Download No Place Like Home resource here - Focus Ireland

Many of the ideas and concepts in the unit are based on original ideas in Global Express,UK Edition No. 1, Tune into the NewsUnderstanding the Media“Until lions have their historians,tales of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.”African Proverb• Write this quote on the blackboard and encourage the children to suggest what they think it maymean. Ask them to consider its relevance in relation to the news reports they see on T.V. and innewspapers/magazines.• Bring in a selection of newspapers or ask the children to do so and in pairs use Cárta Oibre 7A tocritically examine some of the news reports. Allow plenty of time for feedback and discussion at theend of the activity. Did it in any way change the way they view the news?• Encourage the children to use the work card at home to examine T.V. and newspaper reports with theirparents/guardians.The Media and Homelessness• Divide the class into groups of four and explain that this exercise will require them to work togetherfor one week/month. Each group will need someone to focus on radio programmes, T.V. programmes,newspapers and the Internet. Their task is to find out how much time is given during the week/monthto the issue of homelessness. They will need to time and record the following:• How often is the topic of homelessness featured?• What is the focus of the news report when featured?• How much time is spent on it/how much space is it given in the newspaper/ on what page is thestory printed?• How is homelessness portrayed in the report?• Is there a balance between fact and opinion in the story?• What solutions were suggested if any?• Once the exercise is completed, the class could construct a bar chart or pie chart to represent theirfindings. What did the children learn from the activity? Did they feel that the issue of homelessnesswas given enough coverage in the media? Why/Why not?• Distribute Cárta Oibre 7B to the children. They may complete this activity alone or in a group. Ifworking in groups, they could dramatise a radio or T.V. report based on the completed activity. How isthis story different/similar to those they examined in the previous exercise?• Encourage the children to use the skills they have developed so far in this unit to evaluate the newsmore critically in the future.73