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"Wright-ing" Prompt:
Newspaper Article
Newspaper articles require a different style of writing
from what is used when writing a story. When writing a newspaper article,
picture a triangle like the one shown.
The newspaper article has all of the important information
in the opening paragraph. This information includes who, what, when,
where, why and how. It is written this way because most people
do not read an entire newspaper article all the way through. So newspaper
writers put the most important information at the beginning.
A typical newspaper article contains five (5) parts:
| Headline: |
This is a short, attention-getting statement about the event. |
| Byline: |
This tells who wrote the story. |
| Lead paragraph: |
This has ALL the who, what, when, where, why and how in it. A
writer must find the answers to these questions and write them into
the opening sentence(s) of the article. |
| Explanation: |
After the lead paragraph has been written, the writer must decide
what other facts or details the reader might want to know. The writer
must make sure that he/she has enough information to answer any
important questions a reader might have after reading the headline
and the lead paragraph. This section can also include direct quotes
from witnesses or bystanders. |
| Additional Information: |
This information is the least important. Thus, if the news article
is too long for the space it needs to fill, it can be shortened
without rewriting any other part. This part can include information
about a similar event. |
Below is an example of a newspaper article:
| Headline: |
High flying escape ends in death |
| Byline: |
By Robin Sloan |
| Lead paragraph: |
Icarus, son of the famous inventor, Daedalus, plunged into the
Aegean Sea and drowned while attempting to escape from the island
of Crete early yesterday afternoon. His body has yet to be recovered. |
| Explanation: |
Icarus and his father had made wings from wax and bird feathers
they had collected over the years while imprisoned on the island
of Crete. They attached the homemade wings to their arms and, using
a flapping motion, lifted off from the island shortly before noon.
While making their escape, Icarus flew too close to the sun. As
a result, the heat melted the wax on his wings which caused the
feathers to drop off. The wings collapsed and Icarus fell into the
sea and drowned. |
| Additional Information: |
Daedalus, sobbing from the distant shore where he had landed safely,
said, "My last words to Icarus before we left the island was
to stay close and not fly too high! He just didn't listen! Why
didn't he listen to me?" Daedalus and Icarus had been held
prisoner by King Minos on the island of Crete, and had been forced
to build a labyrinth at the palace of Knossos. It was known to be
the most difficult maze in the world to navigate successfully. |
Write Your Own Newspaper Article
Directions: Write a newspaper article about the Wright
Brothers' aeronautical feat of the first engine-powered, controlled
flight in 1903. Use the guidesheet below to help you plan the information
you will include for your article.
| Headline: |
| Byline: |
By: |
| Lead Paragraph: |
Who:
What:
When:
Where:
Why:
How:
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| Explanation: |
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