Hit the Headlines: Exciting journalism activities for improving writing and thinking skills

Hit the Headlines outlines a series of pupil-engrossing, cross-curricular journalism workshops that enhance key skills and confidence in areas such as:- Writing and editing, Critical assessment, Interviewing and observation, Mental flexibility and resourcefulness Role-playing and teamwork. Students involved in the effective and well-tested exercises, games and scenarios described will soon, enthusiastically and almost inadvertently, be seeking out and gaining further knowledge in areas such as news, journalism, the internet, social issues, politics, history, the law, layout, graphics, IT, etc. This is 'natural learning' at its best! Near the beginning of the suggested series of journalism workshops is a simple but challenging 'fact' sequencing exercise that is so effective at teaching students how to think, plan and write reports and presentations of any kind, you wonder why this type of activity has not been standard in all schools for years. Through attempting to place an apparent jumble of related facts into the most perfect form of news story possible, students learn how to critically assess levels of 'interest and importance' of diverse facts, and so begin to understand that report or presentation writing of any sort involves sequencing a critical balance between these two factors. Through enthusiastic participation in various original and deeply absorbing exercises, the increasingly thoughtful young writer and questioner will also become an increasingly thoughtful young reader, able to read more 'between the lines' while growing increasingly aware of bias and 'spin', even in so-called factual writing. Readers and users who take on board the details of how to run these entertaining workshop techniques effectively, can go on to 'customise' their own scenarios, making them especially relevant to the group, institution, community or country in which they are working. Teachers can simply draw on the stimulating techniques outlined to improve their students' factual writing and related thinking skills, or they can employ them to train up a team of young 'reporters' to write, edit and help lay out a project, school, or English department newspaper or news website. So much essential learning can flow from the use of the simple but well-thought out workshop techniques detailed here, educators will wonder why a book like this has not existed before now!

Table of Contents:
CHAPTER 1: introduction and theory; CHAPTER 2: a few words on how to use this book; CHAPTER 3: the secrets of fact sequencing; CHAPTER 4: the shape of a news story; CHAPTER 5: ideas for studying the newspapers together; CHAPTER 6: ‘Story Quest’ – a journalism game; CHAPTER 7: live action (why realistic scenarios are so effective); CHAPTER 8: ‘Group Scenarios’ – a dramatic way to learn; CHAPTER 9: writing and editing the group scenario stories; CHAPTER 10: ‘A Sub-Editing Challenge’; CHAPTER 11: the ‘Challenging Changes’ activity explained; CHAPTER 12: ‘Making it Real’ – creating news scenarios; CHAPTER 13: more on news scenarios and ‘some we made earlier’; CHAPTER 14: recounting, spin & bias in journalism, with exercises; CHAPTER 15: beyond print journalism in educational settings; CHAPTER 16: some suggestions for making a project newspaper; CHAPTER 17: headlines and headline games; photocopiable sheets: fictitious stories for ‘What’s the Headline?’ game; CHAPTER 18: adapting journalism techniques for any educational project; Glossary of journalistic and workshop terms

About the Author :
Colin Macfarlane is an educational consultant, writer, professional performing poet and ex-journalist. He has had considerable experience over the past 20 years in developing and running a great number of highly acclaimed writing workshops in schools, and intensive residential courses around the country.