Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Friday, April 18th, 2008

Margo Duff

Have you ever asked yourself one of these questions?

• How will I make it through until the end of June?

• How can I trick my students into completing work without them realizing it?

• Is it possible to get a quality, final product from my students at this time of the year?

The answer is yes!

A classroom newspaper….

• Is a fantastic way to meet Literacy Outcomes: Writing & Representing, Speaking & Listening and Reading and Viewing.

• A fun way to complete the year, and they won’t even realize their working!

• A super way to review all that you accomplished and send home a souvenir of their school year.

The “How To” of Setting Up a Classroom Newspaper

• Set up an area of your classroom.

• Review expository writing.

• Identify the characteristics of a newspaper.

• Use your imaginations and jump into the role!

Reviewing Newspaper Articles

• Discuss the parts of an article.

• Review the 5 W’s and How?

• Discuss headlines.• Take a peek at our

local newspaper, perhaps have a Scavenger Hunt?

Newspaper Staff & The Newsroom

• make Press Passes with your students

• appoint an editor

• set up a “Work Board” • Gather needed supplies:

clipboards, sticky notes, editor’s basket

• A basket for completed articles.

How To Begin….1. As a class, brainstorm titles for your

newspaper, then vote.

2. Provide each student with 4 or 5 sticky notes and have them brainstorm and write down topics and events from this current school year. Example: Reading Buddies, the Drama Production, filed trips….

3. Have them stick them on the Work Board and then review what was posted and take down duplicates.

4. Randomly draw names for them to choose 1 sticky note from the Work Board to research and write an article on.

5. They then research and write their articles.

6. Type their articles on the computer, altering the margins to change the text box size. Spell check and print.

7. Pass in to the editor’s basket.

8. Choose another “lead” from the Work Board.

What do I do now??

• Using the large 11x 17 paper, cut and layout your articles and paste. (There is a way to do this by computer also, but this does the trick!)

• Add clip art.• Fill in with small advertisements from novels and

books you have read aloud.• Include a “newspaper staff list” in your paper. • Photocopy and celebrate!

Resources you may need:

• Work Board banner• Press Passes• Graphic Organizers• Power Point • Reporter notebook cover

• Pop Up book activity

• Reading comprehension activity

• A classroom newspaper resource