Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth CAPTIONS Everything you need to know to write outstanding captions!

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth Captions Require… Complete & accurate reporting, which means one must: Attend the activity or event Interview subjects in photo Interview subjects involved not in photo Get notes from the photographer Research the history of photo story

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth Ask the Questions: 5Ws/H Quality questions get quality answers through questions starting with: Who What When Where Why How Tell readers about the event Describe the best memories of the event Tell us something we can’t see from photo

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth Practice! Who: Junior Jeremy Sinclair What: Swims with turtles/sea creatures When: SeaSplash field trip Where: Wildlife Refuge Park Why: Student biologists field trip How: Won “SeaSplash” competition Quote: “The whole trip was so much fun. It wasn’t just an in and out rushed tour; we stayed all day and asked tons of questions about what we had heard about at school,” said sophomore Julie Chan

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth Writing captions is EASY as 123! 1. Lead-in Attention-getting word or phrase relating to the action/reaction of the photo 2. Primary sentence Reports the most important 5Ws & H, showcases the most important aspect in 5-7 words & is in present tense 3. Secondary sentence(s) Provides details not obvious in the photo (when/why/how) & written in past tense

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth Caption Types ~ “Id’ or ident: name and very brief descriptionIdents Junior Jeremy Sinclair OR Junior Jeremy Sinclair | Biology field trip OR Junior Jeremy Sinclair | Biology field trip at Wildlife Refuge Park

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth BUBBLICIOUS As the winner of “SeaSplash,” junior Jeremy Sinclair swims with the turtles as well as schools of underwater creatures. Caption Types ~ Summary Who, what, when, where, why, how

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth BUBBLICIOUS As the winner of “SeaSplash,” junior Jeremy Sinclair swims with the turtles as well as schools of underwater creatures. For over 30 minutes, Jeremy experienced sea life as a part of the Wildlife Refuge Park field trip. In addition to the sea adventure, student biologists toured the jungle rainforest and exotic aviary sanctuary. “The whole trip was so much fun. It wasn’t just an in and out rushed tour; we stayed all day and asked tons of questions about what we had heard about at school,” said sophomore Julie Chan. Caption Types ~ Expanded: In-Depth, 5Ws & H and direct quote

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth BUBBLICIOUS “At first I was really, really scared even though I have snorkeled all of my life. I think what made me nervous was just knowing that all my friends were watching to see if I panicked as I swam with all the exotic fish. There was no way I was going in the shark tank.” –Junior Jeremy Sinclair Caption Types ~ Quote: First-person, word-for-word commentary

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth FRAMED. SMOOTHMOVES LOOK UP FRAMED. Freshman Trey Whitman checks the door frame of the front of the curio cabinet he inspects during Career Day. SMOOTH MOVES. A special clinic at the Performing Arts Center refines dance technique for seniors Lissette Colver and Meredith Moore. LOOK UP. Studying an outdoor sculpture, sophomore Beth Ann Terry classifies it as “modern.” Caption Types ~ Collective: Describe a photo package; can be idents

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth FRESHMAN KEY CLUB RAISES $3,452 FOR CHARITIES Front Row: John Cutsinger, Shannon Williams, Rick Brooks, David Klecka… Row 2: Cody Cleavelin, Mitch Lorenz, Mike Hill, Kurt Idler, Bruce Nyman… Row 3: Alex Brunner, Rinn Cleavelin, Herb Stokes, Jimmy Browning… Back Row: Mark Herron, Steve Wirrig, Jack Wilson, Kevin Grandpre, Adam Richards, Blake Harrop, Steve West. Caption Types ~ Group Idents by Row

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth Writing & Editing Guidelines Refine captions for strong appeal Keep captions factual; no opinions! Include honest facts, figures, & feelings Go beyond the obvious; capture outcome or consequences of the action Write first sentence in present tense; following sentences in past tense Use visual nouns & action verbs Avoid repetition of words Avoid beginning with names Avoid school name, initials, mascot Maintain style consistency

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth Practice makes Perfect! Who: Sisters Jasmine and Tracey Powell What: Homecoming Queen coronation When: October 12, 2008 Where: John Henry Football Stadium Why: Tracey crowns Jasmine How: Jasmine wins 78% of student body vote “I’m not sure if I’ve ever experienced more of a surprise than when they announced my name. I truly had no idea I had a chance. The fact that my sister was there to relinquish her crown made the evening amazing.”

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth Fix this Caption! Seniors Katrina Johnson and Molly West have some fun before an assembly.

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth Do not use the name of the school, the mascot name or the school year in your captions. Avoid the words “this year.” Don’t editorialize/add opinions. (Example: Way to go!, Go, band!, The team had a great year., Everybody enjoyed the dance.) Tips for caption writing

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth Don’t use gag captions or state the obvious. Identify everyone (not just students) in the photo with first and last names unless you have a large crowd shot. Everyone in the photos should also have an identifier like Coach Joe Smith, Superintendent Ron Cabrera. Tips for caption writing

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth Review Lead-in Attention-getting word or phrase relating to the action/reaction of the photo Primary sentence Reports the most important 5Ws & H, showcases the most important aspect in first 5-7 words & is in present tense Secondary sentence(s) Provides details not obvious in the photo (when/why/how) & written in past tense

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth Now, you try it! Write your own captions for the following two photos. Think of the information you just read in this PowerPoint to write good captions. You need to make up facts/quotes that could be relevant to the photos.

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth

Curriculum ~ Writing Writing Captions: In Depth