Introduction

Relevance of the Theme

Learning about textual genres, especially news, is a crucial element for the effective development of communicative competence. News, in particular, as a journalistic genre, is a vital means to convey information about the world around us. It helps us understand events, issues, and contemporary phenomena, promoting engagement with the world around us and making us active and informed citizens.

Contextualization

Within the Portuguese Language curriculum, the study of textual genres includes the different types of texts found in society with their purposes of use and their structural characteristics. News is part of a broader universe of textual genres, such as stories, chronicles, recipes, emails, among others, and its study bridges the understanding of more complex genres that will emerge over the following years of study. In the 6th grade of Elementary School, students begin to familiarize themselves with the diversity of texts, moving from simpler readings to exercises that require greater understanding, interpretation, and textual production. Therefore, the study of the news genre is fundamental at this stage of transition.

Theoretical Development

Components

• Textual Genre: News: News is a journalistic textual genre whose main objective is to inform. It is a report of facts, situations, or current events, disseminated through different media (newspapers, radio, TV, internet). It has a specific structure and characteristics that distinguish it from other textual genres.

• Characteristics of News: Among its characteristics, objectivity, impartiality, conciseness, and clarity stand out, aiming at the effective transmission of information. The news must answer six basic questions: who, what, when, where, how, and why (the 5W1H).

• Components of News: The news consists of: header (title), lead (first paragraph), body (development), and conclusion (or closing). The header should be short, attractive, and direct, the lead answers the most relevant questions, the body deepens the information, and the conclusion may present a new fact or summarize the matter.

Key Terms

• News: It is a report of a recent or current event, of general interest, presented by a communication vehicle.

• Structure of News: It includes the textual organization of the news, which comprises header (title), lead (first paragraph), body (development), conclusion (closing), and subheadings (if applicable).

• 5W1H: It is a concept that represents the questions that a news article must answer: who? (who?), what? (what?), when? (when?), where? (where?), why? (why?) and how? (how?).

Examples and Cases

• News - Example 1: "Torrential rains cause floods in a rural town".
  • Header: "Torrential rains cause floods in a rural town".
  • Lead: "The torrential rains that fell in recent days in city X caused serious flooding, affecting thousands of people".
  • Body: Description of the damages caused by the floods, rescue actions, and measures adopted by the municipality.
  • Conclusion: "The damages caused by the floods are still being calculated, and the city remains on alert".
• News - Example 2: "New drug launched for diabetes treatment".
  • Header: "New drug launched for diabetes treatment".
  • Lead: "Pharmaceutical company XYZ has launched the drug ABC on the market, which promises to revolutionize the treatment of diabetes, enabling better quality of life for patients".
  • Body: Information about the benefits and how the drug works, testimonials from doctors about the novelty.
  • Conclusion: "The drug is now available in pharmacies and can be purchased with a prescription".

Detailed Summary

Relevant Points

• Definition and Importance of the News Genre: News is a journalistic textual genre that has its own characteristics and a well-defined structure. Reading and understanding it become fundamental for active engagement with the world around us.
• Characteristics of News: Objectivity, impartiality, conciseness, and clarity are inherent characteristics of the news, as it aims for effective information.
• Structure of News: Composed of fixed elements, such as the header (title), lead (first paragraph), body (development), conclusion (or closing), and subheadings (if applicable).

Conclusions

• The study of the news genre allows students to understand the language and structure of one of the main information vehicles in society.
• The news, by answering the key questions "who, what, when, where, why, how?" (who, what, when, where, why, how?), develops the student's ability to understand holistically, driving critical and reflective thinking.

Exercises

1. Recognizing the Structure of News: Given a text, identify the parts that compose it (header, lead, body, conclusion) and analyze whether it meets the characteristics of the news.
2. Analyzing the 5W1H: From a news article, highlight the answers to the questions "who, what, when, where, why, how?" and discuss the importance of each of these answers for understanding the event.
3. Creating a News Article: Give students a current event and ask them to write a news article about it, ensuring that all the 5W1H questions are answered throughout the writing.