Slam Dunk
Module 1, Activity 2.4 - Elements of a Sports Story
Teacher Page
(student page for this lesson)

Introduction:

The sports beat can be one of the most difficult beats to cover. In this area of writing, journalists must be very knowledgeable in the sport they are covering, keep detailed notes on every aspect of the game, meet hard and fast deadlines and find an interesting angle to tell their story. Each game or event not only has the story of who won and who lost, but also the story of the people who are playing the game. In this lesson, students will determine the characteristics of a sports story, through a comparison to the elements of a new story, and attempt to write their own sports story.

Activities:

Task One - Review
Each type of article that exists in a newspaper requires different things from the writer. Before beginning a discussion of sports stories, it will be necessary to review the elements of a news story. Have the students take a piece of paper and divide it in half, lengthwise. As you are reviewing the following information, students should jot down the elements of a news story on one side of their piece of paper.

Key elements of a news story:
1. The lead - the purpose of the lead is to give all the pertinent information for the story and to interest the reader
2. The body - the body of a news story should include the basic facts, information from interviews, opinions of those who have a vested interest in the story, and the author's narrative.

After reviewing these elements with the students, have them look through several sports stories.

Task Two - What to cover
In any type of news writing, journalists must first decide what is important and what must be covered. With a partner have students look at several (4-6) sports stories and answer the assigned questions.

Once they have answered these questions, they need to make a list. Based on their answers, they need to determine the key elements of a sports story. They should write these elements on the other side of the piece of paper that they have written notes on elements of a news story.

Allow the students to first make their own lists.Then as a class, generate the standard elements of the sports story. Discuss the noticeable differences between a sports story and a news story.

Be sure that the class agrees on the elements of a sports story and that they include the following basics:

1. The stats of the game - who won/lost, leading scorers, final score, etc.

2. Quotes from players and coaches

3. Outstanding individuals

4. Next game information

Instructional Strategies:

Task 1 - Mastery Lecture (Direct)
Task 2 - Concept Formation (Indirect), Discussion (Interactive), Compare and Contrast (Direct)
Task 3 - Assigned Questions (Independent)
Task 4 - Writing (Independent)

Now that they have practiced finding and determining criteria several times, it is appropriate to have them practice with a partner and then assess their own criteria against those generated by classmates. Ask students to compare the lists they generated with a partner to the master list created by the class and then judge how effectively they are able to generate criteria.

Task Three - Finding the details
Have the students read the poem "Casey at the Bat" or another sports poem. After reading the poem, the students can fill in the chart with sports questions.

Task Four - Writing the Story
Using the information in their chart, have the students write a rough draft of the sports story that includes Casey and his game, or the community event they chose to attend. Remind them that they must include all pertinent information and find an interesting angle to tell the story from. Because this is a fictional story, you may suggest that they take some creative liberties and make up quotes to use in their article.

Assessment and Evaluation:

For this lesson, the assessment of the students understanding will come through the discussion of elements of the sports story and the creation of the list by the class.

As the story they are creating is a rough draft, it is not appropriate for their work to be formally evaluated. However, because they have had substantial practice with generating concepts through brainstorming and criteria building, this would be a good time for them to compare their ability to generate criteria to the work of their peers. This type of self-assessment during the process of learning enables students to make deliberate choices in developing their skill sets.