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Year 7

'The Twisted Tree': planning a newspaper article about the dreadful draugr

I can plan a newspaper article about the draugr's death in 'The Twisted Tree'.

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New
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Year 7

'The Twisted Tree': planning a newspaper article about the dreadful draugr

I can plan a newspaper article about the draugr's death in 'The Twisted Tree'.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Newspaper articles include a headline, subheading, opening, main body and tail.
  2. A clear and interesting introduction should be used to introduce the article's focus.
  3. Each paragraph should have a clear and distinct focus.
  4. The draugr's death at the end of 'The Twisted Tree' lends itself well to be written about in a newspaper article.
  5. Planning the content and vocabulary for each paragraph before writing helps to create fluency.

Keywords

  • Main body - the central paragraph of a news article that outlines the main details

  • Skjebne - the fictional town in Norway where the action of the story takes place

  • Draugr - an undead creature from the Norse mythology that haunts the living

  • The tail - a section of a news article that sum-ups the events and concludes the article

Common misconception

Newspaper articles must strictly adhere to factual reporting without any creative elements.

While newspaper articles are based on factual reporting, they often incorporate language devices like puns, alliteration and sensationalist language in headlines and sometimes throughout the article. These elements are used to engage readers.


To help you plan your year 7 english lesson on: 'The Twisted Tree': planning a newspaper article about the dreadful draugr, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

If time allows, incorporate a peer review activity where pupils exchange their multiple paragraph outlines with classmates. Have them provide constructive feedback on each other's outlines, focusing on clarity, coherence and the effective use of language devices.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

You will need access to the text 'The Twisted Tree' by Rachel Burge, published by Hot Key Books, 2019

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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
What word beginning with H refers to the title of a newspaper article?
Correct Answer: headline, head line
Q2.
What is being described here: 'text that is found under the main headline to give further insight or support for the headline.'?
headline
caption
Correct answer: subheading
5 Ws
Q3.
What is being described here: 'a joke making use of the different possible meanings of words that sound alike.'?
Correct answer: pun
alliteration
rhyme
sensationalist language
Q4.
Where would you typically find the 5 Ws (Who, What, Where, When and Why) in a newspaper article?
headline
subheading
Correct answer: opening
main body
tail
Q5.
Andeep wrote a newspaper article about the slaying of the draugr by Martha in 'The Twisted Tree'. He used the following headline 'Martha the Magnificent!'. What language device has he used here?
Correct answer: alliteration
pun
rhyme
sensationalist language
Q6.
Aisha wrote a newspaper article about the slaying of the draugr by Martha in 'The Twisted Tree'. This is her headline 'Martha's Roar - the draugr's no more!' What language device has been used here?
Correct answer: rhyme
sensationalist language
alliteration
pun

6 Questions

Q1.
What is the main setting of 'The Twisted Tree'?
a fictional town in Sweden
Correct answer: a fictional town in Norway
a real town in Norway
a real town in Sweden
Q2.
Who ultimately kills the draugr in 'The Twisted Tree'?
Stig
Correct answer: Martha
Martha's mother
Mormor
Q3.
What should be included in the opening paragraph of a newspaper article?
Correct answer: the who, what, where, when, why of an event
a detailed conclusion
an interview quote
a snappy hook
Q4.
Which part of a news article typically uses rhyme, alliteration or a pun to hook the reader?
the tail
the main body
Correct answer: the headline
the subheading
Q5.
In 'The Twisted Tree', Martha kills the draugr at ...
dawn.
Correct answer: dusk.
midnight.
midday.
Q6.
What is the purpose of the tail section in a newspaper article?
introduce the event
provide detailed interviews
Correct answer: summarise and conclude the article
list background information

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