BBC NEWS | School Report | Lesson 6: Broadcasting news

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12:09 GMT, Friday, 18 September 2009 13:09 UK

Lesson 6: Broadcasting news

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This lesson plan is the sixth of a series of six that explain the news-making process followed by professional journalists.

OBJECTIVES

To create news for a specific audience, incorporating knowledge of:

The 5Ws of news-gathering - what, who, where, when, why - and how

The 3Cs of news-writing - clear, concise, correct
Safe and legal aspects

To be able to work as a team, to a deadline.

RESOURCES

	Activity	Resources	Low tech alternative
1	Video: Huw Edwards? tips	Internet access or DVD	Worksheet 6.1
2	Quiz: final checks	Internet access	Printouts from BBC website
3	Online game: Presenter rehearsal	Internet access	Printouts from BBC website
4	Working to a deadline	Internet access, slideshow software	Newspapers
5	News de-brief	None	None

STARTER ACTIVITY

1. Video: Huw Edwards' tips

Students watch this Huw Edwards video, then recollect his top tips using this worksheet.

Worksheet 6.1: Huw Edwards' tips on broadcasting the news

1. Low tech alternative to video

Using the above worksheet students match the top tips with Huw's advice.

Teachers tip: This worksheet could also be used as a plenary activity.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

2. Quiz: Final checks

Students take the Keeping news safe and legal quiz , which can also be printed (low tech alternative).

Answers

1 B To protect yourself you should NEVER post your last name on the internet.

2 A Interview people who will help you create a balanced report.

3 A You CAN put strong opinions in a news report but they must be based on fact.

4 C Photographs (and other kinds of media) belong to the photographer (or the person who made them). You have to ask their permission to use them, otherwise it's like stealing.

5 B Court stories are very tricky to report so it's safer to avoid them unless you have done lots of training.

6 C It would also be inappropriate to reveal too much information about the manufacture of drugs, in case anyone decided to copy the process.

More information about keeping news safe and legal

3. Online game: Presenter rehearsal

Students play this educational game from the Presspack website which involves altering the speed of a teleprompter, either using a BBC presenter or having a go themselves.

3. Low tech alternative to online game

Students practice reading at three words a second - the speed of a professional journalist - using a real script from BBC World News for Children website.

While reading, they try and follow these tips from a BBC voice coach:

Sound as if you mean it
Stress key words
Check your posture - no slumping
Smile to improve your voice

More voice-coach tips

4. Working to a deadline

Explain to students that they are going to:

Work together
To a deadline - 15 minutes before the end of the lesson
To make a LIVE 10-minute news bulletin
For an audience of their age group

It's a chance to practice everything they have learned so far including:

The 5Ws - what, who, where, when, why - and how
The 3Cs - clear, concise, correct
Keeping news safe and legal

Using the Team, Role, Task table below, as a guide, students prepare for the bulletin, sourcing stories from news websites and/or newspapers.

Students may also like to incorporate some of their own stories they have found during Lesson 5: Ordering the news.

Teachers tips:

This activity works well with an interactive whiteboard as a backdrop behind the presenters, onto which, picture editors place images to illustrate each story.
You can start and end the bulletin with the animated School Report titles which are also on the DVD in the teachers pack.
It's important that the students experience working to deadline and the presentation should take place on time, even if the preparation isn't complete.
Using only the Team and Task columns in the following table prompts students to take a greater ownership in developing skills such as team work and communication.

Team	Role	Task
Editorial team	Running-order editor	1. Speak to all the news teams, find out their stories.
		2. Put stories in a running order.
		3. Brief reporters about the order in which they are presenting.
	Sub-editor	1. Check reporters' work to make sure it is safe (no surnames) and legal (no ongoing court stories or celebrity gossip).
		2. Advise reporters how to amend their work.
	Picture editor	1. Find an image for one story from each news team. Make sure you have permission to use them.
		2. Create a slideshow so you can play each image behind them on the interactive whiteboard while they present their stories.
		3. Rehearse using the slideshow.
		4. Operate the slideshow during the broadcast.
International news team	Reporters x2	1. Find and script an international news story.
		2. Rehearse presenting it.
		3. Present it during the broadcast.
National news team	Reporters x2	1. Find and script a national news story.
		2. Rehearse presenting it.
		3. Present it during the broadcast.
Local news team	Reporters x2	1. Find and script a local news story.
		2. Rehearse presenting it.
		3. Present it during the broadcast.
School-based news team	Reporters x2	1. Find and script a school-based news story.
		2. Rehearse presenting it.
		3. Present it during the broadcast.
Sport team	Reporters x2	1. Find and script a sport story.
		2. Rehearse presenting it.
		3. Present it during the broadcast.
Weather team	Reporters x2	1. Find and script a weather summary.
		2. Rehearse presenting it.
		3. Present it during the broadcast.
Intro and outro team	Reporters x2	1. Script the intro and outro (conclusion) of the bulletin.
		2. Rehearse presenting it.
		3. Present it during the broadcast.
Technical team	Floor manager	1. Create a "presenting" and a "recording" area.
		2. Create a safe route for the news teams to get to and from the presenting area.
		3. Brief reporters on their route before the broadcast.
	Camera operator	1. Set up the equipment.
		2. Practice recording with reporters who are rehearsing.
		3. Call "Camera rolling".
		4. Record the broadcast
	Sound operators	1. Set up the equipment.
		2. Practice recording with reporters who are rehearsing.
		3. Call "Sound ready".
		4. Record the broadcast.
	Director	1. Practice directing the camera and sound operators and the rehearsing reporters.
		2. Call "Action".
		3. Direct the broadcast.
No of students	21

Students present and record their news bulletin on deadline.

PLENARY

5. News de-brief Ask students:

What did you like about the bulletin? Why?
What could be improved? How?

Graduation

Having completed the six lessons, students have graduated as School Reporters. Teachers have expressed how valuable it is for students to put their skills to the test. Schools can rehearse what they will be doing on School Report News Day by taking part in a practice News Day on one or more of these dates. Some schools may wish to run them like the final activity of this lesson, but over a day.

19 November
10 December
14 January
4 February

Schools can also run practice News Days on any date they choose. Please contact the School Report team to let them know.

For reference, teachers may like to look at previous years' resources including Lesson 6 for School Report 2006-8 .

Approved rubber stamp graphic

This lesson has been approved by the
BBC College of Journalism.

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