Non Fiction:

“Move Your Shadow,” by Joseph Levyveld, Sightlines 10, pg 337

Memoir Excerpt

Pre-read (as a class)

  1. Think and take notes about the title and what it could mean.
  2. Define “Apartheid.”
  3. Read the information below before you read the memoir excerpt.

Background Information______

Author:

-executive editor of the New York Times

-journalist, foreign correspondent in varied “less glamorous locales”

-1999, award from InternationalCenter for Journalists for excellence in covering international news

-“Move Your Shadow,” is one of the most comprehensive accounts of South Africa, praised for having “put another big nail in the coffin of Apartheid.”

Visual: Saskatoon Artist, Ann Newdigate

-tapestry shows seascape of the artist’s South-African youth

-includes newspaper article chronicling the death of a teenage black funeral mourner, who was shot and killed by an officer for “singing in his own language.”

-Symbolism: artist used fine silk (expensive, luxurious material). The silk embeds the “tragedy of racial oppression” within “the public of an idyllic tourist beach.”

During-read

  1. Fill out the “words to know” sheet.
  2. List any striking images.

Post-read

  1. Answer questions #1 and #2 in your textbook.
  2. Identify a minimum of three themes that arise in the selection.
  3. Devise a new report that records the incident discussed in this memoir excerpt. See new report handout for instructions.

Writing: News Report

Definition:

A news report is a writing form in which the purpose is to give “news” (facts and details):

-about something that has happened, or

-an even that will happen in the near future

A new report is a writing form that:

-has a headline which grabs the reader’s attention (3-7 words)

-usually consists of a number of short paragraphs (5-7)

-in its introductory paragraph, gives a brief summary of the 5 W’s of the story: who or what the news report is about, what happened, when it happened, where is happened and why or how it happened (1 sentence for at least 4 out of the 5 W’s)

-the body of the news report expands on the who, what, when, where, why/how by giving supporting details, facts and quotations from witnesses or by standers

-the writing has an objective point of view, meaning: the writer does not give his or her opinion (does not use “I”), but may quote the opinions of others

-the news repot places the most important information in the early paragraphs, in case the reader does not read to the end

How to start:

  1. Make a chart and fill in the 5 W’s (facts, details, information)
  2. Make up an attention grabbing headline (no more the 7 words)
  3. In the introductory paragraph, inform the reader of the 5 W’s
  4. Write a separate paragraph for each of the 5 W’s
  5. Order your paragraphs: most important information first
  6. In at least one of your paragraphs, include quotations from witnesses or bystanders
  7. edit your news report
  8. add a photograph and caption for the good copy