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BELL RINGER / EXIT TICKET

Headline Connections

Grade:

3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Uses:

Check for Understanding
/  Self-Assessment and Reflection

Materials:

Headline Connection handout, display, selected topic, and writing utensils
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Description

Students write a headline to represent their biggest learning from the lesson.

Preparation

Select a topic that connects to your learning objective, theme, or unit of study.
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Implementation

Distribute the Headline Connection handout to students. Invite them to create a news-style headline that captures their biggest learning from today’s lesson, along with an explanation for choosing this headline. Then have students share their headline with a partner or the whole class, explaining why they chose those specific words.

Teaching Tips

  • Share relevant articles from Britannica School In the News! (elementary or middle) or your school’s approved news sources. Encourage students to analyze how professional journalists craft their headlines and compare the selected articles’ headlines to their own.
  • Have students create a classroom news board where they can post their headlines throughout the unit. As students learn new concepts, they can add fresh headlines, creating a visual timeline of their learning journey and key discoveries.

Supporting All Learners

For students needing support: Create a class list of key concepts from the lesson to help students identify their main takeaways before writing their headlines.

For advanced learners: Use students’ headlines as inspiration to outline a full news article using the Teach Britannica 5Ws and 1H (who, what, where, when, why, and how) graphic organizer.

For multilingual learners: Share headline examples in both English and students’ home languages. Encourage students to create headlines in both languages, using this opportunity to build connections between academic vocabulary.

Note: Provide accommodations and modifications based on your learners’ needs to ensure full participation.