Making the Headlines
Module 1, Activity 2.5 - Headlines
Student Page
(teacher lesson for this page)

Introduction:

Writing headlines is a high-stakes activity. With numerous pitfalls, the danger of double ententres and mistakes that can make a person look foolish, anyone would worry when trying to come up with the perfect headline. However, a great headline can interest the reader and sell newspapers. In this lesson, you will have the opportunity to look at the characteristics of strong headlines, test the criteria on actual headlines and write your own headlines.

Activities:

Task One - Successful Headlines
While it may seem easy to create a headline for an already written article, there are many factors that the writer must keep in mind. The purpose of your headline is to catch the potential readers' attention and entice them to read your story. A headline must be informative, serious, and interesting. Here are some basic dos and don'ts of headline writing:

Do
- use less than 10 words
- use simple, effective words
- give your main idea in the headline
- use gripping, emotional, dynamic words

Don't
- use heavy, complicated words
- end with a preposition
- simply repeat your first line
- use slang or cliches
- use abbreviations

Task Two - Testing the Idea
View the actual headlines on the handout page. Using the dos and don't of headline writing, and considering the purpose of a good headline, determine which of the 10 are strong headlines and which are not.

In groups of 3, read the ten headlines provided. Using the criteria, argue which headlines are strong and which are poor. In point form, have one person record your reasons for deciding a headline is good or not - be as specific as possible.

Task Two - Continued . . .
As a class, have each group choose one headline to read and briefly discuss the mistakes made or the highlights in the headlines. As you have discussed each of the 10 headlines, choose to discuss one that another group has not already reviewed.

Task Three - Writing Headlines
After reviewing and discussing the headlines as a class, you are ready to attempt writing some headlines of your own.

In your group of 3, take the group of articles that your teacher has brought to class. These are real articles without their headlines.

As a group you must complete the following steps:
1. One group member should read the article aloud.
2. Another group members should write down key words or interesting ideas while listening to the article.
3. When the reading of the article is finished, you must come up with a headline for the article.

You will complete this task for each of the articles your teacher has given you and then have a chance to compare your headline to the actual headline used for the article.

Task Four - Your Own Work
Take some time to look back at some of the work you have already done. Look back to your press release, your sports story or other assignments. On a piece of paper write three-four possible headlines for each of your rough drafts. Put a star beside the headline you think best suits each story. Hand in all possible headlines.