Reading & literacy activity
Newspaper Reporter
Be a junior reporter! Observe something interesting happening at home, draw a picture of it, and tell someone the who, what, and where of the event.
Materials and setup
- notepad
- pencil
How this changes by age
Pre-K (ages 3–4)
Be a junior reporter! Observe something interesting happening at home, draw a picture of it, and tell someone the who, what, and where of the event.
Steps
- Grab a small notepad and a pencil — you're a reporter now! Reporters tell people what's happening in the world.
- Walk around the house or yard and find something interesting to report on.
- Draw a picture of the event on the notepad.
- Help your child report: Who is in this story? What happened? Where did it happen?
Learning objectives
- Practice observation skills by noticing details in surroundings
- Answer who, what, and where questions about an event
- Present information verbally to a small audience
Kindergarten (ages 5–6)
Write a short news report about something happening in your family or neighborhood. Include a headline, a picture, and answers to who, what, when, and where.
Steps
- Choose a news event: a family outing, a pet's adventure, a neighbor's new garden.
- Interview one person about the event by asking: Who? What happened? When? Where?
- Write a catchy headline in big letters at the top of your paper.
- Write 3-4 sentences telling the news story using your interview notes.
- Draw a news photo to go with your article and present your report at family dinner.
Learning objectives
- Conduct a simple interview using who, what, when, where questions
- Write a brief news report with a headline and key details
- Organize information gathered from an interview into a written format
Early elementary (ages 6–8)
Investigate a story, conduct interviews, and write a proper news article with a headline, byline, lead paragraph, body, and a quote from a source.
Steps
- Choose a topic to investigate: a family event, a neighborhood change, or a community happening.
- Prepare 5 interview questions and interview at least 2 people, taking notes on their answers.
- Write your article following news format: headline, byline (your name), lead paragraph (who, what, when, where, why), 2-3 body paragraphs with details, and at least one direct quote.
- Add a relevant illustration or photograph with a caption.
- Proofread your article for spelling, grammar, and completeness.
- Create a newspaper layout on a large sheet of paper with your article, headline, and illustration arranged like a real newspaper.
Learning objectives
- Write a news article following journalistic structure and format
- Conduct interviews and incorporate direct quotes into writing
- Distinguish between facts and opinions in reporting
Upper elementary (ages 8–10)
Create a full family newspaper with multiple articles, an editorial, a feature story, and an advice column. Practice reporting, interviewing, and editorial writing.
Steps
- Plan your newspaper: assign sections (front page news, feature story, editorial/opinion, advice column, fun facts).
- Investigate and write a front-page news article with multiple sources, direct quotes, and fact-checking.
- Write a feature story about an interesting person in your life, including background research and a detailed interview.
- Write an editorial expressing your opinion on a local issue with supporting evidence and a call to action.
- Design the newspaper layout with columns, headlines of varying sizes, bylines, and images with captions.
- Print or hand-write your newspaper and share copies with family or other trusted readers.
Learning objectives
- Write in multiple journalistic formats: news, feature, editorial, and advice
- Practice investigative skills including source verification and fact-checking
- Design and produce a multi-section publication with professional layout elements
Safety and evidence note
Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.
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