Writing a news report

Ages 9 to 12 Read alone or together · about 30 minutes

Read together

A news report tells what happened, plainly and fairly. The most important facts come first.

It answers who, what, where, when and why, and it separates fact from opinion.

Do it

1. Choose a true event from home, church or school, such as a food drive.
2. Write a headline and a first paragraph with the key facts.
3. Add a quote from someone who was there, with their permission.
4. Read it for fairness: remove opinion words.

Talk about it

• Is every statement a fact?
• Who is your reader?

For the grown-up

Writing a report teaches accuracy and fairness. Get permission before quoting or naming anyone, and do not publish a child's personal details online.

Mark as done

← Previous lesson

Where this comes from

• National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers, Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (2010), standard W.4.2 (write informative texts)
• Kovach, B., and Rosenstiel, T., The Elements of Journalism (Three Rivers Press, 2001)

Written with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed. Please read it before sharing it with a child.