Writing Jami De Vries Heritage High School

Writing Does Matter Two purposes for journalistic writing: 1. Writing should inspire (read Rick Reilley (SI) for examples) 2. In the next examples, you’ll see that writing should provide key information that can’t be given in a photo

In Mr. Rudolph’s AP Physics class, students fill Ziploc bags as full as possible with water and then poke different colored pencils through the bag. The result is no water spilling out, along with the fact that the pencils look bent because the speed of light is slower through water. Mr. Rudolph, Hannah Gazzett ‘12, and Mikaela Lieb ‘13 froze the bag as a joke, and it turned out looking pretty sweet! “The labs help because we actually get to apply what we learning, as well as physically see how each thing works,” says Lauren Huggins ‘12.

3,000 runners representing 90 teams from across the state showed up in droves for the annual Liberty Bell, the largest Cross Country Meet in the state. Even with such an immense amount of participants, Jenna Pinto ‘13 didn’t have any problems standing out, as she received eighth overall for the Varsity girls. Though others like Matthew Charles ‘13 didn’t place in the top ten, this race meant a lot after running for four consecutive years on the team. “My favorite memory and most proud moment is lettering all four years at the Liberty Bell.” All other teams did exceedingly well: JV boys took 1 st, Varsity Boys took 9 th, and Varsity Girls placed 11 th.

Before you write… In order to write a caption or story, what MUST take place first? That’s right? The interview! o The interview is the most crucial part of the writing process/ Why? The more you ask, the more you know, and the more you know, the more you can include in your book-more information also gives you more to work with So….what is good interviewing?

The 5 skills you need to be a stellar journalist: 1.Do your homework 2.Prepare good questions 3.Take quick, accurate notes 4.Be comfortable talking to new people 5.Become the expert& report back to your staff

#1: Do your homework Research! The more you know about the people, event, setting, the better journalist you become The MOMENT you find out that you’re covering something, take a moment and think about these topics:  Time?  Location?  Lighting?  Accessibility?  People (ALL the people: from the players/students, coaches, teachers, managers, audience, spectators, officials, sponsors, etc.)?  Other factors (money, extra equipment needed, transportation, etc.)

#2: Prepare good questions After you a familiar with the event, select an angle…take a unique perspective (dig deep-what would be COOL to know about what is going on, WHO can you talk to in order to obtain some groovy info, think outside the box!) Focus on your audience Think before, during, and after Prepare the right questions

The Prep Prep questions ahead of time, AND write questions down as you are covering the event The goal: find unique information. Unique information will capture your readers’ attention! Good interviewers ask good questions: Always avoid yes/no questions. Base your questions on the five W’s and H, making sure to cover all aspects of the subject area. Be sure to personalize the questions for each source. Avoid general questions like “How did the team play Friday night?” Instead, ask “Which play was the turning point Friday night?” Follow Up: ? Avoid THINK/FEEL questions! Ask questions that will get specific, detailed answers.

In a Jam? The following basic questions can be applied for almost any situation. Use them when needed:  What did you do when…?  What was the most… (craziest, best, worst, stupidest, etc.)? Follow up with why.  What were you thinking when…?  Tell me about…  Why do you care about…?  Can you give me an example of a time when…?

#3: Take quick, accurate notes Turn your paper over Practice: "I love little yellow ducks""I love little yellow ducks"

I love little baby ducks, Old pick-up trucks, Slow movin’ trains, and rain. I love little country streams, Sleep without dreams, Sunday school in May, and hay. And I love you too. I love leaves in the wind, Pictures of my friends, Birds of the world, and squirrels. I love coffee in a cup, Little fuzzy pups, Bourbon in a glass, and grass. And I love you too. I love honest open smiles, Kisses from a child, Tomatoes on a vine, and onions. I love winners when they cry, Losers when they try, Music when it's good, and life. And I love you too.

#4: Be comfortable talking to new people the more practice you have with this, the better you will be This isn’t rocket science, and I have no formula or notes for you on this topic. It’s simple: the more practice you have with this, the better you will be.

Tips for Success Make sure you introduce yourself (name and position) and have them do the same As you ask them your questions, listen to their responses, make eye contact, smile, nod approvingly (so they feel comfortable), and take accurate notes on their answers At the end, have the interviewee sign and date your notes

#5: Be the expert & report back to your staff This one is also easy: Make sure your notes are professional This includes: Notes that are dated& headlined Notes that have your name and all subjects names…spelled correctly Notes that are legible If you are not the one writing the caption/story, offer your assistance. Be available!

Once the reporting is done… Writing 101 Again, the writing does matter Captions tell the stories of your unique year, and students actually DO read them! The problem with captions? The problem with captions?! No one is jumping up and down to write them or read them…just yet! Your goal as a staff should be write captions that your student body will WANT to read. You have to MAKE them read.

Types of Captions ident: name and very brief description summary: who, what, when, where, why quote: first-person, word-for-word commentary expanded: in-depth, summary+quote collection: describe a photo package group: idents by row

Identification 1.Kyle Smith, state long jump champion. 2.Kyle Smith sets school, state long jump record. 3. At Central H.S.: Kyle Smith attempts long jump. Which one would NOT be a good ident caption?

Summary Jammin’ Jump. Setting a school and state long jump record at 25 feet, 8 inches, senior Kyle Smith stretches the distance in his first attempt of the meet.

Expanded Jammin’ Jump! Posting his personal best performance and setting new school and state long jump records, senior Kyle Smith makes his first attempt for the long jump title at the state competition at Rocky Peak High School on Oct. 30. Smith was one of 10 qualifiers for the state competition. “Since he was our first team member to go to state in school history, we were really excited for Kyle to do well. He’s personally an inspiration for me-he’s reliable, hard working, and always, always has a positive attitude,” recalls senior captain John Herman.

Caption No No’s Never start with the subject’s name-be creative! Refrain from saying “pictured above,” “attempts to,” “appears to” Never misspell a name! Always triple check your spelling, especially the names. Print off a list of your student body, so your staff can have a resource readily available.

Most Important No No’s Never use a weak quote: “If someone else can say it, it’s not a good quote.” ‘High school is amazing. It’s so different from anything I’ve ever done.’ VERSUS ‘Since he was our first team member to go to state in school history, we were really excited for Kyle to do well. He’s personally an inspiration for me-he’s reliable, hard working, and always, always has a positive attitude.’ Keep opinions out of the copy. 1.“The show was a spectacular performance.” 2.“The team didn’t disappoint.” 3.“The crowd showed great support.”

C aption: Every picture must have a caption. Answer: Captions should always answer the 5W’s. Who? What? Where? When? Why? Posed: NO Posed (except group/team shots) Two or three sentences 1st Sentence: The first line should answer all of the 5W’s. 2nd Sentence: This can be a fun fact, quote or background information that provides insight about the event, the photo or the subject that would not be obvious. Interview: To obtain real facts, interview the people in your photos. Obvious: Don’t state the obvious. Tell the reader more than what he can see in the picture. Never: Never make up the information or quote! Shuffle: Begin some captions with who, others with when and others with –ing verbs.

Caption Writing Activities Practice, practice, practice! Give picture and 5 W’s and extra info & have staff write the different caption formats Re-write yucky captions from last year’s book (“from sucky to superb”) Lead-ins: find groups of really interesting photos and have class or small groups brainstorm lead-in ideas, share, and discuss Practice writing captions for cartoons. Find some good ones and erase/black out the original captions. *Participate in caption writing contests (drewlitton.com)drewlitton.com

Questions? Ask now or Best wishes for a ROCKIN’ yearbook. Have fun! Take chances!