Newspapers, Zines, & Blogs Program

Preparation

Step 1: Gather newspapers, such as The New York Times, USA Today, local daily papers, and the library newsletter. Gather books about newspapers, such as The Furry News.

Step 2: Using an 8 ½” x 14″ or 11″ x 17″ piece of paper folded in half, create your own tabloid newspaper. Use fine-point and thick markers to achieve the multi-typeface look. Remember to include all the different sections: the masthead, the lead story with a headline, advertisements, comics, sports, local news, announcements, entertainment, etc.

Step 3: Reproduce your example newspaper.

Step 4: Check Writing Box supplies.

The Workshop

Step 1: Display the different kinds of newspapers and talk about their different sections. Ask the kids if they read any papers and, if they do, which ones.

Step 2: Show them your homemade newspaper and describe the different sections. Read one of the articles aloud. Talk about what an interview is and show how what a person says is placed inside quotations.

Step 3: On chart paper or whiteboard, crowdsource a front page as a group. Choose a name for the newspaper—for instance, Library Times. Draw a big square to have space for a picture. Create a headline: “Spike the Dragon Lizard Missing from the 4/5s Classroom.” Write the lead paragraph together.

Step 4: Give the children markers, crayons, and paper. Help with words or offer suggestions when writers seem stuck for ideas.

Step 5: Give a five-minute warning for cleanup. Remind the children when the Writing Boxes are available to use in the library. Clean up the area and put away supplies.

Step 6: Take a few minutes to share the work.