Attention Grabbing Headlines Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Attention Grabbing Headlines Gather your group and distribute copies of the slides to everyone. Today we are going to talk about headlines. Does anyone know what a headline is? The title of an article The name of an article The thing that tells you what the article is about Restate correct answers loudly so that the whole group can hear. Why is the headline important? It tells what the article is about and gets the reader interested in reading more. If you only get the “what it is about” comment, ask why they don’t’ just say, “This article is about weather” or something like that. As we talk about headlines and look at some real headlines, you can use these packets to write down any notes, questions, or ideas you have. These are yours to keep.

Your headline is the first thing your reader sees. . . Has anyone ever picked a book to read because the title caught your interest? Have you ever read the title of a book, and thought, “No way! Too boring, or too confusing?” Headlines are the first things our readers see. They are like the title and cover of a book: If they do their job well, people will want to read the story or article they introduce. BUT, if they look boring or are unclear, readers will skip over the author’s work and read something else.

What makes these headlines effective? Check out some sample headlines: Which headlines catch your eye first? Which headlines make you want to read more? What makes one headline better than others? I am going to pass out some samples of headlines that actually appeared in real newspapers. You will need to share with a friend or two, since we don’t have enough copies for everyone, and I will need these back after our talk. There are several different samples—just take one for you and your friends to share, and you can trade with other groups once we get started. Distribute the headline samples throughout the group. Make sure everyone as one they can look at. Take a few minutes and look over these headlines. Talk with your friends about the questions in your packet. Give them about 2 minutes to look over the samples. Encourage them to trade with others if they finish looking at theirs. Check in with a few to make sure they are talking about the proper questions. It is okay if they notice that the “answers” are listed on the next slides  So, which headlines caught your eye and what made some headlines better than others? Ask a few people to share about which headlines stood out and what made them so good.

A Good Headline . . . Summarizes the story Is accurate Is short and to the point Is appropriate for the story The next two boxes in your notes list the things that make a good headline, and the things that make some headlines GREAT. Read over the bullets on this slide. This should repeat the things they noticed themselves, but you can point out anything they failed to mention earlier. “Obama Wins” is very short, but it does the job: it is accurate, appropriate, to the point, and grabs your attention.

A Great Headline . . . Is clear Includes a strong, meaningful verb Uses active voice and present tense Is catchy and creative! Makes your reader excited to read your story! Some headlines ARE better than others. They are interesting and draw a reader in. One way to write a great headline is to include a strong VERB, or action word. See if you can pick out the strong verb in the 3 headlines shown in your packet. Disrupts Disappears Saves Some headlines play around with the words or ideas in the article to be clever…

… Point out how this article points out the irony of threats causing problem for a meeting about threats

…Point out that saying this vehicle disappears is clever because it “has gone missing after being painted with camouflage”! Some may not know the meaning of camouflage, so you may have to point that out.

…point out that the main headline is direct and to the point with a strong verb, but the sub-headline is the catchy part “I wouldn’t do it again. She’s been a pain this week.”

Add some FUN to your headlines! Alliteration: Kids Keeping Clear of Cavities Recess Rocks! Ask a question: How Many Cavities is Too Many? What Are You Doing at Recess? Use a number: 10 Ways to Avoid Cavities 6 Ideas for a Fantastic Recess There are many ways that you can make your headline catchy and fun for your readers. Go over the things that are listed on the slide.

This is an imaginary headline, but you can see how they used alliteration to make it entertaining. Most of the words start with the “K” sound. Try saying that 3 times fast!

You Try! An article about the 4th Grade field trip to the Erie Canal… An article about kids from areas hit by Hurricane Sandy joining MCE… An article about our principal, Mrs. Kwit… We have learned what makes a headline good, and ways to really make our headlines rock. Let’s see if we can write a fantastic headline: Work with a partner and choose one of the three article ideas listed there in your packet. (You can do more if you have time.) Use the tips we discussed to write a possible headline for the article. Give them 1-2 minutes to see what they come up with, then give a few time to share OR have them pair up with another group or two and share in small groups. If there is any time left, encourage them to think about the articles they are writing and see if they can come up with a great headline for their work. If they did not write an article, they can help a friend.