News Reports
Rules
(10 minutes)
Rules
1) News Report must connect to the headline and the picture provided
2) Must be in past tense
3) First sentence is called the lead – must include details that answer all 5Ws
(who, what, when, where, why?)
For example: Yesterday, the Brampton A’s basketball team visited
a local high school to deliver a motivational speech to inspire
students.
4) Must be written in short paragraphs of 1-2 sentences each
Rules Continued…
5) Must have two (2) quotations:
- identify the speaker
- and the speaker’s relevance to the story
For example: “It was a great experience,” said John Smith, a student
who participated in the event.
6) Must have a factual tone – no opinions or personal pronouns
> DO NOT write this like a live CP24 newscast
For example: “We had a chance to interview Mary, she had this
to say:…” or “And now, back to you, Dave.”
Rules Continued…
7) Put the most important information first, less important details toward
the end of the article
8) Do not repeat the same information more than once
9) Try to be as specific as possible – avoid vague details
10) Typically, one page of space is provided for the news report – that is the
length of the writing expected (writing one or two paragraphs is not
enough)
Practice
(30 minutes)
Now it’s your turn to complete a practice news report.
You have 30-35 minutes to complete this activity.
Use the following headline and picture to produce your story:
Students Participate in Important Election
Student Samples
(15-20 minutes)
Sample – Code 20
Students Participate in
Important Election
A group of concerned youth setup a
voting booth to see whether students
at --- school name--- vote Mitt Romney or the (to become) re-elected
president Barrak Obama. This event occured during the exact time the
real eletion was happening.
Problems with the Sample
• Too short
• Only one paragraph
• Lead sentence does not address 5Ws
• Lacks detail and development
• No quotations or sources
• Does not follow the proper structure of a news report
• Errors with spelling and grammar
Sample – Code 50
Students Participate in Important
Election
Positive Aspects of the Sample
• Appropriate length
• Short paragraphs that are clearly indented
• Lead sentence addresses 5Ws
• Supporting details are specific and well organized
• Quotations with sources included
• Follows the proper structure of the news report – with the most
important information listed first
• Proper spelling and grammar
• Factual tone