brought to you by Cathy Schlund
I must admit that this particular exercise is not my own creation. This exercise was developed by the lovely Kate James, esteemed colleague and beautiful person.
This exercise is meant as a ten to fifteen minute free-writing activity. It is fun, and it allows students to exercise their creativity. On a more didactic level, the exercise gives the student a chance to consider the following important writing topics: voice and tone.
Purchase a tabloid newspaper. The personal favorite (and, arguably, the best choice) is the Weekly World News. It is, by far, the least credible news source in the United States, and the most entertaining. You will just cut out various headlines from the paper. Give each student one headline. Here is an example:
"Bat Boy born to normal parents. Sleeps upside down at night, and loves blood."
The student will then write an article that matches this headline. Before students begin the free-write, have a discussion about the style of news articles. Who is the intended audience? What is the tone? What is the purpose of news articles? If it is to inform, what does this tell you (the student) about the diction and tone for the piece?
Students will then have ten minutes to write a news story to match this headline. Let the students know that they will be sharing these stories in class. I recommend that the student read the story aloud. This is a fun exercise, and it allows for a bit of light-hearted fun to permeate the class atmosphere. Good luck!
