Sections of the Newspaper:
NEWS:
Generally the first section in any major daily newspaper, the news section is often split it several parts--national, state, and local or regional. There are many pertinent elements of the news section you can teach your students, such as:
· * Look for the 5Ws and the H in the lead paragraphs (Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How)
· * Have them recognize that the paper is split into parts called "above the fold" and "below the fold," meaning stories that appear either above or below where the paper is naturally folded in half
· *Tell them that there should be no editorializing (opinion or commentary) in a hard news story. It should be all fact. Have them see if they can find opinion words in a straight news story
EDITORIAL:
The editorial section of the paper is where writers are allowed to present their opinions and persuasive pieces of writing. They most often take the forms of:
· ** Staff Editorials. These are pieces written by staff writers and published unsigned, signaling that they should be perceived as the collective opinion of the newspaper itself
· ** Signed editorials. These pieces are written by individual reporters and published with a by-line. They are meant to be taken as the opinion of that individual reporter
· **Op-Ed (reflective) pieces. These stories--either reflective or persuasive--are meant to give insight, depth, or reflection on a specific issue or to outline the author's specific point-of-view
· ** Letters to the editors. These are letters written by readers of the newspaper who feel compelled to comment on issues they've read in previous issues
FEATURES:
Sometimes called "soft news," this section contains more light-hearted pieces intended to to entertain, inform, or instruct readers on things they will enjoy. Such pieces include:
· **Entertainment. These stories might concern how movie ticket prices are increasing, what movie studios are merging, or how the local symphony is doing financially
· **Human Interest. These are the "my pet dog got lost and found his way home from 200 miles away" and "People who met on MySpace match for bone marrow transplant" type stories. If someone has interesting coin collection or Civil War memorabilia, you'll find that story here
· **Movie, television, music, plays reviews. Staff writers give you a heads up on what to catch on the tube, at the local cinema, concert venue, or regional theater
· **Celebrity interviews. If a famous person has a new movie, CD, book, or television show to plug, chances are you'll be able to read an interview that star did in this section
· **Social column (parties, fund-raisers). In these columns, staff writers follow the local goings-on among the hoi polloi. They might cover the local hospital fund-raiser, the political $1,000/plate dinner, or new restaurant opening
· **This section also covers movie times, advice columns (Think Dear Abby), celebrity gossip, obituaries, and comic strips
SPORTS:
This section includes:
· Columns. Daily or weekly signed columns will appear that give reflection, insight, and depth to current sporting issues
· News. Has your team just made a trade? Do you have a new coach. You'll read about it here
· Features. Did a local town boy or girl make it to the big leagues? Did a player overcome great adversity to continue to play? These kinds of human interest stories can also be found here in sports
· Box Scores. These are the little teeny boxes that list the scores and stats in the sports section. For some of your students, this is all they will care about
CLASSIFIED ADS:
This section includes:
· Big ads for local stores
· Classified ads for items, services, roommates, and residential rental
· Help wanted ads (jobs, etc.)
NEWS:
Generally the first section in any major daily newspaper, the news section is often split it several parts--national, state, and local or regional. There are many pertinent elements of the news section you can teach your students, such as:
· * Look for the 5Ws and the H in the lead paragraphs (Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How)
· * Have them recognize that the paper is split into parts called "above the fold" and "below the fold," meaning stories that appear either above or below where the paper is naturally folded in half
· *Tell them that there should be no editorializing (opinion or commentary) in a hard news story. It should be all fact. Have them see if they can find opinion words in a straight news story
EDITORIAL:
The editorial section of the paper is where writers are allowed to present their opinions and persuasive pieces of writing. They most often take the forms of:
· ** Staff Editorials. These are pieces written by staff writers and published unsigned, signaling that they should be perceived as the collective opinion of the newspaper itself
· ** Signed editorials. These pieces are written by individual reporters and published with a by-line. They are meant to be taken as the opinion of that individual reporter
· **Op-Ed (reflective) pieces. These stories--either reflective or persuasive--are meant to give insight, depth, or reflection on a specific issue or to outline the author's specific point-of-view
· ** Letters to the editors. These are letters written by readers of the newspaper who feel compelled to comment on issues they've read in previous issues
FEATURES:
Sometimes called "soft news," this section contains more light-hearted pieces intended to to entertain, inform, or instruct readers on things they will enjoy. Such pieces include:
· **Entertainment. These stories might concern how movie ticket prices are increasing, what movie studios are merging, or how the local symphony is doing financially
· **Human Interest. These are the "my pet dog got lost and found his way home from 200 miles away" and "People who met on MySpace match for bone marrow transplant" type stories. If someone has interesting coin collection or Civil War memorabilia, you'll find that story here
· **Movie, television, music, plays reviews. Staff writers give you a heads up on what to catch on the tube, at the local cinema, concert venue, or regional theater
· **Celebrity interviews. If a famous person has a new movie, CD, book, or television show to plug, chances are you'll be able to read an interview that star did in this section
· **Social column (parties, fund-raisers). In these columns, staff writers follow the local goings-on among the hoi polloi. They might cover the local hospital fund-raiser, the political $1,000/plate dinner, or new restaurant opening
· **This section also covers movie times, advice columns (Think Dear Abby), celebrity gossip, obituaries, and comic strips
SPORTS:
This section includes:
· Columns. Daily or weekly signed columns will appear that give reflection, insight, and depth to current sporting issues
· News. Has your team just made a trade? Do you have a new coach. You'll read about it here
· Features. Did a local town boy or girl make it to the big leagues? Did a player overcome great adversity to continue to play? These kinds of human interest stories can also be found here in sports
· Box Scores. These are the little teeny boxes that list the scores and stats in the sports section. For some of your students, this is all they will care about
CLASSIFIED ADS:
This section includes:
· Big ads for local stores
· Classified ads for items, services, roommates, and residential rental
· Help wanted ads (jobs, etc.)
