Communications Toolkit - Written Communications€¦ · COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT • Written...

ContentsWhat Leaders Need to KnowIntroduction ......................................................................... 9Definition of Writing & the Writing Process .............................. 9Helping Kids Become More Comfortable Writers......................... 9Life Skills ............................................................................10Self-Assessment & Evaluation ................................................ 10Glossary............................................................................... 11Careers ................................................................................ 12Notable Writers .................................................................... 12Ways to Involve Parents in the Writing Process & Practice .........12Using Written Communication in Your Youth Group .................. 13Beyond the Toolkit: More Ideas & Resources ............................ 14

Skill SheetsThe Writing Process .............................................................. 17Creative Writing ................................................................... 19News Writing ........................................................................ 20Steps to Creating a Newsletter ............................................... 22

Group Story Writing .............................................................. 23The ABC’s of Me .................................................................... 24Who’s in the News? ............................................................... 25Find Those W’s & That H! .......................................................26

COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT • Written Communications –9©2000 Michigan State University Board of Trustees.

What LeadersNeed to KnowIntroductionWhether your group writes songlyrics, “how-to” instructions, termpapers or newsletter articles, theability to write allows them to en-tertain, teach, inform or enlightenothers.

Writing is a nearly universal way ofcommunicating feelings, knowledge,ideas and intuition across genera-tions and even across cultures.

This section of the CommunicationsToolkit is designed to help youngpeople practice writing in manyways. Through the resources in thissection, you can:

• Explore ways to help kids becomemore comfortable with written com-munications.

• Use written communications skillsheets to find out how to use writ-ten communication in your youthgroup.

• Explore creative and practical usesof written communications.

• Explore careers that require writ-ten communication.

• Discover activities that help kidsexplore the writing process.

• Find out ways to learn more.

Definition ofWriting & theWriting ProcessIn this section of the Communica-tions Toolkit, we have defined “writ-ing” as “using language to compose

a set of ideas or concepts for pur-poses of communication.” Lan-guage, in this instance, can bewords, musical notes or any under-standable and appropriate charac-ter used to communicate a concept.

Although “The Writing Process” skillsheet on page 17 has numbered steps,writing as a process doesn’t alwaysflow into any particular pattern orline. Each step can lead to any otherstep that’s part of the process. Forinstance, once you draft your work,you may discover that a different for-mat would work better, or that youneed more information. Although allthe steps are integral to the process,each writer is responsible for decid-ing the order in which he or she willuse the steps to create a written work.

Again, whether it’s a poem, a song, aterm paper, a news story, a short storyor even directions for completing atask, writers must incorporate eachof these steps to effectively expressthemselves in writing.

Helping KidsBecome MoreComfortableWritersReading to WriteHow do you motivate kids to com-fortably take pen in hand? One easyway is to encourage them to read –or to read to them – written works ofall sorts. These could include comicbooks, short stories, newspapers, nov-els, magazines, CD liner notes, poetryand sheet music. When kids can ap-preciate the sound, the motion, the

rhythm of words that are spoken, itgives them an excellent idea of whattheir own written words can do foran audience. Consider these ideas forhelping kids learn to appreciate goodwriting:

• Read out loud to the group froma variety of works. For instance,read a short story out loud and havethe members critique it for interest,entertainment value and writingstyle. Ask them whether the infor-mation would have worked betterin a different format. Were therepassages that were boring or hardto understand? Ask them to improvethe text, change the ending or re-format the information into a betterpresentation.

• Have the kids turn a front-pagenewspaper article into a two-minutetelevision news story or a news-paper display ad into a 30-secondradio spot.

• Ask the young people to put thewords of a poem to music. Read thepoem out loud, then have the kidsadapt the words to familiar musicaltunes. Tell them it’s okay to changethe words to fit the music better.

• Ask for a volunteer to read a shortstory out loud to the group. Thenhave the volunteer read it again,changing the story’s ending. (Short,fictional stories that can be read in15 minutes or less work best. Yourlocal librarian can help you iden-tify books that would work well.)

• As kids show an interest in dif-ferent forms of writing, encouragethem to learn more about that formby reading other people’s work.

10 – COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT • Written Communications©2000 Michigan State University Board of Trustees.

Have them study how a piece is or-ganized, how long it is (andwhether that length was appropri-ate) and what the author empha-sized in it. Have the group experi-ment with writing the piece fromtheir own point of view or experi-ences. If the piece is about a sub-ject they know something about,ask them if the piece contained newor unfamiliar words. If there were,have the kids think of simpler oreasier ways to express the samethought or information.

• Have your group members expandon the typical book report by read-ing a newspaper story, a writtenpiece on a subject they’re interestedin, a poem, short story, novel orchildren’s book. Then have themwrite the answers to several ques-tions about what they read:- How did the story make you

feel?- What did the story explain or

talk about?- Was the work a fair treatment

of the subject matter?- What information was impor-

tant for you to know that wasleft out of the story?

Understanding theMeaning of WordsWhen kids look at words as funpuzzles to explore and solve, insteadof as stumbling blocks to under-standing, their comfort with read-ing and writing increases.

Strategies for increasing kids’ com-fort with words include:

• Have kids read a newspaper, shortstory, speech or any written com-munication. Ask them to jot downwords that are new to them, thatthey don’t understand or that theylike and would like to learn moreabout. Then have the kids look upthe words in a dictionary to discovertheir meaning or in a thesaurus to

discover a simpler word the authorcould have used to increase thereader’s understanding.

• Have the group work together tochoose a word of the month. Writethe word on a sheet of newsprintand post it somewhere in yourmeeting room that is visible to ev-eryone. Challenge kids to use theword as often and as creatively asthey possibly can in their writtenwork for the group that month.Make a chart to track the members’use of the word. Place a star by eachperson’s name each time he or shesuccessfully uses the word. At theend of the month, reward the per-son who was able to incorporate the“word of the month” into the mostwriting exercises or group writingexperiences.

• Develop a list of words that maybe unfamiliar to the group. Askthem to guess the complicatedwords’ definitions by breaking themapart. For example, by breaking“malodorous” into its smaller rootwords, (“mal” or “bad” and “odor-ous” or “having an odor”) they canlearn that the word means bad odoror bad smelling. This exercise canhelp kids learn not to be intimi-dated by large words.

Life SkillsThe ability to write well is itself animportant and marketable life skill.The writing activities and skillsheets in this section will help de-velop young people’s ability to:

• Communicate and express them-selves effectively.

• Judge the value of informationfor a given purpose (for example,evaluating information for newswriting).

• Ask questions to gain moreinformation.

• Organize and plan for a finalproduct.

• Work as a team member (for ex-ample, creating a newsletter withothers).

• Build personal awareness and self-esteem by understanding their abili-ties and having an opportunity toexperience success.

• Manage feelings (for example,using writing as an expression offeelings).

So, you may be asking, how do youget kids to write? Well, there’s onlyone way – encourage them to write,write and write some more! The bestway to develop writing skills is justto do it. Use any and all opportuni-ties to encourage kids to practicewriting.

Also, allow kids to write simply toexpress themselves. Kids (and adults)can be intimidated and avoid writingaltogether if they’re afraid it won’tbe “perfect.” Tell kids to forget aboutspelling and grammatical details atfirst. Those things can certainly beaddressed some other time if thework is intended for publication.

This section of the CommunicationsToolkit offers a variety of activitiesand suggestions to help you helpkids write! It also offers resourcesto help you and your kids betterunderstand the concepts and toolsof written expression and commu-nication. Included are definitionsof different forms of written expres-sion, a list of writing resources andways to extend learning experiences“beyond the toolkit.”

Self-Assessment& EvaluationAfter each activity or project youlead with young people, please helpthem think about what theylearned. Make copies of the “What


I Learned” self-evaluation form onpage 8 and distribute them to yourgroup. Ask them to think quietlyabout the questions and make notesabout what they learned, how they

GlossaryPersonal ExpressionBook – A set of written, printedor blank sheets bound togetherinto a volume

Creative writing – Stories, po-ems, songs, plays or lyrics (seethe “Creative Writing” skill sheeton pg. 19)

Journal – A record of experi-ences, ideas or reflections keptregularly for private use

Mission statement – A state-ment that defines or outlines acalling, vocation or specific taskwith which a person or group ischarged

Public InformationFact sheet – A printed sheet thatpresents information that is trueor has objective reality

News release – A compilation ofmaterial that is newsworthy andappropriate for distribution in anewspaper, news periodical ornewscast

Newsletter – A printed sheet,pamphlet or small newspapercontaining news or informationof interest chiefly to a specialgroup

Public service announcement –A promotional message broadcastin the public interest on televi-sion and radio stations at no costto the provider

Speech – Communication or ex-pression of thoughts in spokenwords; a public discourse or address

Video scripts – Written text usedin production or performance of avideotape

PromotionAdvertisement (Ad) – An act orprocess (that is, broadcast) or no-tice used to make somethingknown, announce publicly or callpublic attention to

Brochure – A pamphlet or bookletcontaining descriptive or advertis-ing material

Flier – A form of advertisementdistributed by hand to, or pickedup by, a particular audience

Jingle – A short verse or songmarked by catchy repetition

Poster – A bill or placard for post-ing in a public place

OtherCase statement – A written state-ment describing a situation requir-ing action; usually used for cam-paigns to raise financial or emo-tional support for a project

Communication outline – A planor preliminary account of how youplan to communicate; can helpwriters organize their thoughts towrite for any media

feel about their skills in that areaand what they’d like to learn moreabout. Then lead a discussion withthe whole group and ask if anyonewants to share what they came up

Copy – Manuscript or textmaterial

Essay – An analytic or interpre-tative literary composition usu-ally dealing with a subject froma limited or personal point ofview

Grant proposal – A written re-quest for financial support thatoutlines an action plan, budget,and rationale and support forwhy the money is needed

Project proposals – A writtensynopsis of a proposed activitythat includes goals, intendedoutcomes and a plan of action

School reports – Written reportsdesigned to explain, educateabout or describe a subject ortopic, usually for academic creditor a grade

with. Young people may want tokeep their “What I Learned” self-evaluation forms to refer to laterand as a way to document theirlearning process.


CareersMost jobs require some writingskills, but a few jobs require (or al-low, depending on your point ofview) higher-level, full-time writingskills. As the group considers thefollowing list of career options, askthe participants what form ofwritten communication a person ineach field would use. (You can usethe glossary on pg. 11 as a resource.)• Advertising, marketing or

public relations professional• Author• Clergy member• Curriculum developer or

specialist• Editor• Fund-raiser• Journalist• Label/packaging writer• Legislative aide• Novelist• Playwright• Poet• Professor• Script writer for film,

television, radio• Songwriter• Speech writer• Technical writer

Notable WritersHaving excellent writing skills hasenabled many historical and notablepersonalities to make importantcontributions to our lives and tosociety.

Louisa May Alcott – Her classicworks have become standard class-room literature for many young stu-dents. In 1994, her most famouswork, Little Women, again was madeinto a major motion picture, a mere126 years after the book was firstpublished!

Maya Angelou – The actress, poetand novelist earned national atten-tion in 1993 when she read herpoem, “The Pulse of the Morning,”at President Clinton’s inauguration.

Judy Blume – Adolescents aroundthe world have enjoyed and learnedfrom the entertaining books aboutgrowing up written by this author.

Hillary Rodham Clinton – The FirstLady of the Clinton Administration,who is also a lawyer, has writtenlandmark briefs during her legalcareer. And her book, It Takes a Vil-lage to Raise a Child, written dur-ing her husband’s first term in theWhite House, has been a rallyingcry for people working on behalf ofchildren, youth and families.

Charles Dickens – The words of thisclassical writer have made him im-mortal.

Martin Luther King Jr. – Dr. Kingwas a wonderful writer who usedlanguage to create memorable andhistory-making speeches. His wordshelped convince people of the mer-its of racial equality and worldpeace.

Charles Schultz – The creator ofthe Peanuts comic strip happens tobe an excellent illustrator, too! He’sa great example of a writer who usesanother medium to communicatehis ideas.

Dr. Seuss – This genius of rhymeand imagination taught kids andadults alike how much fun wordsand writing can be!

Will Smith – “The Fresh Prince” isexpert at using verse to communicatecontemporary ideas in a languageand style that kids can understand.

Ways to InvolveParents in theWriting Process& PracticeThe very best way for young peopleto become better writers is for themto write as often as they can. En-list the help of parents in your ef-forts to encourage writing in the fol-lowing ways:

• Encourage parents to write let-ters to their kids and have the kidswrite them back. If parents haveelectronic mail (email) addresses,have them share the address withtheir kids and encourage them toexchange messages or short letters.Even without email, parents can usea similar technique by stamping andaddressing 12 envelopes to theirwork addresses. Once a month, par-ents can encourage their childrento send a letter that captures theirthoughts and what’s going on thatmonth. Parents can write backthrough the mail.

• Poll parents to see if there arewriters in the group. If there are,invite them to be a part of a ses-sion that focuses on the kind ofwriting they do professionally orpersonally.

• Ask parents to encourage journalwriting at home. Have them helptheir kids keep holiday or vacationjournals.

• Plan a parent’s night where kidscan formally present and showcasetheir written works for their parents.

• Have parents become partnerswith their children in creating sto-ries about the family history.


Other ideas for parent involvementmight become apparent in the pro-cess of helping kids develop theirwriting skills. You also could ask thekids to talk about ways they wouldlike to work with their parents ontheir writing skills and help encour-age that involvement in your inter-actions with parents.

Using WrittenCommunication inYour Youth GroupCreative Writing as aGroup ProjectOne great way for young people toexplore creative writing is to do sowith friends or other young peoplewho share the same interests. Kidscan learn about themselves andeach other through the opportuni-ties for personal expression thatcreative writing provides. Activitiesinclude writing poetry, short sto-ries and novels, songs and plays.

Consider having your creative writ-ing group try one or more of theactivity ideas that follow.

Explore writing forms – Eachmonth choose a form of creativewriting your group would like toexplore. Spend the first part of yourtime together reading or reviewingan acknowledged quality work inthat form. For example, for a closelook at poetry, the group could readworks by one of our nation’s poetlaureates such as Robert Frost orMaya Angelou. To study song lyr-ics, check out works by artists onthe top ten lists published by out-lets such as Billboard magazine.(Song lyrics are often printed onalbum jackets or CD liner notes.)Your local library or bookstore canhelp you find examples of popularkids books or books that kids havebeen assigned to read in school.

Then offer kids a way to expressthemselves and their thoughts orideas through that same medium.Some forms (books) may take longerto explore than just one meeting.By the end of the project year (orby county fair time), they couldhave several works completed forexhibit or recognition.

Publish a creative writing news-letter or magazine – Have eachmember submit at least one piecefor each issue to share with othergroup members, parents, all county4-H families or whatever audienceyour group has identified. If theychoose to do a magazine, they couldhelp pay for it by seeking localsponsorship from a publishing com-pany or printer, or by selling ads.

Organize peer review sessions –Encourage the members to practicesome form of creative writing be-tween meetings. Require each writerto bring at least one completedwork or work-in-progress to eachmeeting for review. Establish guide-lines to ensure that criticism is pro-ductive and valuable to the writer,so that his or her creative energyisn’t crushed. As the peer reviewersread or listen to a work, have themthink about and be ready to answerthe following questions:

• What did the work make you thinkabout while you read or listened toit?

• How did it make you feel? Didyou feel anything after listening toor reading the work?

• What did you learn that you didn’tknow before, either about the writeror the subject?

• What did you want to know thatthe writer failed to share or illumi-nate in the writing?

• What would have made the workmore powerful for you?

Have each writer go through the samereview process. Think about sharingsome of your own writing, too. Askthe group to discuss the responses.This activity should be set up and runas a safe environment, one that nur-tures the creative growth of thewriter. Writers should be willing tolisten to and learn from the peer re-viewers, and to understand how theirwriting affects others.

Using a GroupNewsletter toExplore Writing SkillsNewsletters are designed to deliverspecific information to an identi-fied audience on a regular basis.Youth groups could use newslettersto communicate important informa-tion to their members, recognizethe activities or accomplishmentsof their members and showcase theirmembers’ knowledge or skills (suchas in creative writing).

How can your group decide whetherthey need to produce a newsletter?A newsletter can be a good com-munication tool when the informa-tion you want to communicate is:

• Intended for people with an ob-vious common interest.

• Confined to limited interests ordeals with one subject matter (suchas the operations of the local 4-Hclub or group).

• Relevant and useful to the readers.

• Reliable, accurate and consideredtrustworthy by the audience.

• Familiar and personal. That is, thepublishers are people the readersknow and can contact easily.

• Short and to the point. The infor-mation can be read quickly.

• Timely, referring to the recentpast, present or near future.


See the “Steps to Creating a News-letter” on pg. 22 for more informa-tion.

Writing as aClub ProjectIf you have a group of kids whoseprimary interest is in writing andcommunications, consider startinga writing club. Your group couldserve as a resource to other clubsor groups in your community thatare interested in making writing apart of their program.

Your group could be responsible for:

• The county 4-H newsletter.Group members could be responsiblefor gathering news from through-out the county, writing stories, ed-iting submissions, and producingand distributing the newsletter. Thiscould be a year-long responsibilityor a one-time issue to note a majorevent or occasion.

• Writing and illustrating greet-ing cards that are unique to yourgroup or program.

• All promotion and publicity ac-tivities for a county 4-H programor youth organization. The groupcould serve as the program’s publicrelations firm. They could work withthe local staff to prepare and dis-tribute news releases, brochures,advertisements, public service an-nouncements, special histories orwritten pieces for special events.These writing, production and me-

dia relations opportunities can givekids portfolio pieces that couldstrengthen later college or jobapplications.

• Creating county 4-H programexhibits or ads for your organi-zation. If your group members areinterested in strengthening theirwritten and visual communicationsskills, this could be an excellentproject that benefits the countyprogram and provides a wealth ofpractical experience.

Writing to Strengthen4-H Project Knowledge4-H offers kids many opportunitiesto practice their writing skills. Mak-ing writing an integral part of the4-H project can ensure that youngpeople:

• Develop a broad knowledge oftheir project area.

• Become confident of their skill ina project through their ability towrite about it.

• Are able to communicate withothers about the skills and talentsthey have learned in a project area.

You can help your kids use writingto strengthen their project knowl-edge or knowledge on any subjectby encouraging them to write:

• Instructions on how to perform aproject task.

• Descriptions of pieces they havecreated, whether those pieces arephotographs, works of art, piecesof clothing or new or easier meth-ods for doing a project.

• Journals in which they regularlyrecord progress on their project orwork they are doing as part of thegroup.

• Promotional pieces (news releases,public service announcements, ads,fliers, brochures) about fund-

raisers, about their group to recruitvolunteers or members, or about anupcoming special event.

• Histories of the project or theirclub in their county.

• Speeches to deliver during a meet-ing about the project.

• Résumés featuring project orgroup experiences that can trans-late into employment options.

• Project manuals for younger kidsinterested in taking up a project.

Any of these activities can becomea part of any project work in which4-H’ers or other young people en-gage. And it gives them what theyneed to become good writers – prac-tice, practice and more practice.

Beyond theToolkit:More Ideas &ResourcesThe Communityas a ResourceLibrariesWhat better place to explore allkinds of writing – from journals,periodicals and legal writings tonovels and nonfiction literature –than your local library?

On a visit to a local library you canhave group members check outbooks, then read and write reviewsof them.

Libraries are excellent places forwriters to research possible topics,or to learn about other writers andpeople whose success or fame isbased on their use of the writtenword. Libraries are also good sourcesof information on how other peoplefeel about an author’s work.


Newspapers

Your local newspaper can be a placefor your group to see professionalreporters and writers in action orfor you to find writers to speak toyour group. It can also be a placefor your members to test their writ-ing skills through letters to theeditor, opinion columns, or place-ment of news releases or other work.

Many newspapers solicit work byoutside writers in an effort to in-clude a variety of viewpoints andopinions on events and issues thataffect their coverage areas. Somenewspapers even dedicate a page orsection each week to teen issues,featuring articles submitted byyoung adult writers. Look on theeditorial page for guidelines on sub-mitting letters to the editor andother types of articles, or call thenewspaper’s editorial offices.

Broadcast Media Outlets

Writing for radio and television dif-fers from writing for a print me-dium. Air time is – literally – money,and the writing reflects that. Newsand opinion pieces are generallyshorter and written with more ofan ear for how they sound thansimilar pieces intended for print.Arrange a tour of a radio or televi-sion station and a talk by a staffwriter to help your group learnabout the unique skills requiredwhen writing for broadcast. Audio-or videotape a radio or televisionnews broadcast and play the tapeat a later meeting. Have the grouptime the stories and listen for dif-ferences in the writing style fornews stories, advertising copy andpublic service announcements.

Bookstores

Schedule a group visit to a book-store. While you’re there, survey thebestseller lists to take a “snapshot”

of what the public wants to read.Ask the manager to talk to yourgroup about what people come tothe store to buy, what themes ortitles are popular in literature to-day and what kind of how-to infor-mation is selling well in the store.Visiting a bookstore can be espe-cially informative for someone con-sidering becoming a professionalwriter.

City Magazines

Many major cities have magazinesthat focus primarily on local sto-ries. If your city has a dedicatedmagazine, arrange for your groupto interview the editors and find outwhat kinds of stories they’re lookingfor. Do they accept creative worksfrom freelance authors or writers?Do they accept contributions fromyoung people? Do they hire paid orvolunteer interns or correspondentsto cover issues that affect youngpeople in the community?

Books & ElectronicResourcesBooks on Developing LanguageArts Skills

• A dictionary and a thesaurus. Allwriters need these reference toolsto help them improve their writingskills

• Language Arts Activities for Chil-dren (3rd edition), by Donna E.Norton and Saundra Norton. CollegeStation, Texas: Texas A&M Univer-sity, Merrill Press, 1994.

• Picture This: Teaching ReadingThrough Visualization, by LauraRose. Tucson, Arizona: Zephyr Press,1989.

• Spuntz I: Language Arts Activitiesfor Self-Awareness, by MerrillHarmin, Ph.D. Tucson, Arizona:Zephyr Press, 1992.

• Whole Language in Action! Teach-ing With Children’s Literature, by

Nancy Polette. O’Fallen, Missouri:Book Lures Inc., 1990.

Books on Developing WritingSkills• The Associated Press Stylebook andLibel Manual, edited by NormGoldstein. New York: The AssociatedPress. 1996. The most widely usedand taught reference book for news-style writing; useful for newsletterdevelopment, news releases andbroadcast writing. It is updatedperiodically.

• Plan It: Your Personal Guide toMaking a Plan and Carrying It Out(4-H 1501), Michigan 4-H YouthPrograms, 1991. This worksheethelps kids construct plans by an-ticipating their needs and obstacles,with the ultimate goal of sharingwhat they learn. (Available from theMichigan State University BulletinOffice, 10B Agriculture Hall, EastLansing, MI 48824-1039.)

• Recipes for Writing: Motivation,Skills and Activities, by Murray Suidand Wanda Lincoln. Addison-WesleyPublishing Company Inc., 1989. Acomprehensive resource for explor-ing the writing process and a vari-ety of writing forms. The book in-cludes copy-ready forms and activi-ties for helping young people write.“Recipes for Writing” can serve as agreat companion to this toolkit.

• So You’ve Been Elected Reporter ofYour Club (4-H 1472), Michigan 4-HYouth Programs (reprinted withpermission from the Iowa StateUniversity and Illinois State Univer-sity Cooperative Extension Ser-vices), 1989. This bulletin offersguidelines for promotional and newswriting, with an example of a newsstory’s development and tips forwriting effective news articles. Italso includes a practice worksheet.(Available from the Michigan StateUniversity Bulletin Office, 10B Ag-riculture Hall, East Lansing, MI48824-1039.)


• Ways to Learn More Packet (4–H1499), Michigan 4-H Youth Programs,1991. Expanding kids’ knowledge isthe goal of this folder! Kids are giveninformation on writing in 18 areas –from business letters to pen pals, fieldjournals to questionnaires and sur-veys, résumés to telephone resources– in a fun and exciting way. (Avail-able from the Michigan State Univer-sity Bulletin Office, 10B AgricultureHall, East Lansing, MI 48824-1039.)

• Writing: How and Why, by MatthewLipman with Ann M. Sharp. UpperMontclair, New Jersey: Institute forthe Advancement of Philosophy forChildren, 1980.

Electronic Resources

The following Internet or World WideWeb (WWW) resources feature oppor-tunities for language arts and writ-ing skill development. Keep in mindthat Internet and WWW addressestend to change fairly often. Use thegeneral categories listed here assearch terms with any of the Internetsearch engines: “writing,” “creativewriting,” “news writing,” “poetry,”“literature,” “children’s literature,”“authors,” “novelists” or “publishers.”You could also have the participantscome up with their own set of searchterms. (See pg. 134 for informationon Internet safety.)

The Big Busy House (http://www.h a r p e r c h i l d re ns . c om/index.htm) – This commercial site,a section of the HarperCollins Pub-

lishers site, offers information onchildren’s literature and activitiesthat encourage reading and lan-guage arts skill development.

The Children’s Literature WebGuide (http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/) – Provides a compre-hensive listing of children’s litera-ture and access to sites where kidscan publish their works online.

Cyberkids (http://www. cyberkids.com) and Cyberteens (http://www.cyberteens.com) – Two onlinecommercial magazines that publishoriginal electronic stories and artcreated by kids and teens.

Elements of Style (http://www.bartleby.com/141/index.html)– Columbia University offers anonline version of this invaluablewriter’s tool that is also publishedby MacMillan Publishing CompanyInc., New York.

Kids Web (http://www.kidsvista.com) – A digital library of WorldWide Web resources appropriate forkids. Each subject section, includ-ing literature, music and drama,contains a list of links to informa-tion that is understandable and in-teresting to school kids. It also fea-tures links to more advanced mate-rial on each subject.

MidLink Magazine (http://longwood.cs.ucf.edu~MidLink/) –An electronic magazine for kids inthe middle grades (generally aged10 to 15) that provides an interac-tive space to enjoy art and writing.

It links middle school students allover the world.

• Schoolhouse Rock (http://genxtv l and . s imp lene t . com/SchoolHouseRock/index-lo.shtml) –An online compilation of the edu-cational series that airs on the ABCtelevision network between Saturdaymorning cartoons. The site providesa great way to help kids explore howwords and music can be combinedto teach complicated concepts.

• Word Play (http://www.wolinskyweb.com/word.htm) – Aguide to sites that feature fun withwords. The listing is an extensive,reviewed list of Web sites that ex-plore words in their many forms.Also features word games that youcan adapt and use with your groupto get them feeling more comfort-able with words. As with all Websites, an adult should review thesuggested sites for age and contentappropriateness before sharing withkids.


SKILL SHEET:

The Writing Process

There are seven basicsteps to writing. Usethis skill sheet to helpyou through the steps.And remember, writingas a process doesn’t flowinto any particularpattern or line. Itdoesn’t matter so muchhow you incorporate thesteps, but that yourwriting should includesome attention to eachof the steps.

Step 1: Find IdeasAsk yourself what and who arepeople talking about? What’s beenon your mind a lot lately? Whatwould you like to do somethingabout? What do you find most in-teresting? These are the start ofideas you can write about. Nowwrite them down and save them.When you’re ready to begin yourwriting project, pull them out andpick out the idea that most appealsto you.

Step 2: PlanOnce you’ve picked out the idea thatmost appeals to you, decide whomost needs to read or hear youridea. Who is your audience? Whatis the goal of your work? Do youwant to entertain, inform or teachyour audience? Do you want to ex-press your opinion or describe youridea? Or do you want to changepeople’s minds or the way they act?In planning you should:

• Define your audience.

• Decide on the purpose of yourwriting.

• Decide if you will give anoverview or discuss a smallpart of your idea.

• Write your title.

• Decide on your format – will itbe a song, a poem, an essay, anews article, a feature story, aposter, a videotape, a bumpersticker?

• Decide the length of yourpiece.

• Decide whose point of view youwill write from – yours (firstperson – I), your audience(second person – you) or someother person’s (third person –he, she or they).

• Determine your tone. Will yourwritings show strength, humor,fear, celebration? Will you bequiet, easy, restful or loud,boisterous, wacky? Decidingthis point will help you choosethe words you need to makeyour point.

Step 3: ResearchThere are many places you can goand methods you can use to re-search a story. First determine whatyou most need to know about yourstory idea. Then decide how you willfind out what you need to know.Will you go to the library or surfthe Internet? Will you interviewpeople? Will you watch, look andlisten? Once you determine whatyou need to know and how you canget the information, go to thesource and record what’s necessaryto help you write your piece. Be sureto check your sources to ensure thatthe information is up-to-date andaccurate. This might require check-ing more than one source for all theinformation you need to gather.

Step 4: OrganizeDecide how you’ll approach the in-formation. You can present infor-mation in chronological order (mea-sured by time), spatial order (fromtop to bottom, from end to begin-ning, from left to right or viceversa), rank order (best to worst,


most important to least important,first to last, biggest to smallest) oreven emotional order (from happyto sad, from anger to resolution,from uninformed to informed).

Step 5: DraftTake your idea, and your plan forthe best way to approach that idea,and all of the information you’vegathered in your research aboutthat idea and your outline for or-ganizing your idea – and write!Develop a practice version of thepiece you want to create.

Step 6: ReviseNow, take a break from the piece.Sometimes even a 30-minute breakhelps you see it much clearer, butthe best break would be betweengroup meetings, if you have thetime. When you pick up your workagain, read it first to decide if itmeets your goals. Does it entertain,inform, educate, encourage or ex-cite you? Is everything you need tobe there in your manuscript? Thebest way to determine this wouldbe to have a friend or partner readand react to your work. Have theperson tell you if there are parts heor she doesn’t understand or feelsyou left out. Ask the person to sharehow the piece made him or her feel.Did it achieve what you wanted toachieve with your audience? Alsohave the person point out any ob-

The Writer’sToolkit� Research notes

� Dictionary

� Thesaurus

� Grammar book

� Style manual

� Editing pencil ormarker (preferably in adifferent color than whatyou’re using to writewith)

� Stick-on note pads

The Writing Process skill sheet continued

vious inconsistencies, misspellingsor incorrect uses of grammar. Usethe tools of writing (see “TheWriter’s Toolkit” on this page) tohelp you correct or check things likespelling, grammar, dates and usage.Note all of these issues or changeson your draft so that you can cor-rect them, and make the changeson another draft. Then have some-one else, a teacher or your volun-teer group leader, read and reviewthe piece again before you publishit.

Step 7: PublishYou can print it in long hand, typeit on a word processor, videotape itor design the words into a posteror flier. However you choose to doit, it’s time now to put your workin its best, final form for sharingand communicating with your au-dience. Once it’s done, share it!Publish your essays, poems, featureor news articles, and song lyrics ina newsletter, your local newspaper,your school newspaper or a book.Publish your script on video or au-dio and play it for your group, orshare it as part of an exhibit at anevent. Talk to your local cable tele-vision company about airing yourtape on a local access channel. In-corporate your slogans, phrases andthoughts into a poster design, abumper sticker or flier. Be creativein thinking of ways to share yourwork with others!


SKILL SHEET:

Creative Writing

Use the Seven StepsWhether you decide to write a cartoon or comic strip,a play, a poem, a song or a story, it’s very importantthat you follow the seven steps of the writing process:

1. Finding ideas.

2. Planning how you will create the piece.

3. Gathering the information you need to completethe piece.

4. Outlining how you will present the information.

5. Creating a first draft.

6. Editing or revising that draft.

7. Publishing the work.

Use the “Writing Process” skill sheet (see pg. 17) as acompanion to this one when you begin creative writ-ing. The special features of some creative writing formscan help you work through the process of writing.

The Cartoon or Comic StripA cartoon or comic strip is a drawing or series of draw-ings designed to entertain or make a point. The wordsin cartoons or comic strips are there to:

• Provide the characters’ thoughts or dialogue(usually appear in balloons over the character’simage or at the bottom of the cartoon panel).

• Identify or label graphic images. This is particu-larly important when the drawing itself doesn’tclearly and completely convey the point thecartoonist is trying to make.

Cartoonists typically use very few words in this cre-ative format, so they must choose the words they usewith great care.

The PlayOne of the key elements that distinguishes plays ordramas is the importance of dialogue and physical ac-tion. Dialogue and action are used to illustrate or tellthe story to an audience. Plays or dramas usually in-clude all of the elements found in a written story, but

they have the added advantage of helping people hearand visualize the feelings, emotions and conflicts ofthe characters through live performance.

The PoemA poem is a work composed of lines of verse that mayor may not rhyme. Poems – whether they rhyme ornot – often have a rhythm to them, especially whenread aloud. Although rhyming lines of verse can beeasy, it is more important that the rhymes have mean-ing or make sense to the reader. The mix of verse shouldclearly lead to the reader understanding a message,idea or concept. In writing a poem, the writer alsomust decide where the lines will rhyme. Will everyother line rhyme or will the rhyme come at other times?What will be the rhythm or beat of your poem? Thisquestion is important whether your verse rhymes ornot. Short poems (one or two lines) can be used tocreate greeting cards. Unlike the freedom of poemsand other prose, greeting card poems are often guidedby the occasion the card is designed to recognize.

The SongA song is a work of words (the lyrics) and music (thetune). Songs are distinguished by the ability to flowwords and their meaning to a tune you’ve identified.Often songwriters adapt the music of nursery songs oradapt their verses to popular music. Works of poetryoften can be put to music to create songs. Make surethe mood of the music matches or complements themood and tone of your words.

The StoryA story is an account of events, incidents or situa-tions. The format for most stories includes an intro-duction of the key characters or locations, the devel-opment of some kind of conflict or problem one or allof the characters face, descriptions of all the interest-ing things readers need to know about the character(s)and the conflict, a dramatic resolution to the conflictor problem (the climax) and then a conclusion.


SKILL SHEET:

News Writing

Whether you’re writingnews releases to send tothe media or writing astory for your group’snewsletter, followingthese news writing tipswill help you success-fully communicate whatpeople really need toknow.

What Is News?The best way to decide what is “news” in your community is to read,listen and watch. What are reporters writing about in your local newspa-per? What are broadcasters talking about on the local nightly newscast?What are people talking about in your community? In most cases, newsconsists of the events, people and ideas that are:

• Local – Happening in your community, to your community, withyour community.

• Timely – Happening now or near to now.

• New – Unique, different or never been done before.

• Important – Affects lots of people in your community.

• Progressive – Improves the way we live, learn and do things.

• In conflict – Involves tension or struggle.

• Of human interest – Makes people feel or react.

The Five W’s and the HThe very first thing a person should read in your story are the Five W’s,and maybe the H!

• Who is your story about?

• What is your story about?

• When did or will the story occur?

• Where did it or will it take place?

• Why did or will it take place?

• Why does or should anyone care?

• How did or will it happen?

By identifying the who, what, when, where, why and how of your storyidea, you help the media and your intended audience decide whether thestory is worth their time to read. The five W’s are typically the elementsthat make up the first sentence or paragraph of the story – the lead. TheH is more often found in the balance or the detail of the story, but it stillneeds to be one of the first things the reader gets from your story.

Inverted PyramidMake your point and make it fast (your five W’s and H lead) and thengive the facts and details from most important to least important as yourstory progresses. In news writing this is called the inverted pyramid.Your writing should allow an editor to cut from the bottom and not losethe essence of the story you’re trying to tell.


News Writing skill sheet continued

News ReleaseFormat ToolkitUse these tips in formattingyour news releases fordistribution:

• Use no more than 500 wordsor two double-spaced, typedpages.

• Always double space to leavespace for editor’s notes and toease reading.

• Include an attention-gettingheadline that summarizes yourlead.

• Always type news releases.Never submit a handwrittenrelease.

• Use photos or illustrations(such as graphs or graphictimelines) to increase the im-pact of your story.

• Include a contact person’sname and a phone numberwhere he or she can be reacheddays and evenings.

• Include a date on the release.

• If your release has two ormore pages, put “-more-” atthe bottom of the first andsubsequent pages and “-30-”at the end of the final page.

• Include your headline andthe page number (such as“page 2”) at the top of thepage.

• When possible, use a letter-head for news releases thatidentifies your group and givesa contact address.

Most important information.(The 5 W’s are usually here)

Second most important facts.(Probably the H)

and so on until youhave only the least

importantfactsleft.

The Inverted Pyramid

Just the Facts, Please!It is very important that in news writing, you include only the facts.Opinion does not belong in a news story; it is more appropriate in aneditorial. Always check for accuracy. Be sure to double-check all informa-tion, especially names, dates, times, titles and phone numbers. Neverguess!

Write Well!News writing is a great way to practice writing well. Your sentences shouldbe short (no more than 20 words). Your paragraphs should be short (nomore than four sentences, preferably less). Your words should show ac-tion and grab readers’ attention. Your words should be simple and easy tounderstand.


SKILL SHEET:

Steps to Creating aNewsletterIf you decide anewsletter is a goodcommunication tool foryour group, the stepsand questions on thissheet will help you getstarted.

Step1:Establish goals and objectives forthe newsletter to guide the con-tent, design and budget.

Step 2:Identify the newsletter’s audi-ence. Who do you most need tocommunicate with to reach yourgoals for publishing? Do you have away to distribute the newsletter tothis audience? What informationand format will interest the audience?

Step 3:Decide on the newsletter’s for-mat. Will it be text only? Will itinclude photographs or artwork?What paper and ink colors will youuse? What size will each page be?How many pages will each issuehave?

Step 4:Decide how often you will pub-lish. Monthly? Quarterly?

Step 5:Decide on the quality level youwant and can afford for yournewsletter. Will the newsletter bephotocopied, offset printed or de-livered to your readers electroni-cally, via computers?

Step 6:Name your newsletter.

Step 7:Develop a production time line.Decide when you want the news-letter to reach your readers, andwork backwards from that date toset up the production schedule.

Decide on the deadlines for:

• Copy to be submitted.

• Editing and proofreading to becompleted.

• Pages to be designed and laidout (keylined).

• The date the pages will go tothe printer or photocopier (or,in the case of an electronicnewsletter, posted to themailing list or put up on theWorld Wide Web).

• The newsletter to be deliveredto readers.

Step 8:Assign production responsibili-ties to group members. Assign-ments could include reporters orwriters, editors (you may need sepa-rate editors for news, arts and fea-tures), graphic artists and design-ers, photographers and distributionpersonnel.

Step 9:Publish your newsletter. Startingup and publishing a newsletterhelps kids to learn to write concisely,meet deadlines and work as a team.This wonderful group project canincorporate a variety of skills groupmembers may have. See the “NewsWriting” skill sheet (on pg. 20) fortips on how to write the news storiesand other pieces your group mightdecide to include in the newsletter.


ACTIVITY:

Group Story Writing

FOCUS:Building creative communicationsskills

PURPOSE:To encourage kids to work as agroup and use their creativethought processes to create acredible, meaningful story

MATERIALS:� 5.5-inch by 8.5-inch pieces of

paper or 5-inch by 8-inch indexcards

� Thin point markers� ”What I Learned” self-evaluation

form (on pg. 8; one per person)

SETTING:A large indoor space with an openwall, floor or bulletin board

TIME:5 minutes per contributor

PROCEDURE:Before the meeting:1. Write a number in the upper left corner of each sheet of paper or

index card, beginning with 1 and continuing through the number ofparticipants you expect at the meeting.

2. On the first card, write a story starter such as those that follow, orone that is related to your groups’ interests or experiences.

• Thirteen-year-old Joshua was skateboarding down the sidewalkwhen…

• Cindy has run out of options…• Michael had been observing Billy since the beginning of class…• The 4-H Teen Club had three days to go before the county 4-H

fair…• When Chantal was seven, she…• Running through the park, he caught…

During the meeting:1. Tell the group they are going to work as a team to write a story.

Their challenge will be to formulate a beginning, an action middleand an end. Each writer will have no more than five minutes tocontinue the story, building on the work of the previous writer.

2. Give each participant a numbered paper or index card and a marker.

3. Read the story beginning written on the first card, then ask theperson with card 2 to continue the story. Have the participants adda phrase or sentence to the story in the order of the numbers ontheir cards.

4. When the last person has completed the story, ask for a volunteerto read the entire story out loud, or have the participants read theirpieces of the story in order.

TRY THIS TOO:Before you start the “Group Story Writing” activity, try this icebreaker.Have the group stand in a semicircle. Have the first person introducehimself or herself with these words:

“My name is _______________ and I most like ____________.”

Have the second person in the circle pick up the story by saying, “(Nameof first participant) may like (what that person liked)” and either “butI’m partial to ________” or “and I do too!”

Each person in the group picks up the story and gives his or her opinionon the previous person’s likes or dislikes, then offers his or her ownopinion, until everyone has been introduced.

Cindy hasrun out ofoptions…


ACTIVITY:

The ABC’s of Me

FOCUS:Building creative communicationskills

PURPOSE:To have the participants create theirown alphabetical autobiographies

MATERIALS:� Newsprint� Marker� Masking tape� Paper� Pencils or pens� Dictionaries or thesauruses� ”What I Learned” self-evaluation


SETTING:A large space with writing surfaces

TIME:30–40 minutes

PROCEDURE:Before the meeting:Write a sample ABC autobiography on a sheet of newsprint and display itso that everyone can see it.

As my mother lay in labor at the hospital, she thought that she wouldsurely love an ice cream cone. Brother Bobby was wondering, he told meonce, whether he would finally get a male playmate or whether I wouldbe born a girl he would have to keep all his buddies away from. Cassie Iwas dubbed and protector he became…

During the meeting:1. Tell the group they’re going to write “The ABC’s of Me,” an autobiog-

raphy composed in 26 sentences. The first sentence starts with aword beginning with the letter “A,” the second sentence with aword beginning with the letter “B” and so on through the end ofthe alphabet. Read the sample ABC autobiography that you wroteon the newsprint to the group.

2. Tell the participants that proper names and titles are acceptable andthat they can use a dictionary or thesaurus if they are stuck.

3. Pass out paper and pens or pencils.

4. Give the group about 20 minutes to work on their autobiographies.When they’re done, have the participants take turns reading theirautobiographies to the group.

TRY THIS, TOO:Have the group write:• ABC stories about their project areas.• ABC biographies about a friend or family member.• ABC adaptations of published stories or fairy tales.• Autobiographies using the letters of their first name to start sen-

tences. For example:

JusticeJust a little bit into August, I was born.Under the astrological sign of Leo, that vivacious lion.Soon my parents named me “Justice,” because they saw great potentialfor me as a police officer or lawyer.Thus I spent my life developing the tools of peacekeeper and negotiator.In fact, as a youngster I often found amicable resolution to thesquabbles of my playmates.College helped me hone my choices, much to my parents dismay.Ever since I left the place, it’s a most artistic life I’ve led.

Adapted from Recipes for Writing:Motivation, Skills and Activities, byMurray Suid and Wanda Lincoln(Addison-Wesley Publishing Com-pany Inc., 1989)


ACTIVITY:

Who’s in the News?

FOCUS:To build news writing and analysisskills

PURPOSE:• To help participants understand

the purpose of news writing andhow the audience determinesthe style of the news article

• To help participants write aclear, informative and accuratenews story

MATERIALS:� Newsprint or chalkboard� Markers or chalk� Easel or masking tape� Local daily and weekly news-

papers� Pens or pencils� Equal numbers of name tags

that say “Reporter” and“Source”

� ”What I Learned” self-evaluationform (on pg. 8; one per person)

TIME:90 minutes or more (depending onsize of group)

SETTING:A room with desks or tables andchairs

PROCEDURE:Before the meeting:1. Collect several editions of local daily and weekly newspapers.

2. Prepare equal numbers of name tags that say “Source” and “Reporter.”

During the meeting:1. Tell the group they’ll have about 15 minutes to look through the

front (news), business, sports and feature sections of the newspa-pers. They should look for stories that feature the activities oractions of one person.

2. Take about 15 minutes and ask for volunteers to read aloud thearticles they selected. Tell the group to listen for the purpose of thearticle, the kind of information it included, and its intended audi-ence. Have a volunteer chart this information on the newsprint orchalkboard.

3. Have the group divide into pairs. Have each team pick up one“Source” and one “Reporter” name tag and decide who will playeach role.

4. Now tell the reporters they will have 15 minutes to interview thesources. The reporters should look for story angles (somethingnewsworthy, interesting, unique) that would appeal to the entiregroup. Encourage them to look for the kinds of angles they identi-fied in the newspaper articles.

5. After the 15-minute interviews are completed, give the reportersabout 20 minutes to “write up” their interview notes into articles.

6. If time allows, have the original “reporters” and “sources” traderoles and repeat the interview and article-writing process.

7. Ask for volunteers to read their articles to the group. Again havethe group listen for the purpose of the article, the kind of informa-tion it included, and its intended audience. Have a volunteer chartthe information on newsprint or the chalkboard.

TRY THIS TOO:Publish a group newsletter featuring the members’ articles. (See the “Stepsto Creating a Newsletter” skill sheet on pg. 22.)


ACTIVITY:

Find Those W’s & That H!

FOCUS:To build news analysis and writingskills

PURPOSE:• To help participants under-

stand the elements of newswriting

• To help participants identifythe most important elementsof a news story

MATERIALS:� Daily and weekly newspapers� “Find Those W’s and That H”

handout (on pg. 28; two perparticipant)

� Pens or pencils� Newsprint or other large paper� Markers� ”What I Learned” self-evaluation


TIME:30 minutes or more, depending onsize of group

SETTING:Room that allows kids to work inpairs, either seated in chairs or onthe floor

PROCEDURE:Before the meeting:1. Collect several editions of local daily and weekly newspapers, or

copy several different front-page stories from different sections ofone newspaper to distribute to kids.

2. Make two copies for each participant of the “Find Those W’s andThat H” handout.

During the meeting:1. Group the kids into pairs to locate the “W’s” of the news stories

you’ve selected.

2. Explain the “5 W’s and the H” of news writing to the group – Who isthe story about? What is the story about? Where does the storytake place? When did the story take place? Why is the news impor-tant or why did the story take place? How did the story take place?Distribute a news story to each participant. Tell them they haveabout 5 minutes to locate all of the W’s and to note how far theyhad to look to get them all. They can use the “Find Those W’s andThat H” handout to note them all. (All five W’s and the H shouldshow up in the first two paragraphs of a news story. If they appearlower in the story, have the kids discuss and decide whether thestory is a news or feature story.)

3. After 5 minutes, have the kids switch news articles with theirpartners and repeat the process.

4. When they’re done, have each pair compare their sheets to see ifthey identified the same “5 W’s and the H.” Have the partners notethose stories where they had trouble finding all of the elements ordisagreed on which was the right W and H.

5. Now have the partners work together to decide what is the mostimportant of the elements they found in the story. Then have themwrite a new and different lead paragraph for the news story.

6. Bring the group back together and ask for volunteers to share theirwork. Have them read the first two paragraphs of their news storyand identify each of the “W’s and the H” of the story. If the part-ners disagreed on how they identified the elements of the story,have them share where they differed and why. (You also could justhave them read the story and see if the full group can identify thesame elements that they did.) After both partners have shared theirdiscoveries, have the team share their new lead paragraphs. Havethem share why they chose the elements they did to create the newlead.


7. If time permits, have the group do a creative critique comparing thenew lead to the original story lead.

TRY THIS TOO:As an icebreaker, have pairs find out the most important “W’s and H”about their partners and write lead paragraphs using that informationto introduce the partner.


HANDOUT:

Find Those W’s & That H!

Look through a news article and see if you can locate the following elements:

Who:

What:

When:

Where:

Why:

How:

Which of the six was the most important or “newsy” of the elements? Why?

Write a new lead paragraph for the news story using the most important element you found in it.

TRY THIS TOO:Instead of using this handout with a news article, use it to find out about a friend or a person in your group.Write a lead paragraph to introduce the person to the rest of the group.

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