1. Meaningful Captions

2. Answer 5Ws & H Complete & accurate reporting Attend activity or event
Interview subjects in photo
Interview subjects involved not in photo
Get photographer’s notes
Research history of photo story
Instructor: Consider telling the students the following:
Is it unrealistic to have a staff member attend every activity or game? Not really. If staff members know which spreads they will be working on, they will become the experts on those particular subjects! They have a vested interest in finding everything there is to know about the subject. A really well-written caption takes time to research and write.

3. Ask the Questions Quality questions get quality answers Who What When
Where
Why
How
Tell readers about the event
Describe the best memories of the event
Tell us something we can’t see from photo
Instructor: Consider telling the students the following:
Did they miss anything?
Compare lists of questions.

4. All the Write Words Lead-in Primary sentence Secondary sentence(s)
Attention-getting word or phrase relating to the action/reaction of the photo
Primary sentence
Reports the most important 5Ws & H, showcases the most important aspect in first 5-7 words & is in present tense
Secondary sentence(s)
Provides details not obvious in the photo (when/why/how) & written in past tense
Instructor: Consider telling the students the following:
Start by writing a first draft with the basic information, especially the who, what, where and when. Then find some information to add to the second sentence that would not be readily apparent to the reader. Often this information falls into the WHY and HOW categories. It’s a bonus, like finding a prize in a cereal box or receiving an unexpected gift. Why not call the secondary sentence a prize or a gift? When a student writes something lame or obvious, talk about a particularly heinous gift that you received from an elderly uncle. They will get it.
Finally, work on the lead-in. Brainstorm a list of words that come to mind when looking at a picture. These words can be expanded into phrases that provide connections between the picture and the caption.

5. Class competition winners
TUMBLE TIME
Seniors Brittany Fenn and Cammy Kennedy
TUMBLE TIME
Seniors Brittany Fenn and Cammy Kennedy
Class competition winners
Ident // Brief identification & description

6. TUMBLE TIME
To win the class spirit competitions, senior Brittany Fenn stuffs Cammy Kennedy into a barrel and rolls her 300 feet from one end of the gym to the other just ahead of the juniors followed by the freshmen and sophomores.
Summary // Answer to the most important 5Ws & H

7. TUMBLE TIME
To win the class spirit competitions, senior Brittany Fenn stuffs Cammy Kennedy into a barrel and rolls her 300 feet from one end of the gym to the other just ahead of the juniors followed by the freshmen and sophomores. “I was so dizzy that I couldn’t walk for over 15 minutes and all my friends thought it was funny and found reasons to make me try to walk,” Cammy said.
Expanded // Summary caption + additional information, insight

8. Editing Guidelines Refine captions for strong appeal
Keep captions factual; no editorializing
Include honest facts, figures & feelings
Go beyond the obvious; capture outcome or consequences of the action
Write first sentence in present tense; subsequent sentences in past tense
Use visual nouns & action verbs
Avoid repetition of words
Avoid beginning with names
Avoid school name, initials, mascot
Maintain style consistency
Vary caption starting words on a spread

9. Practice makes Perfect
Write one each of the following:
Ident
Summary
Expanded

10. Practice makes Perfect
Rewrite this caption:
Senior Johnny Williams runs the ball in hopes of making a touchdown.