1. News Reports

2. Rules (5 minutes)

3. 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

4. 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 Jordan Williams, 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.”

5. 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)

6. Student Samples (10 minutes)

8. 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.

9. 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

11. Sample – Code 50 Students Participate in Important Election

12. Positive Aspects of the Sample
Appropriate length
Short paragraphs that are clearly identified with space between each paragraph
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

13. Practice (30 minutes)

15. Review and Feedback
Review the student example provided and read the annotations (comments) on the bottom
Exchange your paper with a partner and provide feedback on the following elements:
Structure: Short paragraphs with spaces; Lead includes important details
Ideas: Report is related to headline and picture and answers all 5Ws and H with specific details ie. Date, names of people, city…
Language: 3rd person, factual tone, past tense