Fake News Stories
How to use this activity:
This speaking activity transforms your students into imaginative news reporters – giving them a chance to practise formal speaking, use functional reporting phrases, and stretch their creative muscles.
🔧 Set-up:
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Introduce the situation clearly and with energy:
"You are a news reporter. You’ve just received a very unusual headline. Your job is to report the full story to your readers or listeners. Make it sound convincing!"
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Distribute headline cards:
Share them however suits your setting – on screen, in print, or pasted in the chat. Each student or pair gets one random headline. -
Brief students on the task:
They will need to read the headline aloud, and then improvise the full news story, speaking like a journalist for 1–2 minutes.
🗣️ What students need to do:
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Say what happened, when, where, and who was involved.
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Add possible reasons, background, or reactions.
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Use clear, formal language that’s simple but effective.
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Include 2–3 phrases from the provided phrase list to sound like real reporters.
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Speak for 1–2 minutes (you can time them for fun or add light competition if it fits your group vibe).
🧠 Teacher Tips:
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Model an example first: Pick a headline and demonstrate with a short, funny or dramatic news story.
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Encourage creativity – the more bizarre the headline, the better! Students often love building absurd stories as long as they’re guided with structure.
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For shy students, let them plan in pairs before reporting solo.
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If you have mixed levels, let stronger students go first to model the tone and content.
🏁 Extension ideas:
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Record reports as “news segments” and play them back.
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Let students vote for the most believable / hilarious / dramatic story.
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Create a class “front page” with headlines and summaries of their stories.