LESSON 3: WRITING NEWS

This lesson, the third in a series of six, explains the art of writing clearly, concisely and correctly.

We also have a pick and mix section where teachers can pick out resources to create bespoke lessons for their pupils.

And the special Teacher Essentials section includes lots of extra information and advanced resources.

Please note: this lesson is designed to run for an hour, but all timings (except for video durations) are approximate and can be expanded or reduced if necessary.

• To develop an understanding of the three C’s of news writing: Clear, Concise, Correct
• To understand the structure of a news story

OVERVIEW AND RESOURCES

1 – Video – Writing news – 2 mins 30 secs (+ 2-3 mins to recap/discuss)
Resources required: Internet access

2 – Activity – Writing concisely – 15 mins
Resources required: Internet access or newspapers/school newsletters; writing materials

3 – Video – Scriptwriting masterclass – 3 mins 30 secs (+ 2-3 mins to recap/discuss)
Resources required: Internet access

4 – Activity – Scripting a story – 30 mins
Resources required: Printable worksheet; writing materials

5 – Quiz – Gathering news – 10 mins
Resources required: Internet access or printable worksheet/answer sheet

Video: Writing news (2 mins 30 secs video + 2-3 mins to recap/discuss)

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Writing news (duration: 2 mins 30 secs

BBC newsreader Huw Edwards explains the 3 C’s of news writing: being Clear, Concise and Correct.

Writing scripts and news stories also means understanding that you need to get straight to the point!

There’s no point in having an amazing news story but leaving the most important fact to the last sentence!

Activity: Writing concisely (15 mins)

This activity will help you develop your own concise news writing style by replicating what BBC journalists have to do every day.

Journalists writing for the BBC News or BBC Sport websites have to be able to write very concisely because most of their stories also appear on the Ceefax and Red Button text services, which are usually just four paragraphs long.

This is the same story on the BBC Sport website and the Red Button – but the Red Button text service has only four paragraphs to tell the story, while the website goes on to expand on its report

So the stories have to sum up all the important facts – the five W’s and How – in four paragraphs (before expanding on them for the websites). That means every word counts.

Find a current story that interests you in a newspaper or think of a famous historical incident.

Now try to tell the story in four paragraphs, which in BBC Red Button terms equates to about 80 words.

What kind of information do you have to cut out? What do you notice about the language you use? How many of the 5 W’s did you manage to cover?

Video: Scriptwriting masterclass (3 mins 30 secs video + 4-5 mins to recap/discuss)

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

School Report’s scriptwriting masterclass (duration: 3 mins 30 secs)

For BBC Breakfast reporter Tim Muffett. writing engaging and informative scripts is part of his job.

Watch his video in which he gives his hints and tips on scriptwriting for video or audio reports.

There is a real art to writing a good script and a lot of the time less is more: if you have great pictures, let them speak for themselves rather telling viewers what they can already see.

NOTE FOR TEACHERS