Reading and Writing Workshop
Writing News Articles:
Session 1: Writing the Inverted Pyramid
Objective:
Understand and apply the inverted pyramid structure, organizing news stories from most to least important information.
Activities:
Session 2: Crafting Strong Headlines and Ledes
Objective:
Practice writing concise, engaging headlines and effective ledes (opening paragraphs) that hook the reader.
Activities:
Session 3: Conducting Interviews and Gathering Information
Objective:
Learn the basics of preparing for and conducting interviews, and how to incorporate direct quotes into news articles.
Activities:
Session 4: Fact-Checking and Verifying Sources
Objective:
Explore techniques for verifying the accuracy of information and evaluating the reliability of sources.
Activities:
Session 5: Writing in an Objective and Concise Manner
Objective:
Practice writing clearly, objectively, and without bias using precise language and avoiding editorializing.
Activities:
Session 1: Writing the Inverted Pyramid
Objective:
Understand and apply the inverted pyramid structure, organizing news stories from most to least important information.
Activities:
- Read a historical news article and identify the who, what, when, where, why, and how.
- Rewrite a current event summary using the inverted pyramid structure.
- “Titanic Disaster: Great Loss of Life” (New York Herald, 1912)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58367
(See news article titled “Disaster Great Loss of Life: Titanic Sinks” within the collection)
Session 2: Crafting Strong Headlines and Ledes
Objective:
Practice writing concise, engaging headlines and effective ledes (opening paragraphs) that hook the reader.
Activities:
- Examine historic headlines and ledes for clarity and appeal.
- Practice writing multiple headline and lede variations for the same event.
- “The Sinking of the Lusitania” (New York Times, 1915)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26827
(Search for coverage in “The New York Times Current History: The European War”)
Session 3: Conducting Interviews and Gathering Information
Objective:
Learn the basics of preparing for and conducting interviews, and how to incorporate direct quotes into news articles.
Activities:
- Role-play mock interviews.
- Extract and integrate key quotes into a short article.
- “Interview with Booker T. Washington” (1903)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27359
(From The Negro Problem — includes conversational passages useful for analysis)
Session 4: Fact-Checking and Verifying Sources
Objective:
Explore techniques for verifying the accuracy of information and evaluating the reliability of sources.
Activities:
- Compare conflicting historical news accounts.
- Create a checklist for verifying facts.
- “Yellow Journalism: A Look Back” (McClure’s Magazine, 1900)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15603
(Includes critiques of sensationalized reporting and fact issues)
Session 5: Writing in an Objective and Concise Manner
Objective:
Practice writing clearly, objectively, and without bias using precise language and avoiding editorializing.
Activities:
- Analyze biased vs. objective writing samples.
- Rewrite a biased paragraph to make it neutral and concise.
- “The Associated Press Stylebook” (Selections from early editions)
https://archive.org/details/APStylebook1914
(Great for studying concise and neutral language rules from early journalistic standards)