Students invite a local newspaper reporter to speak to the class and write a newspaper-style article about the visit.
Objectives
Students demonstrate abilities to
write a business letter and a thank-you letter to a reporter at local
newspaper,
develop questions to ask a newspaper reporter,
use correct sentence structure, grammar, and spelling to write an
article.
Keywords
newspaper, reporter, article
Materials Needed
copies of a local newspaper
computers with Internet access (optional)
paper
pens or pencils
camcorder or tape recorder to record the visit (optional)
Lesson Plan
Tell students that they are going to invite a reporter from a local
newspaper to speak to the class.
Have students study copies of your local newspaper, paying attention
to the names of the reporters who write the articles. Ask them to choose
one or more reporters to contact.
Work together as a class to write the letter of invitation. If you
have Internet access, you may want to send the letter to the newspaper
via e-mail.
Before the visit, have students brainstorm questions they would like
to ask the reporter. Work together as a class to prepare the room for
the visit (special decorations, refreshments, etc.).
When the reporter arrives, ask permission to record the interview
if you plan to do so. As the reporter answers each question, have students
write down each answer.
After the visit, have each student write a thank-you letter to the
reporter. Tell students to include sentences describing what they learned
and what they enjoyed most about the visit.
Have each student compile the answers to the questions the class
posed to the reporter. Help each student write a newspaper-style article
about the reporter. Send the completed articles to the reporter with
the thank-you notes.
Assessment
Evaluate students' participation, questions, letters, and articles.
