Industrial Revolution – Investigative News Article

In this assignment you will write an investigative news article about an important Industrial Revolution topic. This must be written in the standard news story format described below. Research for this task will be done on the Internet in the lab.

The article should be at least 300 words. It should include at least one graphic, but no more than 3. It should be typed, with one inch margins, and double spaced. Don’t forget to include citations of your sources. Do this on a second page (your article must only be one page). There is no formal format for these. Simply write the title of the website and follow that with the URL address.

Note: Do not simply select one of the provided resources and summarize it. Your news story should be an overview of the topic with information drawn from at least 3-5 of the resources provided.

Topics

  1. Unions and strikes
  2. women
  3. child labor
  4. health and sanitation
  5. life in the mines
  6. textile mill conditions (factories)

Industrial Revolution: Writing a News Story – Guide

The purpose of the news is to provide information to a wide audience of readers. Writing a news article is different from your standard English essay.

Your news articles should be in the following format:

The Lead

This is your first and most important sentence. It should tell the reader what the whole article is about. You should include as many of the 5 W’s and H as you can (who, what, when, where, why, and how). It should be around 30 words.

The Body

The facts of the story go in the paragraphs that follow your lead. The following are some tips and suggestions to help you write your news story.

·  Stay objective. No opinion or commentary should be included, unless it is quoted or attributed to someone.

·  Put the most important information first. Don’t work up to your good info, use it right away. The least important/interesting facts should be towards the end.

·  When quoting or using information from an individual, make sure to give proper credit (e.g. Jane Smith said, “....”).

·  Collect more information than you need.

·  Keep to the third person. Never use I’s, we’s, or you’s unless they are in a quote.

·  News writing uses short sentences and paragraphs. Each paragraph should be no longer than four sentences.

·  There is no conclusion in a news story, your last paragraph will be the least important facts.

Other Elements of the Project

·  Have a headline for your story

·  Have a byline – your name

·  Have an appropriate date and location

·  Have a graphic for your story appropriate to the topic (& no more than 3 graphics)

·  Keep it all to one page

Evaluation:

A = Excellent / B = Above Ave. / C = Average / D = Below Ave.
News Story
(25 Points) / • approximately 300 words
• general and specific info provided on topic
• quotes or info specific to individuals included
• Information from 4-5 sources
• no grammar or spelling errors
* includes at least one graphic / • approximately 300 words
• general and specific info provided on topic
• quotes or info specific to individuals included
• Information from 3-4 sources
• limited grammar or spelling errors
* includes at least one graphic / • less than 300words
• information focuses on one or two general or specific aspects
• quotes or specific info may be included
• Information from 2-3 sources
• several grammar or spelling errors
* includes at least one graphic / • less than 300 words
• information focuses on one or two general or specific aspects
• few, if any, quotes or specific info included
• Information from 2 or less sources
• many grammar and spelling errors
* has no graphic

Thanks to Mr. McDowell: http://www.guhsd.net/mcdowell/wq/ir/