Everything you need to know to start writing great captions! Caption Writing 101 Everything you need to know to start writing great captions!

Why Captions? Photo Captions Identify, Describe, and Provide Details. Captions give readers information they can’t tell by just looking at the photo.

Captions Require… Attend the activity or event Complete & accurate reporting, which means we 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

Ask the Questions: 5Ws/H Quality questions get quality answers through questions starting with: Who What When Where Why How

Identify the Captions Adviser Note: Have students count how many captions they see and save the number. At the end of this slide show, have them count again and see how many more they find.

Types of Captions Identification: names and grades of people in the picture. Summary: Just the basics: who, what, when, where, why, how Quote: first-person, word-for-word commentary Expanded: in-depth, 5Ws & H and direct quote Group: names and grades organized by row, (Left to Right, Back to Front)

The best captions include the following components: Caption Content The best captions include the following components: Lead-in: A mini-headline for the photo: captures the attention of the audience. Quote: Provides first person account of the action, emotion or event in photo. Supporting facts: The 5W’s & H: background and additional information that explains what is important or interesting about the photo.

Writing captions is EASY as 123! Caption Format 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 first 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

Quick Review… What are the 5 Ws & H again? The first sentence of your caption is in what tense? Second sentence? Advisor Notes/Tips: Ask students these questions and wait for a response. They should be able to answer the questions based on the previous slides. 5W’s/H: who, what, when, where, why/How First sentence: present tense Second and subsequent sentences: past

Jump in! Use the 5W’s & H, and the quote on the following slide to practice writing each style of caption for this picture.

Where: Central High School; State Track Meet Writing a caption in a nutshell: Start with the 5 Ws/H & include a Quote Who: Senior, Kyle Smith When: October 30 Where: Central High School; State Track Meet What: long jump; school and state record 25 feet, 8 inches Why: 1 of 10 who qualified for state competition How: won district and regional conference meets Quote: “Since he was our first team member to go to state in school history, we were really excited for Kyle to do well and kick it in,” said senior captain John Herman. Advisor Tips/Notes: Using the information on this slide, ask students to write a caption on their own; invite a few students to share.

Identification/‘Id’ Caption Simple ID Kyle Smith, 12 Kyle Smith, 12, state long jump champion. Expanded ID Senior Kyle Smith, sets school, state long jump record. At Central H.S.: Senior, Kyle Smith attempts long jump. Sample ident(ifying) caption.

Summary Caption 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. Sample summary caption

Quote Kyle Smith, 12: “I couldn’t believe the distance I got that day -- it was awesome to hang in the air that long.” “Since he was our first team member to go to state in school history, we were really excited for Kyle [Smith, senior at right] to do well and kick it in,” said senior captain John Herman. Sample quote caption.

Expanded Caption 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 Central High School on Oct. 30. Smith was one of 10 qualifiers for 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 and kick it in,” said senior captain John Herman. Sample expanded caption—NOTE: these are ALWAYS the best if there is room for them!

Be prepared to share them with the class Now, you try it! Write your own caption for the following two photos. Be prepared to share them with the class Advisor Tips/Notes: If you wish, pass out slips of paper with the different types of captions on them. Students must write the caption they’ve been given based on the type on the slip of paper.

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.” Advisor Tips/Notes: Using the information presented, have students write three different captions for the photo: Ident, Summary, Expanded

Have fun! 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 Advisor Tips/Notes: Take a break, and, using the information on the previous slide, ask students to write a caption for the photo. Ask students to share their captions after 5 minutes. 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

Now how many captions do you see? Adviser Note: Now that students know what the different types of captions look like, have them count captions again and compare their numbers. How many of each type do they see? Id’s? Quotes? Summaries? Expanded? Group?... Can they now tell the difference between a headline, a story and a caption?