MODULE: ARTICLE/STORY WRITING AND EDITING

Competence : Write and edit an article/story

Purpose: The course intends to help learners gain skills and concepts in identifying new
situations that should improve in interviewing and writing news reports.
RTQF LEVEL:

CREDITS: 3

DURATION : 30 hours

SECTOR:

SUB-SECTOR:

ISSUE DATE:
Elements
News Overview
News Writing

REVIEW DATE:
Performance criteria
Describe news values and angles
Write news stories that are published in news

Script Writing

publications with a Byline

Demonstrated proficiency in reporting and

News Reporting

writing the news

Develop ability to generate interview questions

TEACHING ACTIVITY

LEARNING
ACTIVITY

LEARNING
OUTCOME

TEACHING/LEARNING
RESOURCES

KEY
ASSESSMENT COMPETENCY

Learners will in
groups of 5
research on

Explain what
constitutes
news
-worthiness

Newspaper clips

Ability to work
in groups and
communicate
ideas with
others

CONTENT
Introduction to the
concept & nature
of news reporting
&
writingaccuracy,
newsworthiness ,
objectivity
and
fairness
,
Attribution

Verification of prerequisites

Motivate the learners by

showing/questioning/ And ask them
WHY, HOW?
Form groups /Guide/Moderate/
facilitate/clarify/orient/compliment
the learners
Moderate the presentations and
articulate different ideas from
learners for the sake of orienting

what constitutes
newsworthiness,
objectivity and
fairness then
make a
presentation
through the
team leader

Detail the
elements of
objectivity
and fairness

Audio-news clip
External Flash
- Audio-visual aids
(DVDs,
- Laptop
- projector

To be able to
decide what
constitutes news
worthiness,
objectivity and
fairness when
story writing
and editing

Qualities
& Motivate the learners by
qualifications of a showing/questioning/ And ask them
news reporter;
WHY, HOW?
Display the OBJECTIVES
characteristics
Determinants
News;

Facilitate the discussion on what

& should be the objective of todays
of lesson
to demonstrate understanding of the
concept of qualities of a news
reporter, characteristics and
determinants of News

Learners will
find out what
qualifications of
a reporter are
through
research and
group
discussion
Learners will
discuss
characteristics
and
determinants of
News and
present their
findings in a
write-up and
class
presentation

Detail the
qualifications
of a reporter

Sample of unit course

outline for a student news
anchor/reporter

Explain the
characteristics
Newspapers clips
and
determinants
Audio clips of news items
of News

Ability to work
in groups and
communicate
ideas with
others

Be able to
determine
quality of News
Be able to
demonstrate the
qualities of a
news reporter in
a practical
situation

Elements of good Lecturer Leads the process of

news story writing examining/verifying learners
predictions of elements of good news
a)Inverted Pyramid story writing/how to find out if news
structure
conform to the elements of news
story writing
b) The 5W + H ;
The lecturer lets the learner suggest
HOW they think the Class should
VERIFY and come up with a news
article that conforms to elements
discussed
The lecturer should be prepared and
should know how to orient the
learner to the prepared activities
After, the lecturer gives clear
protocol to follow.

In their
assignment
groups learners
research on the
elements of
good story
writing and
make a
presentation
Group
discussion on
the inverted
pyramid
structure and
the 5 W+H.

Role-play the 5
W+H when
preparing
interview
questions or
writing factual
news stories.

Explain the
elements of
good news
story writing

A chart of the inverted

pyramid structure

Demonstrate
understanding
of the
inverted
pyramid
structure in
prioritizing
and
structuring
news items

Video clip of an interview

session to demonstrate
the applicability of the
5W+H concept

Explain the
5W+H when
preparing
interview
questions or
writing
factual news
stories.

- projector

- Audio-visual aids
(DVDs,
- Laptop

Ability to work
in groups and
communicate
ideas with
others

Be able to apply
the elements of
news good story
writing
Be able to apply
the concept of
the inverted
pyramid
structure in
prioritizing and
structuring news
items
Be able to
demonstrate the
applicability of
the 5W+H
concept in
preparing
interview
questions or
writing factual
news stories

News
sources
;Covering
Speeches
,News
conferences
&
meeting

The lecturer lets the learners

brainstorm on sources of news and
the methodology of coverage, but
with his help the whole class comes
up with a well stated method of
covering speeches, News,
conferences and meetings

In their working
groups the
learners
brainstorm on
sources of news
and how best to
cover speeches,
News,
conferences and
meetings in a
write-up then
make an oral
presentation

Explain the
sources of
News
Detail how to
cover
speeches,
News,
conference
and meetings

-Newspaper clips, -audio

clips of news items
-sample speeches
-projector
- Audio-visual aids
(DVDs,
- Laptop

Ability to work
in groups and
communicate
ideas with
others

Be able to
identify sources
of News
Be able to
demonstrate
ability to cover
News, speeches,
conferences and
meetings

Lecturer introduces reporting

Reporting:
accidents
obituaries,
disasters
reporting ;

Orientation on reporting accidents,

fires obituaries, fire disasters
;Beat Orientation on Beat reporting
Demonstrate reporting of the above
Approaches to beat reporting

Learners
simulate
accidents scenes
and role play
reporting
Design a sample
obituary
message
Simulation of
fire disaster
reporting

Detail best
approaches in
reporting
accidents,
obituaries,
fire disasters

Clips of obituaries

Explain how
well to
prepare for
beat reporting

projector

Audio clips on accidents

and fire reporting
Pictures of accident
scenes

Ability to work
in groups and
communicate
ideas with
others

Demonstrate
ability to report
accidents,
obituaries and
fire disasters
Show
understanding of
approaches to
Beat reporting

- Audio-visual aids
(DVDs,
- Laptop

Research on
best approaches
to beat reporting

The Law courts Motivate the learners by

,Crime
showing/questioning/ And ask them
,Parliament,
WHY, HOW?
Business
News
Reporting Sports Organize trips to law courts and
parliament for practical simulations
News
Form groups /Guide/Moderate/
facilitate/clarify/orient/compliment
the learners
Moderate the presentations and
articulate different ideas from
learners for the sake of orienting

Learners
research on
elements of law
courts, crime,
parliament,
business News
and sports
reporting.
Make
presentations on
findings and
role play the

Detail best
practices in
reporting
from the law
courts,
parliament,
Business
News and
sports News

Newspaper clips on
reports from the law
courts, parliament,
business news and sports
news
projector
- Audio-visual aids
(DVDs,
- Laptop

Ability to work
in groups and
communicate
ideas with
others

Demonstrate
ability to report
from the law
courts,
parliament
Show
understanding of
Business and
sports reporting

reporting
Story Writing

Lecturer Leads the process of

examining/verifying learners
predictions of elements of good news
story writing/how to find out if news
conform to the elements of news
story writing
Moderate the presentations and
articulate different ideas from
learners for the sake of orienting

Editorial
production:
Newsroom, copy
taster &Sub-Editor
Designing
and
typography(format
,
balance
of
content,
roles,
designing
the
pages, typography)
pictures: roles and
sources of pictures,
photo briefing, and
editing
pictures
,Text
editing:
checking sources,
editing the page,
Language:

Lead the process of

examining/verifying learners
predictions/how to find out?

Moderate the presentations and

articulate different ideas from
learners for the sake of orienting

Research in
groups the
elements of
good story
writing and
make
presentations.

Explain
elements of
good story
writing

Learners then
make
presentations on
their findings in
class
Learners
practice sub-

Audio clips of a News

item
Charts

Ability to work
in groups and
communicate
ideas with
others

Be able to write
a good News
story

Ability to work
in groups and
communicate
ideas with
others

Demonstrate
ability to
design , format
content

projector

Role play story

writing on a
given scenario
Learners
research on
editorial
production ,
designing and
typography,
balance of
content, page
design and text
editing

Newspaper clips

Show
understanding of
the elements of a
good story

- Audio-visual aids
(DVDs,
- Laptop
Detail
elements of
editorial
production

Newspaper clips

Explain
content
balance, page
design

Charts

Identify steps
in text editing
Explain
language use
Detail how to
write
headlines

Audio clips of a News

item

projector
- Audio-visual aids
(DVDs,
- Laptop

Be able to edit
pictures and text
Show
understanding in
sentence
writing,
punctuation and
correct use of
grammar
Be able to write
headlines

sentence
&
paragraph
,punctuation,
grammar Writing Summary
headlines
The lecturer lets the learner conclude
and generalize, but with his help the
whole class come up with a well
stated conclusion
Give the learners the opportunity to
conclude and then orient
/complete/compliment/
correct/conclude and then generalize

editor designing
and formatting,
picture editing
and text editing