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E8 E - Make a short English news explainer

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E8 E - Make a short English news explainer

Mini-description: Learn to make a short English news explainer from a few checked sources. Keep information and opinion clearly separate. Work mostly in English, react spontaneously, check media critically, and improve your own text.

Introduction

A news explainer does more than repeat a headline. It answers the key questions, gives short context, names sources and shows what is known, what is uncertain and what is opinion. Your goal is not to sound like a TV presenter. Your goal is to be clear, accurate and fair.

Learning routine: English first → use context → try → ask → take a hint → use German help only if needed.

Media warm-up: Watch the first part of the TED-Ed video. Write three things you notice about how people choose news. Then compare with a partner: Which point is information? Which point is interpretation?

I can ...

I can identify the 5W+H questions and the source of a news item.
I can separate information from opinion and mark uncertainty.
I can check a claim with more than one reliable source.
I can use the passive and reported speech in a short explainer.
I can speak or write a clear 60–90 second news explainer and revise it.

What you already know

Quick check: What makes a source reliable? What is a headline? What is a quote? What is the difference between “The event started at 10 a.m.” and “The event was a great success”?

German help: Information can be checked against evidence. An opinion shows a judgement, preference or interpretation.

A short model explainer

How a careful news story is built

A journalist starts with a claim, but a claim is not automatically a fact. The reporter checks who made the claim, when it was made and what evidence supports it. Reliable reporting often uses original documents, direct witnesses or expert sources. A second independent source can help confirm important details.

At Reuters Fact Check, claims can be checked by tracing original sources, consulting experts and using public documents. Visual material may also need verification. A careful explainer therefore tells the audience what has been confirmed, what is still unclear and where an opinion begins.

Information: “The source published the document on Tuesday.”

Opinion: “The document is surprisingly convincing.”

A good explainer can include both, but the audience should be able to tell the difference.

The 5W+H+Source frame

Question	Useful English
Who?	Who is involved?
What?	What happened?
When?	When did it happen?
Where?	Where did it happen?
Why?	Why does it matter?
How?	How did it happen?
Source?	Who says this, and what evidence is given?

Tip: You do not always need every answer in the first sentence. Put the most important verified information first.

Listening and viewing

Watch one short 30–60 second section around the question of trustworthy information. Use English captions if needed; replay before changing the speed.

First viewing: Write one key message in one sentence.
Second viewing: Note two words that signal evaluation or opinion.
Pair response: Say whether the speaker gives information, interpretation or both. Give one reason.

Hint: Listen for source words such as “according to”, “evidence”, “research” and “reported”.

A second media check

After viewing, explain in two sentences why repeated information is not automatically independent evidence.

German help: Wenn viele Seiten dieselbe Ursprungsaussage kopieren, sind das nicht automatisch viele unabhängige Quellen.

Reading

Read this fictional practice text:

City youth centre adds a weekly repair workshop

The Riverside Youth Centre has added a weekly repair workshop for teenagers. The centre said that the sessions would run on Thursday afternoons and that tools would be provided. The organiser said that the project had started after students had asked for a place to repair small everyday objects. The centre has not published attendance figures yet.

Information or opinion?

Find four details that can be checked.
Find one sentence that reports what a person said.
Add one clearly labelled opinion sentence of your own.
Add one sentence that shows uncertainty without guessing.

Context vocabulary

Word	Meaning in news	Example
source	where information comes from	The source is named.
claim	a statement that may need checking	The claim was checked.
evidence	information that supports a claim	The report gives evidence.
verify	check whether something is true or authentic	Reporters verify the photo.
reliable	trustworthy in this context	We need a reliable source.
opinion	a judgement or personal view	The opinion is clearly labelled.
context	background that helps explain meaning	The explainer adds context.

Pronunciation focus

Say these words slowly, then in a sentence:

verify /ˈverɪfaɪ/ — stress the first syllable.
reliable /rɪˈlaɪəbəl/ — stress the second syllable.
evidence /ˈevɪdəns/ — stress the first syllable.
source /sɔːs/ — keep it short and clear.

Goal: intelligibility before accent. You do not need to sound like a native speaker.

Functional grammar for a news explainer

Passive: productive at E level

Use the passive when the action or result matters more than the person doing it.

Active: Reporters checked the image.

Passive: The image was checked by reporters.

Try: “Editors verified the source.” → “The source ________.”

Reported speech: backshift, questions and commands

Statement: The editor said, “We checked the clip.” → The editor said that they had checked the clip.

Question: She asked, “Is the source reliable?” → She asked whether the source was reliable.

Command: He said, “Check the date.” → He told us to check the date.

Receptive only: “The team had been checking the clip for hours before it was published.” You should understand the time relationship; you do not need to produce the past perfect progressive yourself.

Try it: build your explainer

Use only two or three checked sources. Do not collect private social-media data.

Step 1 — Information: Write 3–4 verified facts.

Step 2 — Context: Add one sentence that explains why the story matters.

Step 3 — Source language: Use “According to ...”, “The source said that ...” or “The claim was checked by ...”.

Step 4 — Opinion: If you add an opinion, label it: “In my view ...” or “One possible interpretation is ...”.

Step 5 — Uncertainty: If something is not confirmed, say so: “This has not been confirmed yet.”

Step 6 — Revise: Check accuracy, source wording, tense choice and clarity.

Speaking

Give a 60–90 second spoken explainer.

Use this frame: headline → key fact → context → source → what is still unclear → optional labelled opinion.

Recordings are voluntary and should stay private unless everyone involved has agreed to sharing. Do not upload recordings without permission.

Writing

Write 120–160 words. Use at least one passive form and one example of reported speech. Keep sentences varied but not overloaded.

Revision lens:

Is each factual sentence supported by a source?
Have I separated information from opinion?
Have I marked uncertainty?
Is my passive form correct?
Is my reported speech accurate?
Can a classmate understand the story after one reading?

Mediation

A German-speaking classmate asks: “Was bedeutet ‘opinion must be labelled’?” Explain the idea in simple English and give one example. Do not translate the whole text.

Direct feedback and error analysis

Weak version	Improve it
Everyone knows this source is true.	Name evidence instead of claiming certainty.
The photo proves everything.	Say what the photo actually shows and what it does not show.
The organiser said the event is successful.	Decide whether backshift is needed and separate the quoted claim from your own judgement.
It was happened on Friday.	Use active “It happened” or a correct passive with a transitive verb.

Feedback rule: Correct the message first, then the language. Accuracy and clarity matter more than sounding impressive.

Media literacy and AI

AI can help generate practice ideas, but it can also produce errors. Check names, dates, quotations and source claims yourself. Do not let AI replace your own news text. Do not send private recordings, private profiles or personal data to external AI tools without clear permission.

A realistic-looking image is not proof by itself. Ask where it came from, when it was created and whether independent evidence supports it.

Checked sources for this course

Reuters Fact Check — About: verification process and transparency.
Wikipedia — Nachricht (Journalismus): 5W questions and the distinction between information-oriented news and commentary.
TED-Ed — How to choose your news: facts, opinions and news choices.
TED-Ed — How false news can spread: circular reporting and repeated-source problems.

Can-do check

Mark each statement: yes / almost / not yet.

I can find the 5W+H and source information.
I can explain why two copied articles may still come from one source.
I can label an opinion clearly.
I can use a passive sentence in my explainer.
I can report a statement, question or command.
I can revise my text after feedback.

Follow-up course: Check a news source.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

What should a short news explainer separate clearly? (Information and opinion) (!Headline and title) (!Past and future) (!Speaker and listener)

Which question checks where information comes from? (Who says this and what evidence is given) (!How long is the article) (!Who likes the headline) (!Which colour is used)

Which sentence is a clearly labelled opinion? (In my view the change is useful) (!The meeting started at nine) (!The report was published on Monday) (!The source named two witnesses)

Which sentence correctly shows uncertainty? (This has not been confirmed yet) (!This is definitely true) (!Everybody knows it happened) (!The headline proves it)

Which passive sentence is correct? (The image was checked by reporters) (!The image checked by reporters) (!The image was check reporters) (!The image did checked)

Which sentence correctly reports a past statement? (The editor said that they had checked the clip) (!The editor said that they check the clip yesterday) (!The editor said they checking the clip) (!The editor said check the clip)

Which sentence reports a question correctly? (She asked whether the source was reliable) (!She asked was the source reliable) (!She asked whether is the source reliable) (!She asked that the source reliable)

Which sentence reports a command correctly? (He told us to check the date) (!He told that check the date) (!He said us checking the date) (!He asked to checked the date)

Why can repeated information still be weak evidence? (Many reports may copy the same original source) (!Repeated words are always opinions) (!A headline cannot contain facts) (!Videos never need checking)

What should you do before using AI output in a news explainer? (Check names dates quotations and source claims) (!Copy it without changes) (!Upload private recordings) (!Remove all source information)

Memory

source	where information comes from
claim	statement that needs checking
evidence	support for a claim
verify	check authenticity or truth
context	background that explains meaning
opinion	judgement or personal view

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
Headline	Gives the topic quickly
Verified fact	Can be checked against evidence
Context	Explains why the story matters
Source	Shows where information comes from
Labelled opinion	Shows a judgement clearly

Kreuzworträtsel

source	Where does the information come from?
verify	What verb means check whether something is true or authentic?
evidence	What supports a claim?
context	What background helps explain a story?
opinion	What word means a judgement or personal view?
passive	What grammar form focuses on an action or result rather than the doer?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Headline check: Rewrite three exaggerated headlines so that they sound neutral and precise.
5W+H cards: Create seven cards for Who, What, When, Where, Why, How and Source.
Information or opinion: Write four factual sentences and two clearly labelled opinion sentences about a school-safe topic.
Pronunciation mini-practice: Record yourself privately saying verify, reliable, evidence and source in short sentences; compare clarity, not accent.

Standard

Two-source check: Choose a non-sensitive news topic and compare two reliable sources. Note what both confirm and what only one reports.
Passive rewrite: Rewrite five active news sentences in the passive where the passive is useful.
Reporter notes: Turn a short fictional interview into reported statements, one reported question and one reported command.
Mediation: Explain in English to a German-speaking classmate why “viral” does not mean “verified”.

Schwer

60–90 second explainer: Produce a short spoken explainer from two or three checked sources and mark one uncertain point.
Perspective shift: Compare how two outlets frame the same non-sensitive event without claiming that one framing is automatically false.
Visual verification plan: Design a five-step plan for checking a photo before using it in a school news post.
Revision challenge: Exchange anonymous classroom texts, give evidence-based feedback and revise your own explainer for precision and clarity.

Lernkontrolle

Source decision: You have three short source descriptions. Explain which details you would trust first and what you would still verify.
Fact-opinion boundary: Rewrite a mixed paragraph so that information and opinion are clearly separated and labelled.
Reported interview: Convert a fictional mini-interview into a news paragraph using reported statements, one question and one command.
Copied-source problem: Explain why five posts can still represent only one original source and how you would check independence.
New context: Turn a school announcement into a 100-word explainer that includes context, source wording and one uncertainty marker.
Error analysis: Correct four language or reasoning errors in a short explainer and justify your changes.

Lernnachweis

For a successful learning record, show that you can:

identify and use a small number of suitable sources;
separate information, uncertainty and opinion;
answer the key 5W+H+Source questions;
use passive voice and reported speech appropriately;
give a short spoken or written explainer that is clear and structured;
revise after feedback and explain at least two changes;
use media and AI responsibly without exposing private data.

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