News Item Writing Worksheet

BAMBANG YULIANTO Kelas Blitar

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Description: This activity is prepared for ten graders of SMA who are studying

news item type of genre. The activity is done in group (role play) based on

Task-Based Instruction method.

Procedure;

1. Grouping: Students are devided into 3 groups of 3 students. They are called

home groups. One member of each home group separates from the groups to

be a source (expert) group.

3. Interviewing: The source group return to their home group to be

interviewed by the members. In his or her own home group, the source

member acts as Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Untung S. Rajab who provides

information about the policy to ban the concert and the home group members

act as journalists looking for information about the ban of Lady Gaga’s

concert. They jot down the information.

4. Composing: When the interview is over, the students (members and

source) start writing the news item based on the information they got from

their source using the given worksheet. The 3 members have different roles;

the information collector, the hand writer, and the editor. During the proses

of writing, teacher circulates helping the students when necessary. The

process of group writing is timed for 15 minutes. When finished, the work is

submitted. (If possible, teacher may check and correct the students’ work while circulating).

5. Reciting/Celebrating: In turn, each group read aloud their work.

6. Commenting

Teacher gives comments on the process and their writing product.

7. Tasking: Teacher explains a task and assigns the students to do the task

individually as shown on the LCD as homework.

NEWS ITEM

COMPOSITION


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Step one: Pre-Writing

A. If you are the expert group, you are acting as Jakarta Police chief Insp.

Gen.Untung S. Rajab. Read the text below carefully as the information in

the text you will use as the source that you need to share to your friends

who act as the journalists. Focus on the following information:

What is the text about? When is the event? Where does the event happen?

Why do you ban the concert? Who are involved in the event?

How does it happen?

Police say halting concert was to protect nation’s culture

Iman Mahditama, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 05/16/2012 8:22 PM

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Untung S. Rajab insisted on Wednesday that stopping

American pop diva Lady Gaga from holding a concert in Jakarta was part of his duty to

“protect the nation’s culture”.

“The reasons behind the police’s refusal to issue a permit for the show not only include

security issues but also the police’s duty to protect the nation’s culture,” he said.

“You have to view [the decision to not issue the permit for the concert] objectively. There

will always be those who like and those who oppose every decision,” he said.

Untung also said that the police would have to forcefully close down the show, should the

promoter decide to go ahead with the plan of holding the concert at the Bung Karno Main

Stadium on June 3.

“I’m not banning [Lady Gaga], I just refuse to recommend [the June 3 gig be held],” he told

reporters. “If [the promoter] insists on holding the show, then it may be deemed as

unlawful, and the show will have to be closed down.”

The police have revealed that this is the first time authorities have ever banned a foreign

singer from performing in Indonesia. Over the years, several foreign performers have

canceled their scheduled concerts in Indonesia for various reasons, but none of them were

banned by law enforcement agencies.


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B. If you are the journalists, use the questions (5 Wh + How questions) looking for

information about the ban of the Lady Gaga concert. After you interview your source ,

write down the ideas here.

Whilst-writing

C. When you have finished with the interview, Write down your news item based on the

information you get from your source here.

Title

Newsworthy

event:

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Interview Notes

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Background/

Elaboration/

(Source)

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Source/

(Bacground/

Elaboration)

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WRITING TASK

Individually, write a news item based on school life.

1. Select what area you want to cover.

Example;

1. School canteen 6. PPDB

2. School library 7. School shop (koperasi sekolah)

3. Native speaker 8. Students’ activities (ekskul)

4. Students achievement 9. People at school

5. School facilities 10. Others....

2. Decide the topic of the area (title) you want to investigate.

Example;

1. The food or menu of the canteen.

2. The interest of SMP students who want to study in your school

3. Etc

3. Decide the people you are going to interview related to your area and

topic. You may interview the student candidates, their parents, the

canteen people, teachers, even the people, headmaster as your sources.

Take their photos.

4. Prepare the questions you are going to ask. Write down the questions.

5. When you have finished with your interview, write your news item.

6. Refer to the structure of news item text.

7. Your final work should be typed in the form of real news item text with

theillustration (photo) and submitted via email to

[email protected].

8. After being edited, your news items will be published in your classroom

(school) magazine.

STUDENT JOURNALISM

News Item Writing Worksheet

Documents

Transcript of News Item Writing Worksheet