Beyond The Surface

Worksheet Description

This worksheet is a structured exercise that encourages learners to engage critically with news stories from various sources, be it print, television, or online. It prompts them to not only identify and summarize the main idea of a story but also to evaluate its significance. By directing students to consider the story’s relevance and its impact on different audiences, the worksheet fosters an understanding of the broader social, cultural, or political implications of media narratives. This process helps students to discern the importance of information and its potential influence on different groups within society.

The latter portion of the worksheet is designed to cultivate media literacy and analytical thinking by asking students to recognize and assess the underlying assumptions within the story. Learners are prompted to critically examine these assumptions and reflect on their validity, thereby sharpening their ability to think independently about the content they consume. This critical examination teaches students to look beyond the surface of a news story, to question the objectivity of the information presented, and to understand how certain assumptions can shape the portrayal and reception of news.