After perusing the internet for non-fiction , non-narrative texts, I remembered a great resource that I used during my first practicum: www.teachingkidsnews.com. The website offers newspaper articles that are student-friendly, which makes them useful in the classroom. The article that I chose was “Wooly Mammoth Sparks Debate Over Cloning” (http://teachingkidsnews.com/2014/11/25/3-wooly-mammoth-sparks-debate-cloning). The article introduces readers to the discovery of a very well-preserved wooly mammoth carcass that was found frozen in Russia. It brings up the question of whether it can be used for cloning because the carcass remained intact.
This article would be valuable in an intermediate-level English class because it uses the conventions associated with writing a newspaper article, which are the 5 W’s and H (who, what, when, where, why, and how). Although the subject matter in and of itself does not relate to English, it offers a clear example of the basics of writing a newspaper article, which grade 7 and grade 8 students need to become familiar with. In regards to English, sometimes students are reluctant to read; thus, finding articles and stories that have appealing and interesting titles is a good way to pique student interest. The article can be introduced to students so that they can dissect it and break down the common elements of newspaper article writing. Moreover, it can serve as a framework/exemplar for when they begin writing their own newspaper articles in English class.
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