Nicolas Petit’s pet mascot, 2013

Try this lesson plan and article for middle graders to work on reading newspaper articles and analyzing them. Students also have the opportunity to write personal responses, learn vocabulary, practice identifying and explaining figurative language, use context clues, and complete short answer paragraphs. This article appeared in The Charlotte Observer newspaper in Charlotte, NC. Remember to check your newspapers for race articles during the race or to search online for articles for students to use. It’s real life reading! Give the lesson plan some time to open. It’s a large document.

Mushers dogs line up newspaper article lesson plan

Lesson Summary: Students will read a newspaper article to gain information about the start of Iditarod 2013, identifying and defining unknown words, identifying and explaining figurative language examples, use context clues, complete short answer paragraphs, read for detail, and write a response which applies to a personal challenge. The attached document with this lesson details vocabulary and questioning to use. A crossword puzzle for the vocabulary is also included.