Newspaper Article

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Writing Skill

• Developing technical writing skills

Overview of the "Newspaper Article" Strategy

In this activity, the students will write newspaper articles that "report" the ending of the book, choosing to focus on a particular aspect of it. In the process, they will answer who, what, when, where, and how. They will "interview" characters involved in the plot and/or real persons who may be "experts" on the chosen aspect and are able to offer insights into it. They will create a writing style appropriate to a newspaper story.

Activity for the "Newspaper Article" Strategy

1. As preparation for the activity, have the students clip out and bring in several short newspaper articles that report a national or international event. Have them write down the who, what, when, where, and how of their articles.
2. Select some of these articles to be shared with the class, discussing the general characteristics of good headlines, good lead sentences/paragraphs, paragraphing, and how the writers incorporated the who, what, when, where, and how in their stories.
3. Next have the students choose the subject of the newspaper article they will write about the ending of Wish You Well: they may choose to write about the miraculous recovery of Amanda, the death of Louisa, the marriage of Amanda and Cotton, Oscar as a baseball player, or the results of the trial.
4. Have the students gather the facts (Step 1). Remind them to
   • answer the who, what, when, where, and how
   • pretend to interview characters who are involved in the story or individuals who may
   • be experts on the chosen subject
   • be sure to write down an interviewee's exact words if they plan to quote.
5. Have the students write a lead (Step 2). Tell them to
   • write the first sentence or paragraph of their news story
   • be sure this first sentence or paragraph tells the basic idea of the story and grabs the attention of the reader.
6. Have the students write the body of the story (Step 3). Ask them to
   • fill in the details about the idea presented in their first paragraph or sentence.
7. Have the students write a headline for the story (Step 4). Challenge them to
   • compose a headline that is interesting enough to catch the reader's attention immediately.