From News to Story

1. From News to Story Prof. Myrna Monllor Jiménez Prof. Helen AvilésAbreu

2. Using the newspaper to develop writing skills • Find newspaper articles to develop writing pieces: short stories, poems, essays, reflections, opinions, summaries • Have students study the format of a newspaper. They can each write an article for each section: local news, world news, entertainment news, sports, travel, etc. • These are good exercises to practice titles since these really have to grasp the attention of the reader.

3. Different sections of the paper can be used to write: • Found Poems • Comparison and contrast writing using advertisements and shoppers • Argumentative essays by following a news topic for some time • Description of products

4. Where to get the templates • Word has many free newspaper templates. Here are some examples.

5. Writing a story based on an article • Select articles that will interest your students and which have visual information that will help them develop their stories • The following use simple vocabulary for ELL students http://www.firstnews.co.uk/index http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/default.stm

6. Reminders about story writing

7. Activity 1: Writing a Story Choose story based on student interest

8. Activity 2: Writing Stories Based on Headlines The title will provide details for the story

9. k • Farmer Dyes His Sheep Orange • Seven-year-old Buys Plane • Farmer Protects his Cows by Feeding Them Magnets • Man Opens Hotel for Chickens • Man Sneezes Bullet Out his Nose Titles need to grasp reader’s attention In English you need to capitalize main words

10. Titles should • Capture the attention of the reader • Reflect the tone of the written text • Be short and precise • Contains key words • Be capitalized

11. Possibilities • Write a title that is a question • Write a title that evokes an image: something the reader can hear or feel • Write a title that begins with an –ing form • Write a title based on a familiar saying, a title of a book, song, or movie Reference: Student Writing Support /Center for Writing/University of Minnesota/ Quick Tips/Writing an Effective Title

12. Activity 3 • http://youtu.be/rqT29H9RxNM Online newspapers frequently include video sections

13. Activity 4 From old magazines and newspapers, students can write Found poems

14. Noun/Adjective/Phrase Poem • Line 1 : Noun • Line 2: Four Adjectives • Line 3: Phrase related to the noun • Line 4: Phrase related to the noun • Line 5: Phrase related to the noun Digital camera Composing, focusing, flashing, recording, To freeze the moment To feed the spirit To make flowers bloom forever http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/newpoem.htm

15. Phone number poem • Seven-line poem based on the telephone number. Each number will determine the number of syllables each line could have I bite into the peppermint patty. The taste floods my mouth. Not Guilty. No Regret. http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/newpoem.htm

16. Tanka Poems • Japanese Poem • Depends on the number of lines and syllables instead of rhyme Line 1 5 syllables Line 2 7 syllables Line 3 5 syllables Line 4 7 syllables Line 5 7 syllables

17. Poetic Formulas:Diamantes Contrast poem in the shape of a diamond Line 1: one noun as the subject Line 2: two adjectives describing the subject Line 3: three -ing forms telling about the subject Line 4: four nouns (the first two related to the subject and the second two related to the opposite) Line 5: three participles telling about the opposite Line 6: two adjectives describing the opposite Line 7: one noun that is the opposite of the subject