Students are encouraged to express opinions with support. Identify key words and concepts in a given news article. Identify words to add to a class vocabulary list. I use newspapers from Albuquerque, Santa Fe and other towns. A variety from different towns allows students to experience subjects from different viewpoints.
Parents are a great source.
This is a year-long weekly activity. I start with having students clip complete articles from current newspapers. Students take question answers and rewrite the article from another viewpoint. I record television and radio broadcasts for classroom use. Students create a cartoon on a current news topic.