative assessment: Draw a picture showing the main idea with labels instead of writing sentences
• Extended time: Give extra time to complete tasks without pressure
• Step-by-step checklist: Break task into small steps with a visual checklist
• Assistive technology: Use text-to-speech apps if available

Word Level Work

• Adjectives: Words that describe nouns (happy, large, beautiful)
• Verbs: Action words – main verbs, regular verbs, transitive verbs (won, celebrated, received)
• Practice: Identify adjectives and verbs in the newspaper articles

Sentence Level Work

• Subject and Object: Who/what does the action, who/what receives the action
• Subject-Verb Agreement: The verb must match the subject
• Present Tense: Actions happening now or generally
• Practice: Identify subjects and verbs in sample sentences

Punctuation & Spelling

• Full stop (.) at the end of sentences
• Comma (,) to separate items or clauses
• Question mark (?) after questions
• Exclamation mark (!) for excitement or emphasis
• Capital letters for names, places, and sentence beginnings

✅ What worked well:

[To be completed after lesson]

• Which activities engaged learners most?

• Did learners grasp the 5 Ws and H concept?

• Were reading strategies effective?

• Did differentiation support all learners?

🔧 What could be improved:

[To be completed after lesson]

• Did timing work out as planned?

• Were articles appropriate for reading levels?

• Which learners need additional support?

• What resources were missing or inadequate?

📝 Notes for next lesson:

[To be completed after lesson]

• Concepts that need reinforcement

• Learners requiring intervention

• Adjustments for tomorrow’s lesson

• Ideas for follow-up activities