The answer is:
Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
What is the question?
What questions does a news
report answer?
Literacy Lessons 7 and 8
The OSSLT
News Report
Why do we need a lesson
on writing a news report?
▪ The News Report is one of two long writing tasks
▪ It is marked out of 100 points;
–60 points for “Topic Development” and
–40 points for “Writing Conventions.”
▪ The number of points assigned to this task make
it one of the most important tasks on the OSSLT.
▪ Do well on the News Report and you’re well on
your way to passing the test.
▪ Do poorly on the news report and your chances of
passing aren’t good.
March 2015 News Report Results:
69% of JFSS students pass the task with a
code 50 or code 60
Questions you might have about the news
report that will be answered today
What is
a news
report?
What does
the question
look like?
What,
exactly,
do I have
to do?
Why does
EQAO make
me write a
news report?
What are the key features of
an OSSLT news report?
Deconstruct one yourself to find out!
Teachers: Handout the stapled
package of materials
Students: Read the news report
“Students Achieve 100%”
While reading, consider this
question:
If this is an exemplary news
report, what are the key
features of a news report?
Features of an exemplary news report:
•
•
•
•
•
•
5Ws and H
short sentences
school related
involves students
written in 3rd person
past tense
• facts, not opinion
• organized from most
important to least
important information
• quotations
What MUST be in your News Report
1. Four paragraphs (minimum):
▪ organized from most to least important information
2. Quotations
▪ minimum of two quotations by two different people
3. Conventions:
▪ third person, past tense, spelling, appropriate grammar,
punctuation and sentence structure
Parts of a News Report
▪Headline
▪Lead
▪Body Paragraph #1
▪Body Paragraph #2
▪(Body Paragraph #3)
▪Closing
You will probably
need this
paragraph so you
can put in the
second quotation.
What do I write in each part?
The Headline
▪ EQAO gives you the headline
▪ The headline is the title above the picture
▪ It will include information about two or more
of WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN and WHY
▪ The headline is meant to catch your attention
The Lead
▪ It is the first paragraph
▪ 1, maybe 2 sentences long
▪ It says what happened, when it happened,
where it happened and who was involved.
▪ Begin with Yesterday, to keep the report in the
past tense
▪ Invent everything using the photo and headline
Body paragraph #1
▪ Gives background information. It tells what
led up to the event in the photo.
▪ Answers the questions:
–Why did it/this happen?
–How did it/this happen?
–What was done about it/this?
Body paragraph #2
▪ Include an interview with someone who was
directly involved; a bystander; an eyewitness
▪ Use direct quotes with quotation marks
▪ The quotation must give information about the
event and make the reader feel like they are there
▪ Make up the speaker’s first and last name
Body paragraph #3
▪ This paragraph will involve a second interview with a
different bystander, eyewitness… etc.
▪ Use direct quotes with quotation marks
▪ The quotation must give information about the event
and make the reader feel like they are there
▪ Make up the speaker’s first and last name and use it
Yes, it is the same as #2 but you provide different information
about the event.
Closing
▪ Close the report by stating what is
expected to happen next or what might
happen in the future.
▪ Keep it short and simple
▪ Do not restate what was said in the
opening paragraph
▪ Body Paragraph #1: Answers the questions Why? and How?
– Use Quotations that make the reader think they’re “at the scene”
▪ Body Paragraph #2: Explains the Who, What, When and Where?
– Use Quotations that make the reader think they’re “at the scene”
▪ Closing: Concluding paragraph that answers:“What’s next?”
– Do NOT restate information from the introductory paragraph
– Keep it simple- approximately 1-2 sentences
Key Points
▪ Lead: Introductory paragraph
– Based on the headline and the photo. Begin this way:
Yesterday________.
– Must answer the questions: What, Where, When and Who?
– Keep it simple- approximately 1-2 sentences
All of this information is on page 3 and
4 of your handout
1) A Graphic organizer (p3)
2) A Checklist (p4)
TIPS for writing news reports
The Rules you must follow
▪ Lead answers: Who? What? Where? and When? in 1 or 2
sentences
▪ Body paragraphs fill in the important details and will be
NO LONGER THAN 2-3 sentences each
▪ Third person (absolutely no personal language, except in
quotes)
▪ Minimum of two quotes, either indirect or direct (word
for word what somebody connected to the story said)
More Rules you must follow
▪ Think of the event as just having happened we would
then consistently use the past tense
▪ Focus on a single event and a single moment in time. It is
not a story
▪ When referring to people, call them by their first and last
name the first time, and by the last name
thereafter….NEVER by the first name.
▪ Use the person’s title to add authority. For example, Mrs
Nanavati, principal of John Fraser S.S. said….
Here’s a tip for you!
News Report questions are often “school” related.
If the headline refers to a school event, trip,
contest or issue save yourself time and energy by
using John Fraser Secondary School.
Use your friends’ names and teachers you know
and quote them to provide detail and “colour” in
the report.
Quote “Mrs. Nanavati” as the principal if you can.
We think the most
challenging part of the news
report is that you have to
“invent” everything: the
situation, the people, the
quotations etc. This is a
lot of work and you don’t
have much time.
We have suggestions to help
you be creative.
First, take a really long
look at the photo and the
headline. There is a lot of
information already there
that you can expand on.
You just have to take the time to look carefully.
The Headline tells you
what the story should
be about.
In this case it has to be
a story about a Car
wash which is a
success.
The key is to create a
connection between
the headline and the
photo that you could
use as an event for a
report that would
appear in a newspaper.
What do you see?
The Headline and
the photo are
equally important.
Car wash a success
The Photo gives you
clues about Who the
story is about and
perhaps Why and
How.
What do you see?
What
happened
before?
Car wash a success
What
happens
after?
You are looking
for connections
between the
headline and
the picture.
Car wash a success
You get to
make up
everything.
Your news report is framed by
the 5Ws and H.
Everything you invent comes from
what they represent.
Take a minute to review the 5Ws
and H on the next slide. Keep
the connections you made between
the photo and headline in mind.
–Who is the story about?
–What happened?
–Where did it happen?
–Why did it happen and/or Why does it matter?
–When did it happen?
–And How did it happen?
Go to the Rough
Notes page (on
test day).
For now, use your
own lined paper.
1) Write down the headline
2) Put an oval around the words in the headline.
3) Add the 5Ws and H around the oval.
Who?
How?
What?
Car wash a success
When?
Why?
Where?
Your rough notes
page should look
like this. (You are
using your own
lined paper
today.)
Car wash a success
Car wash a success
Next, look at the photo.
(Go to page 2 in your handout).
Divide the photo into
quadrants and label
everything you see in
each quadrant.
Car wash a success
By dividing the picture into
quadrants, you force your
eyes to focus on every
detail. You must focus on
the people, the setting, and
the event taking place in
the photo.
1. Make up the facts using the photo.
Car wash a success
Look at each square one at a
time.
What do you see, notice or
predict will happen given what
you see in each square?
These are your “facts”. Write
them next to the appropriate
5 Ws in your rough notes.
Record your facts NOW
2. Give names to the people in the
photo and the location.
1. Make up first and last
names for the people in the
photo. Use your friend’s, and
relative’s names
2. Give a name to the location
in the photograph. Use your
school’s name or other
familiar locations in your
neighbourhood.
Write this in the rough notes area NOW
3.Make up facts related to the event.
Make up some background
information:
– What happened before the
photo was taken?
– Add more information related
to how and why the event took
place
2. Make up quotes from
witnesses or people involved
Write this in the rough notes area NOW
4. Make up more information about the
event.
▪ Invent information that is
interesting to know but not
so important.
▪ Compare this event to
another event
▪ Suggest what might happen
next
Write this in the rough notes area NOW
These steps are
outlined on the
“Rough Notes”
sheet located on
page 3 in your
handout.
Use this handout for future
reference when you are writing
OSSLT News Reports
Ready to write a news report?
Just before you start writing
your report…
You may want to use
a graphic organizer
to remind you of
what goes where.
This one is on page
3 in your handouts.
The Lead: A suggestion
▪ Although there are no rules for what
order you put the lead in, the following
formula ALWAYS works:
When + Where + Who + What = a one
sentence Lead
Why + How will go in the first body
paragraph.
Take a picture of this tip if you want it for future reference.
When you finish:
Be sure to review your
work with the checklist
on page 4 in your
handout.
Start Writing your news
report. Use the “Car Wash a
Success on page 2 in your
handout package. It lets you
judge how much space you will
be allowed on test day
You have 20 minutes to write your
news report.
Finished?
Lets look at the exemplar on
the next slide
This is a Code 60 response. You have a copy
along with other exemplars in your handout.
View the slides and the handout if you wish.
Who
What
When
Where
Why
How
This is an example of
a good News Report
Answer:
You can see
Who,What, When,
Where, Why and
How all right at the
beginning of the
report.
This is a Code 60
It’s the best score
you can get.
Extra! Extra!
They threw in a sub-head
Real Newspaper stories
(a second smaller headline
usually have both of these
that gives more detail)
elements. It’s never a bad idea
and a cutline
to include them.
(a caption that explains what’s
in the photo).
This report is clearly related to the headline and photo with a
clear and consistent focus on an event.
It’s got WHO, WHAT , WHERE, WHY and WHEN right up
front. Then lots of detail on HOW backed up with quotations
from different people involved.
1
This is good for a lot of reasons.
It has lots of specific details (e.g., names of the
city, students, a parent; Haiti, Canadian Red
Cross, drivers couldn’t resist a good car cleaning,
not only helped people in their community, but
people hundreds of kilometres away). AND
Quotations from two perspectives. The
Organization easy to follow. The opening lead
connects effectively to the closing sentence.
2
Evaluate your work using the
“Topic Development” rubric on
the next slide or the rubric
on page 1 of your handout.
The rubric in your handout is very small. A copy is posted on the OSSLT
link on the JFSS website.
How are the writing
conventions for this task
scored?
Code 40: Writing Conventions
Did all your questions get answered?
Why does
EQAO make
me write a
news report?
End of Day 7
Surprisingly, in spite of
the poor results, it is a
task that brings
students’ scores up.
EQAO will continue to ask
you to write the News
Report on the OSSLT.
Day 8: Practice, Practice, Practice
Think Aloud News Report: Cawthra Park SS
Click on the photo to watch the utube video
Volunteers Help with Community Project
▪ Write the “Volunteers Help with
Community Project” news report.
– The photo and headline for this news
report on page 4 of your handout.
▪ Use the graphic organizers on
page 3 to guide what you write
▪ Review your work using the
Checklist on page 4
Exchange your “Volunteers
Help with Community Project”
news report with a partner.
Evaluate each other’s work
using the rubric for topic
development (next slide)
The next slide contains the CPSS
student’s news report that the
teacher used in her video.
Read the news report. (It is also on
page 5 in your handout).
Is it a code 60? Justify your
decision.
Another approach: Heart Lake
Secondary School
If you have time.
Click on the screen
to watch the Heart
Lake S.S. Pow Toon
vide0.
Suggestions on next slide
You have 20 minutes to write a news report.
Suggestions:
▪ Use the graphic organizers and make rough
notes.
▪ Review your work using the checklist on page 4
▪ Exchange with your partner and evaluate each
other’s work using the rubric (page 1)
▪ Read the code 60 exemplar for your news report
on page 5 of the handout.
You have 20 minutes to write a news report.
More Practice…