Student Yearbook Guide

Student Yearbook Guide

Reporting

1.     Good Reporters

a.     Look and listen to their readers

b.     Ask participants about their experiences

c.     Seek out individuals with a variety of viewpoints

d.     Information gathering: who, what, when, where, how

2.     Research

a.     Find background information

b.     Look at previously published material

c.     Use interviews, polls, surveys etc. to gain knowledge

3.     Interviews

a.     Different types of questions: open-ended, closed-ended, follow-up

b.     Make sure to actively listen

c.     Take detailed notes

Writing          

1.     Notes

a.     Figure out what the story is about through the questions

b.     If there aren’t enough notes, you may need to do more reporting

c.     Keep organized notes

2.     Stories

a.      

                                               i.     Lead – intriguing opening paragraph

                                             ii.     Quotes –word for word statements that relate to the story

                                            iii.     Transitions –details that give context to the quotes and make them more meaningful

                                            iv.     Conclusion – tie the story back to the opening

3.     Good Writing

a.     Provide specific information

b.     Lively writing and straight to the point

c.     Write the article like a narrative story

d.     The story should be fresh and original

Read the article by Mallory Summers & see all the components working together

Writing effective headlines requires creativity, effort, and attention to details

What can you take from this page to help in writing creative headlines?

Describe the 3-step process to writing dynamic headlines

1.     List 10 to 15 key words that describe the story topic; make them interesting

2.     Find rhyming words for the key words you found

3.     Create phrases from the key words that capture the story

Captions                        

1.     Content

a.     Use effective verbal elements and give detail

b.     Answer the readers’ questions about the photo

c.     List names and other essential information

d.     Incorporate direct quotes from individuals

2.     Describe the 3-step process to writing captions

a.     Answer the questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how

b.     Create a list of attention grabbing words

c.     Write a summary caption (short) or an expanded caption (long) using the list of interesting words

Photography

We will be discussing this section in class