Newsflash SlidesNewsroom Rookies Becoming Journalists: A Step-by-Step Guide 8th Grade ESL Journaling Unit What is a Journalist? The Reporter's Job A journalist gathers information, interviews people, and writes stories to keep the community informed. The 5 W's Who was involved? What happened? Where did it happen? When did it happen? Why is it important? Newspaper Sections World & National Big stories from across the ocean and our own country. School News Events happening right here in our hallways. Sports Scores, games, and athlete profiles. Weather What to wear tomorrow! Sun, rain, or snow. Interviews Talking to teachers, students, or staff. Fun & Jokes Quotes, fun facts, and jokes to make us laugh. Helpful Sentence Starters For News Stories "Today in our country, ________ happened..." "Many people are talking about ________ because..." "Experts say that ________ is very important." For Interviews "I interviewed ________ and they said, '________'." "When I asked about ________, they told me..." "They believe that ________ is great for school." Your Mission: Deadline Today! You will use the Press Pass Template to create your newspaper. Complete all sections Use Sentence Starters Check Your Spelling Add School Drawings The printer starts at the end of the period! Let's go, reporters!
Daily Gazette TemplateVol. 1 | No. 1 The Daily Gazette Date: _______________ THE DAILY GAZETTE National News Headline: Today in our country... International News Headline: In the country of ________, ... "Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy." SCHOOL & COMMUNITY Page 2 School News Headline: Something exciting happened at our school... Expert Interview Person Interviewed: ____________________ Q & A 1 "I asked them... and they said..." Q & A 2 Next, they told me that... Q & A 3 Finally, they believe... SPORTS & CLIMATE Page 3 Sports Center Headline: The final score was... Weather Watch MON ___°F TUE ___°F WED ___°F Detailed Forecast: The weather for tomorrow will be... THE FUN PAGE Page 4 Today's Quote "Write a quote that inspires you here..." - ____________ Did You Know? Fact 1: _____________________ Fact 2: _____________________ Joke Box Joke 1 Knock knock... Joke 2 Why did the... Gazette Publishing Co. © 2026
Reporter Cheat SheetReporter's Cheat Sheet Sentence Frames & Starters for ESL Journalists News Coverage "Today in _________________________, a major event happened." "Across the world in _____________________, people are..." "Experts say that _________________________ is changing because..." School News "Our school is hosting _________________________ on ________." "Many students are excited for _________________________." "The winner of the _________________________ was ________." Interviews "I interviewed _________________________ about ________." "They believe that _________________________ is important." "When I asked about ________, they said, '________________'." Sports Center "The _________________________ team played against ________." "The final score was _____________________ to ________." "Fans were cheering loudly when _________________________." Weather Report "The forecast for tomorrow is _________________________." "The temperature will reach a high of __________________." "Expect some _________________________ in the afternoon." Fun & Facts "Did you know that _________________________ can ________?" "A surprising fact about _________________________ is ________." "Today's quote reminds us to _________________________." Editorial Checklist & Vocabulary Key Concepts Headline The title of a news story, written in large letters. Journalist / Reporter The person who finds news and writes it down. Quote The exact words someone said, using marks (" "). Fact vs. Opinion Facts are proven true; opinions are feelings or beliefs. Self-Editing Catchy headline for every story. Answered Who, What, Where, When, Why. Used at least 3 sentence starters. Checked punctuation (.,!?""). Pro Tip: Read your stories out loud. If a sentence sounds confusing, try using a different sentence frame!
Editorial Board GuideEditorial Board Guide Teacher Lesson Plan & Facilitation Guide Grade Level 8th Grade (ESL) Duration 120 Minutes Focus Writing & Reporting Lesson Objectives Identify key newspaper sections and their purposes. Apply the "5 W's" framework to write news reports. Use sentence frames to produce varied journalistic content. Conduct mini-interviews and record quotes accurately. Instructional Pacing 20m Intro & Vocabulary Introduce journalism roles and 5 W's with Newsflash Slides. 20m Modeling Headlines Practice transforming simple statements into dramatic "News Headlines" together. 60m Guided Production Students work on the Daily Gazette Template using their cheat sheets. 20m Peer Review Students swap papers and use the checklist to provide peer feedback. Support & Differentiation Scaffolding Keep the Cheat Sheet accessible at all times. Emerging learners can focus on only 3 sections instead of the whole template. Oral Practice Practice interview questions with a partner first. This builds confidence in spoken English before translating to text. Expert Implementation Tips Tactile Hook Bring in physical newspapers to show layout in person. This tactile experience helps students understand spatial hierarchy. Shy Learners Allow students to interview fictional characters or celebrities. This lowers social pressure and encourages creative language use. Celebration Print final templates and post on a "News Bulletin Board." Celebrating published work increases motivation and ownership.
