Part I: Five W's and One H
Use the suggested sites to research your assigned topic.
Who?
Who are the primary people involved?
What?
What specifically is happening? What are the people involved doing?
When?
When are these events taking place?
Where?
Where are these events taking place?
Why?
Why are these events taking place? What is the goal of the people involved?
How?
How are the people involved accomplishing their goal? What happened?
Part II: Interviewing Eyewitnesses
Eyewitness and participant accounts are a critical element of any news story. Identify three possible participants or eyewitnesses and develop two questions to ask each person. One eyewitness should be an actual historical figure. Create answers to the questions based on information from your research.
Part III: Developing a Lead Paragraph
Write the opening paragraph for your news story. In journalism this is called a lead paragraph. Good leads introduce and summarize a news story, combining elements from the five Ws (Who, What, When, Where, and Why).
Review the following example of a lead paragraph about the signing of the Declaration of Independence:
Colonial leaders, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, gathered in Philadelphia in July, 1776 to sign the Declaration of Independence, signifying their determination to officially end the American colonies' relationship with Great Britain.
Write your lead paragraph below or on a separate page.