Basic Journalism for 7 th grade students

Visualize journalistic writing as an inverted pyramid as shown below Visualize journalistic writing as an inverted pyramid as shown below With an inverted pyramid story we give away the solution at the very beginning. The rest of the story contains less and less important information until we just stop With an inverted pyramid story we give away the solution at the very beginning. The rest of the story contains less and less important information until we just stop

LEAD/HEADLINE Who?What?Where?When?Why ? Detail 1Detail 2Detail 3 Final Detail

Tone – your job as a reporter is to report facts and the opinions of others and to leave your own opinions out of the story. The term for introducing your own opinion into a story is called editorializing – try not to do this! Tone – your job as a reporter is to report facts and the opinions of others and to leave your own opinions out of the story. The term for introducing your own opinion into a story is called editorializing – try not to do this! Multiple sources – the more people you talk to, the better the article. You can use direct quotes or paraphrase what someone says, but always remember to identify who says what Multiple sources – the more people you talk to, the better the article. You can use direct quotes or paraphrase what someone says, but always remember to identify who says what

5W1H – What are the Five Ws and One H? They are Who, What, Why, When, Where and How. Why are the Five Ws and One H important? Journalism purists will argue your story isn’t complete until you answer all six questions. It’s hard to argue this point, since missing any of these questions leaves a hole in your story. Even if you’re not reporting on the news of the day, this concept could be useful in many professional writing scenarios

In this class, we will be writing a feature story about a classmate In this class, we will be writing a feature story about a classmate It is important to answer the 5W1H about the person you are featuring in your story It is important to answer the 5W1H about the person you are featuring in your story Use the outline on the next slide to write an effective feature story Use the outline on the next slide to write an effective feature story

Lead – the opening of the story, usually a summary of the most important information. The lead usually answers the 5W1H Lead – the opening of the story, usually a summary of the most important information. The lead usually answers the 5W1H Headline – a title or attention grabber above the body of the article. The author of the story usually does not write the headline Headline – a title or attention grabber above the body of the article. The author of the story usually does not write the headline Angle – a particular point of view or way of looking at a subject Angle – a particular point of view or way of looking at a subject Fact-checking – checking that your facts are correct. Amy, Aimee, and Amie are all pronounced the same way and can be easily misspelled. Look up the names of specific people and places and anything else you are presenting as fact to be sure you are stating the truth Fact-checking – checking that your facts are correct. Amy, Aimee, and Amie are all pronounced the same way and can be easily misspelled. Look up the names of specific people and places and anything else you are presenting as fact to be sure you are stating the truth

Headline: Headline: Use humor or cleverness to engage the reader Use humor or cleverness to engage the reader Ensure that the headline is a true description of the information in the story Ensure that the headline is a true description of the information in the story Avoid cliches Avoid cliches Don’t tell everything Don’t tell everything Paragraph 1: Lead Paragraph 1: Lead Catch the reader’s attention Catch the reader’s attention Paragraph 2: Background Paragraph 2: Background Birth date and place, last school attended, paces they’ve lived, family, etc. Birth date and place, last school attended, paces they’ve lived, family, etc. Paragraph 3: Personal Paragraph 3: Personal Likes/dislikes, hobbies, feelings about the world Likes/dislikes, hobbies, feelings about the world Paragraph 4: Future Goals Paragraph 4: Future Goals Career interests, predictions, or hopes for the future Career interests, predictions, or hopes for the future

In case it’s not obvious what information you would be looking to gather from each of the six questions, let’s look at what information you might want to gather with the Five Ws and One H if you were reporting on The Three Little Pigs: In case it’s not obvious what information you would be looking to gather from each of the six questions, let’s look at what information you might want to gather with the Five Ws and One H if you were reporting on The Three Little Pigs:The Three Little Pigs:The Three Little Pigs:

The Real Story of the Three Little Pigs The Real Story of the Three Little Pigs