News is not just anything that happened. It is information that is new, interesting, and important to your readers.

The Six News Values (Why people care):

Think of these as the reasons why your classmates will stop scrolling and read your article:

1.  Timeliness - Happened recently (Today or yesterday) (Example: A sudden fire alarm drill this morning.)

2.  Proximity - Happened near your reader (in your school or community). (Example: The new paint job on the basketball court.)

3.  Prominence - Involves important or famous people. (Example: A visit from the City Mayor or your Principal.)

4.  Conflict - A struggle, debate, contest, or competition. (Example: Your school's victory in the District Science Quiz Bee.)

5.  Consequence - The news affects many people. (Example: A change in the class schedule or a new school policy.)

6.  Human Interest - A story that makes readers feel happy, sad, or inspired. (Example: A student who overcame a physical challenge to finish a marathon.)

In news writing, we don't save the best for last. We put the most important facts first! This is called the Inverted Pyramid structure.

Why the Inverted Pyramid?

1. Speed: The reader gets the main point immediately.

2. Competition: In competition, judges look for the key facts right away.

3. Clarity: It organizes the story from most essential to least essential details.

Parts of the News Article following the Inverted Pyramid:

1. The LEAD (Lede) - The 5 W’s and 1 H (Who, What, Where, When, Why, How). The whole point of the story (Most Important)

2.  The BODY - Supporting facts, explanations, background, and direct quotes. (Important Details)

3.  The TAIL - Extra or least important details, background information. (Least Important)

The Lead (or Lede) is the first paragraph and the most crucial part of your article. For competition, you must use a SUMMARY LEAD.

The 5 W’s and 1 H

The Summary Lead must answer as many of these questions as possible in one (1) short, powerful sentence (25-30 words max):

• Who was involved? (The people or group)

• What happened? (The action or event)

• When did it happen? (The date and time)

• Where did it happen? (The place)

• Why did it happen? (The reason or cause)

• How did it happen? (The method or manner)

Example of a Good Summary Lead:

Event: The Grade 6 team won the inter-school Math Quiz Bee held yesterday afternoon at the City Hall Auditorium.

Summary Lead:

The Grade 6 quiz bee team from SDIS (Who) overwhelmingly clinched the championship title (What) yesterday afternoon (When) at the City Hall Auditorium (Where), besting ten other schools in the division contest. (Why/How).

After your Lead, you fill out the rest of the pyramid with details and the voice of your sources.

1. The Body Paragraphs (Details and Attribution)

• Each paragraph should start with the second most important fact and continue down the line.

• Attribution is VITAL. You must tell the reader where the information came from (a source, official, or witness).

Incorrect (Unattributed): The students were very focused during the difficult final round.

Correct (Attributed): The students showed immense focus during the final round, according to their coach, Ms. Reyes.

2. The Direct Quote

Use quotes to bring the story to life and show the reader what people actually said.

• Rule for Quotes: Do NOT put the name before the quote. Put it after the first part of the quote.

• Use the word "said." It is the most professional and simplest attribution.

Example:

"We prepared for two months for this championship, and all the hard work paid off,” said winning team captain Leo Santos.

3. The Tail (The Ending)

The last paragraph contains the least essential information, such as the full history of the event, or future plans. If the editor cuts this part, the main message of the story is still intact.

Hello, future journalist! This week, we will learn what news is and how to find the most important parts of any story. 

DAY 1: WHAT IS NEWS?

Discussion for You:

News is a report that tells people about something new, true, and important that just happened. It is not a story from your imagination or a rumor you heard. In our school, news can be about a competition, a special program, a new project, or an award won by a student or teacher. As a young journalist, you are like a detective and a messenger. Your job is to find out the facts and report them clearly to everyone in our school.

Example Activity for You to Try:

Look at these three sentences. Which one do you think is NEWS?

1. I think our school is the best.

2. The Grade 6 students will perform a play about kindness in the auditorium this Friday.

3. My friend told me that we might have no classes tomorrow.

(The answer is Number 2 because it gives true facts about a specific event that will happen.)

DAY 2: THE MAGIC 6 QUESTIONS - 5Ws & 1H

Discussion for You:

Every single good news story answers six important questions. We call them the 5Ws and 1H. If you can find the answers to these questions, you can write a news story!

• WHO is the story about? (a person, a group, a club)

• WHAT happened? (the main event or action)

• WHERE did it happen? (the place)

• WHEN did it happen? (the time, day, or date)

• WHY did it happen? (the reason)

• HOW did it happen? (how was it done? how did people feel?)

Example Activity for You to Try:

Read this sentence: "The School Gardening Club, led by their adviser Mr. Reyes, planted 50 vegetable seedlings in the school garden last Friday to provide fresh food for the school canteen."

Now, find the 5Ws and 1H:

WHO: The School Gardening Club and Mr. Reyes

WHAT: planted 50 vegetable seedlings

WHERE: in the school garden

WHEN: last Friday

WHY: to provide fresh food for the school canteen

HOW: (This one is a bit hidden! They did it "by planting seedlings.")

DAY 3: THE INVERTED PYRAMID - PUTTING INFORMATION IN ORDER

Discussion for You:

Imagine a pyramid that is upside down. The biggest and heaviest part is at the top! News stories are written like this. We call it the Inverted Pyramid.

1. TOP (WIDEST PART): The Lead Paragraph. This is the most important part! You put the most crucial information here to grab the reader's attention. It answers the most important Ws.

2. MIDDLE: The Body. Here, you give other important details, add quotes from people, and explain the event more.

3. BOTTOM (SMALLEST PART): The Tail. You put the least important information here. If the article needs to be shorter, this is the part that can be cut.

Example Activity for You to Try:

Here are sentences from a story about a "Reading Camp." Arrange them from MOST important (TOP) to LEAST important (BOTTOM).

1. The camp also had a book donation drive.

2. Over 100 students from Grades 4-6 improved their reading skills at the week-long Reading Camp held at the school library.

3. The camp included fun activities like storytelling and read-aloud sessions.

4. "We are happy to see students enjoying books," said the school librarian, Mrs. Cruz.

(Correct Order for the Pyramid: 2, 3, 4, 1)

DAY 4: WRITING A POWERFUL LEAD

Discussion for You:

The Lead is the first sentence (or first two sentences) of your news article. It is the MOST important part because it decides if people will keep reading or not. A great lead gives the reader a quick summary of the whole story.

Formula for a Super Lead:

WHO + WHAT + WHEN + WHERE = A LEAD THAT CAN'T BE BEAT!

You can also add WHY if it is very important.

Example Activity for You to Try:

Let's make a boring sentence into a powerful lead.

• Boring Sentence: "There was a contest."

• Let's ask the questions:

  • WHO? Maria Santos from Grade 5 - She won first place.

  • WHAT? Spelling Bee contest

  • WHEN? Last Monday

  • WHERE? School Auditorium

Now, write the Super Lead: "Grade 5 student Maria Santos won first place in the Spelling Bee contest last Monday at the school auditorium."

See how much better that is?

DAY 1: FROM LEAD TO FIRST PARAGRAPH

Discussion for You:

Sometimes, your lead can be one sentence. Sometimes, it needs two sentences to include all the very important information. Your first paragraph should feel like a complete summary of the event. After someone reads just your first paragraph, they should know the main facts of what happened.

Example Activity for You to Try:

Fact: The Science Club held an "Experiment Fair."

Your Task: Write a full first paragraph (1-2 sentences) that acts as your lead. Include: WHO (Science Club), WHAT (held an Experiment Fair, showed 20 experiments), WHEN (yesterday), WHERE (school gym), WHY (to promote love for science).

DAY 2: USING QUOTES - LETTING PEOPLE SPEAK

Discussion for You:

Quotes are the exact words that someone said. They make your news article more interesting and believable. It’s like you are bringing the reader to the event to hear what people said.

Rules for Using Quotes:

1. Always put the person's exact words inside quotation marks (" ").

2. Always write who said it. This is called attribution.

3. Use a comma (,) to connect the quote and the speaker.

Example:

Incorrect: I am very proud of my students.

Correct: "I am very proud of my students," said Science Club adviser, Mr. Lim.

Example Activity for You to Try:

The winning coach, Coach Anna, said this after the game: "The players practiced very hard and they never gave up."

Write this as a proper quote in a news article.

(Example: "The players practiced very hard and they never gave up," said the winning coach, Coach Anna.)

DAY 3: WRITING THE BODY PARAGRAPHS

Discussion for You:

After your lead paragraph, you write the body. This is where you tell the rest of the story. You can write 2, 3, or even 4 paragraphs for the body.

• Paragraph 2: Give more details about the main event. What happened first? What happened next?

• Paragraph 3: Add your first and most important quote. This quote should give an opinion or a strong feeling about the event.

• Paragraph 4: Add more information or another good quote. Maybe talk about what happened at the end of the event.

Example Activity for You to Try:

You are writing about the "Experiment Fair."

• What would you write in Paragraph 2? (More details about the experiments, like which one was the most popular).

• What would you write in Paragraph 3? (A quote from a student who joined: "The volcano experiment was my favorite!")

DAY 4: HOW TO END YOUR NEWS ARTICLE

Discussion for You:

The ending of a news article is not like the ending of a story. You do not write "The End." Instead, you end with a less important (but still interesting) fact, or a final quote that looks toward the future.

Good ways to end:

• Give a fact about what will happen next. (Example: "The club plans to hold another fair next semester.")

• Use a nice, closing quote. (Example: "We hope this inspires more young scientists," Mr. Lim added.)

Example Activity for You to Try:

Read these two endings for an article about a "Clean-Up Drive." Which is a better news article ending?

Ending A: "I had so much fun and I was very tired after."

Ending B: "The student leaders said they will organize a monthly clean-up to keep the school beautiful."

(Ending B is better because it gives new information about future plans.)

DAY 1: WRITING A PERFECT HEADLINE

Discussion for You:

The headline is the title of your news article. It is the first thing people see! A good headline is short, clear, and makes people want to read your article. It should tell the main point of the story.

Tips for a Good Headline:

• Use the 5Ws as a guide.

• Use strong verbs (action words) like Wins, Leads, Launches, Donates.

• Write it in Title Case (Capitalize the First Letter of Most Words).

Example Activity for You to Try:

The lead of your article is: "The Math Club celebrated Pi Day with a fun quiz and pie-eating contest last March 14 in the cafeteria."

Write a short, catchy headline for it.

(Example: Math Club Celebrates Pi Day with Fun Activities)

DAY 2: USING THE RIGHT WORDS - FORMAL LANGUAGE

Discussion for You:

News writing uses formal language. This means you should not write the way you talk to your friends. Avoid slang words like "cool," "awesome," or "dude."

Formal vs. Informal:

• Informal (Wrong): "The new playground is super cool!"

• Formal (Correct): "The students enjoyed the new playground facilities."

Example Activity for You to Try:

Rewrite this informal sentence into a formal sentence for a news article.

Informal: "The principal was super happy and gave a lit speech."

Your Formal Version: (Example: "The principal expressed his happiness and delivered an inspiring speech.")

DAY 3: CHECKING YOUR FACTS

Discussion for You:

A journalist must always tell the truth. Before you write, make sure all your information is correct. Check the spelling of names. Make sure the dates and places are right. If you are not sure about a fact, ask your adviser or the person involved.

Example Activity for You to Try:

You are writing about the winner of a poster-making contest. You have a fact sheet that says:

• Winner: Jhoanna Reyes (Grade 5)

• Contest: "Save the Earth" Poster-Making

In your article, you write the winner's name as Joanna Reyes.

What is the mistake? Why is it important to fix it?

DAY 4: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER - A SAMPLE ARTICLE

Discussion for You:

Let's look at how all the parts we learned come together to form one complete news article.

Example Activity for You to Try:

Read this short article and see if you can find:

1. The Headline

2. The Lead Paragraph

3. A Quote

4. The Body

5. The Ending

SDIS Kiddie Journalists Win in Press Conference

By: Juan Dela Cruz

Sto. Domingo Integrated School (SDIS) bagged three major awards in the recent Division Schools Press Conference held at the main city plaza last November 18.

The team competed against 20 other schools. Maria Santos from Grade 6 won 1st place in News Writing, while Luis Cruz from Grade 5 secured 2nd place in Editorial Cartooning.

"Our months of practice truly paid off. I am proud of our young writers," said the school paper adviser, Mrs. Garcia.

The winners will represent the division in the Regional Press Conference this January.

This whole week will be about practice, practice, practice! You will become faster and more confident.

DAYS 1-4: MOCK COMPETITION PRACTICE

Discussion for You:

In a real competition, you will be given a Fact Sheet with all the information you need. You will have a limited time to read it, understand it, and write your article on one whole sheet of paper.

What to do during practice:

1. Read the Fact Sheet Carefully. Underline the 5Ws and 1H.

2. Plan Your Lead. Decide on the most important information for your first paragraph.

3. Plan Your Quotes. Who will you quote? What did they say?

4. Write Your Headline.

5. Write Your Article using the Inverted Pyramid.

6. Review. Check for spelling mistakes and see if your story makes sense.

Example Activity for You to Try:

Your teacher will give you a different Fact Sheet each day. Your goal is to write a full news article for each one within 45-60 minutes. This will make you ready for the big day!