7 Reasons I Teach Newspaper Reporting In Middle School
In “7 Reasons I Teach Newspaper Reporting in Middle School,” episode #106, Meredith Curtis shares how she hones in our children’s writing before they start high school by teaching them to write like reporters. Not only do they learn to write clearly and concisely, they have fun putting together a newspaper and write with a purpose—for others to read their writing. Not only that, newspapers played a huge part in the history of the United States, so studying newspaper writing, though the newspaper industry is fading away, helps children understand our past with clarity by putting on their reporter and editor hats. Getting children ready for essays, research papers, and literary analysis doesn’t have to be boring. Writing like a reporter is super-fun and so is creating your own newspaper. Be inspired to enjoy middle school English while investing in your children’s long term growth as writers.
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Show Notes
Common questions: “How do you teach English in middle school?” and “How do you get kids ready for high school.
One thing I do in middle school is teach my children to think like reporters.
Some time in middle school we do a newspaper writing course.
We learn to write headlines, bylines, news stories, and put together a newspaper to share with others.
How a newspaper works with editor, reporters, columnists, and business side
History of newspapers
This is really fun to do with another family or two or in a co-op setting if you don’t have a big family.
Here are the Skills I Teach:
Reporters
Asking questions
Find way around newspaper
Lead
Who, what, where, and when in the first sentence. Why and/or how in second.
What is really happening?
What is important and what isn’t?
Headlines & Bylines
Bylines: who wrote it and where
Headlines: brief, eye-catching, make reader want to know more
Font
Editing
Editing matters because people will be reading your work
Grammar & spelling in a practical way
Editor marks
Supplemental grammar/spelling
Creating a Newspaper
So much involved from writing to editing to business side
Everyone gets a job
Everyone writes an article
Mom is publisher and possibly editor-in-chief too
Making and selling ads
Teamwork
History
Brief look at history of newspapers
American history—federalist and anti-federalist papers
Different Slant and honest about compared to today
Yellow Journalism
Fun!
Joy of creating something other people enjoy!
Joy of working together on a big project
Joy of growing as a writer
Joy of people reading your writing—writing has a purpose
English Courses
If you would like to use my English courses in your own homeschool, they are all available for sale in print at Amazon and as E-books from PowerineProd.com, PayHip, and TeachersPayTeachers.
You can learn about individual English courses:
- Americana Newspaper Reporting
- Communication 101: Essays & Speeches
- Foundations of Western Literature
- American Literature and Research
- British Literature & Writing
- Who Dun It Murder Mystery Literature & Writing
Whatever path you choose for English in your own high school home school, I hope it will include lots of classic literature and writing. I think back to the basics is best!
Resources
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