Unit 12 — Class Magazine Issue

Track E · Klasse 8 · Niveau E

Template: Activate → Input → Practise → Produce → Reflect.
Niveau: E. class test (“Klassenarbeit”) at Niveau E (45 BE).

Learning objectives Link to heading

  • I can plan and write a 150-word article for a class magazine.
  • I can use grammar from the year (passive, second conditional, relative clauses, present perfect).
  • I can edit a peer’s article using a simple checklist.

Bildungsplan alignment Link to heading

  • 3.2.1 Soziokulturelles Orientierungswissen / Themen
  • 3.2.3.4 Sprechen – zusammenhängendes monologisches Sprechen
  • 3.2.3.5 Schreiben
  • 3.2.4 Text- und Medienkompetenz

(Source: https://www.bildungsplaene-bw.de/,Lde/LS/BP2016BW/ALLG/SEK1/E1)

Lead-in story Link to heading

The class is producing a one-issue magazine. Six pages. Six articles. Each student is responsible for one piece (~150 words) plus one piece of feedback on a peer’s article. Hawa is writing about the canteen. Jonas is writing about the lost-property cupboard, which he claims has its own ecosystem.

1. Activate Link to heading

Pitch in 30 seconds. With your partner, pitch your article: title + one sentence. The partner says yes / no / not yet.

2. Input Link to heading

Article structure Link to heading

  1. Headline — short, sharp.
  2. Lead — one sentence that says what / who / why now.
  3. Body (3 short paragraphs): a fact, a story-detail, a quote.
  4. Close — one line that lands.

Editing checklist Link to heading

  • Headline under 8 words?
  • One specific detail in the lead?
  • At least one quote?
  • Tense consistent within paragraphs?
  • One mistake-prone area checked (passive forms / past simple irregulars / relative pronouns)?

3. Practise Link to heading

Niveau E — controlled Link to heading

  1. Match headline → article: Lost-Property Cupboard Has Its Own Ecosystem — A. lost things B. canteen C. school trip.
  2. Build a 1-sentence lead for the new canteen rules.

Niveau E — productive Link to heading

  1. Build a 3-paragraph body for an article of your choice. Include one quote.
Answer key

Controlled. 1. A. 2. The canteen has new rules from Monday — and they are not what you expected.

Productive. 3. Open.

4. Produce Link to heading

Article, 150 words. Pick one topic from class life. Use 4 grammar points from the year (e.g. passive, relative clause, present perfect, contrast connective). Swap with a partner; edit using the checklist; rewrite.

Sample Link to heading

The Canteen That Almost Worked

The new canteen rules, which were introduced on Monday, have already changed how lunch feels. Plates are now distributed in a single line. Drinks are served from a separate counter. Although the queue is shorter, several students have complained that the system removes the pause that used to be the lunch’s best part. “It’s faster, but I miss the chat,” said one Klasse-8 student. The headteacher has agreed to review the rules in two weeks. In the meantime, lunch is a slightly different experience. If anyone has missed the old slow line, the next two weeks are the time to say so.

5. Reflect Link to heading

  • I can write a 150-word article with a clear structure.
  • I can use 4 grammar points in one piece.
  • I can edit a peer’s article using a checklist.

One thing in your notebook: Write one sentence using something you learned in this Unit.

Exam example Link to heading

class test ("Klassenarbeit") — Niveau E (45 minutes)
Time. 45 minutes. Total. 45 points.

Task 1 — Listening (10 BE) Link to heading

Listen twice to a short editorial meeting.

“Hawa’s article on the canteen is clear, but the lead is too long. If she shortened it, the piece would feel tighter. Jonas’s piece on the lost-property cupboard, which is genuinely funny, needs one more quote. Both pieces should run on the same page.”

  1. Hawa’s issue: ___ . 2. Editor’s advice: ___ . 3. Jonas’s strength: ___ . 4. Layout: ___ .

Task 2 — Reading (12 BE) Link to heading

Read the Canteen That Almost Worked article above. Answer.

  1. When did the rules start? 2. Two changes. 3. The complaint. 4. The headteacher’s response.

Task 3 — Use of English (10 BE) Link to heading

Mixed-grammar review.

  1. The new rules __________ (introduce / passive) on Monday.
  2. The student __________ (complain) said it removed the pause.
  3. If the system __________ (be) different, lunch __________ (feel) better.
  4. The headteacher __________ (already / agree) to review the rules.

Task 4 — Writing (13 BE) Link to heading

Write a 150-word class-magazine article on a topic of your choice. Use 4 grammar points from the year.

Answer key
T1. lead is too long, shorten it (would feel tighter), genuinely funny, on the same page. T2. Monday; plates in single line, drinks from separate counter; the system removes the pause that was lunch’s best part; agreed to review in two weeks. T3. were introduced / who complained / were / would feel / has already agreed. T4. Open.
Notenschlüssel (von 45)
| 42–45 | 1 | 36–41 | 2 | 30–35 | 3 | | 22–29 | 4 | 13–21 | 5 | 0–12 | 6 |

Downloads Link to heading

**Slide deck timing.** 45 minutes total. Lead-in 4 min · Activate 5 min · Input 14 min · Practise 8 min · Produce 11 min · Reflect 3 min.

Differentiation. Below Niveau E (mixed group): provide a support card with the key structure. Above Niveau E: extension question linking to the next Unit.

Common pitfalls Link to heading

  • Burying the lead under a long opening.
  • No quotes → reads like an essay.
  • Inconsistent tense within a paragraph.

Further reading / listening Link to heading

  • BBC News — student journalism collection.
  • The Guardian — school-magazine writing tips.

Downloads

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