teacher notes: gen zed! competition 2015 terms 2...

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TEACHER NOTES:

gen zED!

COMPETITION 2015

Terms 2-3, 2015

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................... 6 Photography .................................................................................................................................................................. 6

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM LINKS ............................................................................................................................... 7 English ........................................................................................................................................................................... 7 The Arts: Media Arts ..................................................................................................................................................... 7

KEEP WATCH – an interview with a rising star ................................................................................................................ 8 Finding a subject ........................................................................................................................................................... 8 Preparing interview questions ....................................................................................................................................... 8 What questions to ask ................................................................................................................................................... 8 Conducting the interview ............................................................................................................................................... 8 Taking the photograph .................................................................................................................................................. 9 Review the responses ................................................................................................................................................... 9

SPOT ON – five different answers to the same question ............................................................................................... 10 THE BUZZ – a news story about or of interest to children ............................................................................................. 11

Writing the article ........................................................................................................................................................ 11 MAKE IT – a crafty procedure for others to follow .......................................................................................................... 13 THE WORD – a book review to interest others .............................................................................................................. 14

Facts about the book ................................................................................................................................................... 14 Outline of the story - fiction ......................................................................................................................................... 15 Outline of the contents – non-fiction ........................................................................................................................... 15 Personal recommendation .......................................................................................................................................... 15

WHO? WHERE? WHAT? – a research article on a person, place or thing .................................................................... 16 Research ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Writing the article ........................................................................................................................................................ 16

MIND GAMES – a selection of puzzles to challenge the brain ....................................................................................... 17 Crossword puzzle ........................................................................................................................................................ 17 Other puzzles .............................................................................................................................................................. 17 Hidden words .............................................................................................................................................................. 18 Find the missing numbers ........................................................................................................................................... 18 Find the function .......................................................................................................................................................... 18 What’s the pattern? ..................................................................................................................................................... 19

Appendix 1 – Student notes ............................................................................................................................................ 20 Keep Watch – an interview with a rising star ............................................................................................................. 21 Spot On – five different answers to the same question ............................................................................................. 22 The Buzz – a news story about or of interest to children ............................................................................................ 23 Make It – a crafty procedure for others to follow ......................................................................................................... 24 The Word – a book review to interest others .............................................................................................................. 25 Who? Where? What? – a research article on a person, place or thing ..................................................................... 26 Mind Games – a selection of puzzles to challenge the brain ...................................................................................... 27

Appendix 2 – Sample articles from ED! .......................................................................................................................... 28 Keep Watch – an interview with a rising star ............................................................................................................. 29 Keep Watch – an interview with a rising star ............................................................................................................. 30 Spot on – five different answers to the same question ............................................................................................... 31 The Buzz – a news story about or of interest to children ........................................................................................... 32 The Buzz – a news story about or of interest to children ........................................................................................... 33 The Buzz – a news story about or of interest to children ........................................................................................... 34 Make It – a crafty procedure for others to follow ......................................................................................................... 35 Make It – a crafty procedure for others to follow ......................................................................................................... 36 Make It – a crafty procedure for others to follow ......................................................................................................... 37 The Word – a book review to interest others ............................................................................................................. 38 What? – a research article on a thing ........................................................................................................................ 39 What? – a research article on a thing ........................................................................................................................ 40 Who? – a research article on a person ...................................................................................................................... 41

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Who? – a research article on a person ...................................................................................................................... 42 Where? – a research article on a place ..................................................................................................................... 43 Where? – a research article on a place ..................................................................................................................... 44 Mind Games – a selection of puzzles to challenge the brain ...................................................................................... 45 Mind Games – a selection of puzzles to challenge the brain ...................................................................................... 46 Mind Games – a selection of puzzles to challenge the brain ...................................................................................... 47

© Media Education / The West Australian 2015

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INTRODUCTION

The gen zED! Competition gives students the opportunity to put their skills into practice and write one or more articles

for a special edition of ED! Magazine.

Students who are familiar with the magazine will know the format of each article but the following pages offer a few

tips to guide them as they prepare to write their own.

Most articles can be completed in class but some outside work is necessary for Keep Watch and The Buzz.

All text, photos and artwork must be the students’ own work though help can be given just as it would be with regular

class work.

Photography

Please note the following points in regards to photography:

All photographs must be in focus and have good lighting.

If photographs are taken for the students by someone else, that person must be credited as the photographer.

All photographs must have the name of the subject or a title. They may include a short caption.

Permission to publish must be sought for all photographs taken of people. Parental permission is required if

the subject is under 18 years of age.

Prior to interviews, gain permission for an interviewee to be quoted either in person or under a general term;

e.g. a member of the cast, the person who called the police, a lifeguard.

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AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM LINKS

English

Strand Sub-strand

Language Language for interaction

Text structure and organisation

Expressing and developing ideas

Literature Literature and context

Responding to literature

Literacy Texts in context

Interacting with others

Interpreting, analysing and evaluating

Creating texts

The Arts: Media Arts

As the students are directly writing and reporting for a newspaper magazine, they are using skills of Media Arts,

including sound recording and photography.

Years 3 - 6 Years 7 & 8

Exploring ideas and improvising with ways to represent ideas

Developing understanding of practices Manipulating and applying the

elements/concepts with intent

Sharing artworks through performance, presentation or display

Responding to and interpreting artworks Developing and refining understanding of

skills and techniques

Structuring and organising ideas into form

Analysing and reflecting upon intentions

Responding to and interpreting artworks

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KEEP WATCH – an interview with a rising star

The purpose of Keep Watch is to introduce a young talent to the readers of ED! Magazine. It involves conducting an

interview with a person aged 15 – 20 who is performing at an outstanding level in a sport or art form (art, music,

drama).

For the gen zED! edition in October, the Keep Watch article must be between 250 and 350 words.

Please make sure that your students include everything that is required:

Student’s name

Year level

250 – 350 words

Photograph of subject

Look at samples of Keep Watch in previous editions of ED! Magazine.

Finding a subject

If students do not know anyone who fits the criteria for Keep Watch, there are many after-school clubs whose

participants are involved in local, state, national and even international competitions, exhibitions or

performances. By approaching the administration staff of a club, it should be possible to ask if one of their star

athletes or artists would like to be interviewed, with parental permission if he or she is under the age of 18. Let

the subject know the purpose of the interview and explain that if your article is chosen, he/she will be featured

in the gen zED! edition of ED! Magazine.

Preparing interview questions

The secret to a great interview is taking the time to think of questions that will give the most enlightening

answers.

Questions for the gen zED! edition interview come in three sets:

o those that provide basic, factual information for the lead paragraph; e.g. age on October 21 (date of

publication if selected), suburb/town where he/she lives, his/her best achievements and those that

provide the more interesting information

o those that inform the reader about the subject’s involvement in the sport or art form; e.g.

achievements to date, training regimes, goals for the future, role models.

o those that delve deeper to find out more about his/her personality and character; e.g. responses to

success and failure, attitude to training, acknowledgement of support, preferred pastime, ideal

holiday, favourite cuisine. These are important questions as they tell the reader something about the

person behind the athlete or artist.

Keep together questions about the same topic. Think about the order of questions. Ask the most significant

ones first.

Prepare about 12 questions and from these, the best eight to ten can be chosen for the Keep Watch article.

What questions to ask

Students research a familiar sportsperson and present the information as a set of questions and answers.

Students imagine themselves as the interviewee. What questions could be asked to find out different things

about them?

Write questions to be answered by people from history or characters from a novel.

Conducting the interview

It would be best to conduct the interview where the subject trains so that action photographs can be taken

afterwards.

Ensure you are both relaxed and committed to taking part in the interview.

How will the interview be recorded: video or sound recording, on phone, tablet or laptop or paper and pen?

Check that all equipment is set correctly so that playback is clear.

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If the interviewee gives short answers, encourage him/her to add a little more information. If typing or writing

the responses, take enough time to ensure they are recorded accurately and that they will be clear after the

interview.

Taking the photograph

How will the photographs be taken: as stills or freeze-framed from a video recording?

If taking stills, take a shot in which the subject is not moving or use a fast shutter speed to capture action in

focus. Take several shots and choose the best one for the article.

If someone else takes the photographs for you, cite him/her as the photographer

Review the responses

Review the responses as soon as possible after the interview while it is still fresh in the mind.

If the interview was video or sound recorded, play it back and record the answers exactly as they were given.

Edit the answers to correct punctuation and spelling and write abbreviations in full.

Use the answers from the first few questions to write the lead paragraph. This should state who the subject is,

what he/she does and what he/she has achieved.

Consider which questions have provided the most interesting responses that will tell the reader most about

the person. Choose the best for the article.

Order the questions and answers from what you believe to be the most to the least significant.

The article requires a title. Play around with some ideas. What figurative language could you use? What play

on words?

Give the photograph a title and caption

For classroom use:

Appendix 1 – Student notes

Appendix 2 – Sample articles from ED!

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SPOT ON – five different answers to the same question

The idea of Spot On is to invite five children to offer their opinion on a topic of current interest or to give their response

to a specific survey question.

For the gen zED! edition in October, each response must be between 30 and 60 words.

Spot On


Student’s name

Year level

30 – 60 words each

5 photographs (head and shoulders)

Look at samples of Spot On in previous editions of ED! Magazine.

Think carefully about the subject before you compose the question. Is it going to elicit lots of different

responses or are they likely to be very similar? The more varied the responses, the better.

To receive thoughtful responses, the subject of the question should be of interest to most children of your age;

e.g. a current ‘hot topic’ in the news, an exciting event occurring locally, nationally or internationally,

something related to the entertainment industry.

Think carefully about the way you word the questions. Avoid questions that encourage one word answers.

Devise the question so that it includes the ‘why element’, asking the participant to explain his/her answer; e.g.

If you were a famous inventor, what would you like to invent and why?

Invite a number of people in your class to answer your question, boys and girls.

Choose the responses that you think will be of the greatest interest to readers of ED! Magazine. Edit each one

for correct grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Check the word count of each response. If it is too high or low, ask the person to amend it.

When you have chosen your five entries, take a clear photograph (head and shoulders) of the participants.

Make sure they are all smiling!

For classroom use:



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THE BUZZ – a news story about or of interest to children

The aim of The Buzz is to write a news story that features children or which will be of interest to them.

For the gen zED! edition in October, The Buzz news story must be between 300 and 400 words.

There are many local events both planned and unexpected that involve kids or are of interest to them. This is a

chance for students to tell readers what cool things kids in their area are up to or what interesting things have been

happening on their patch.

The Buzz


Student’s name

Year level

300 – 400 words


Additional photographs (max. of 2)

Look at samples of The Buzz in previous editions of ED! Magazine.

Keep a sharp eye and ear out for information in the media about locally occurring events in which kids are

involved or which may be of interest to them; e.g. an organised charity fun run.

Be aware of other students in your school or club who may be involved in something special that is worthy of

reporting; e.g. someone who has won a prestigious award.

Be prepared to drop everything and race to the site of an unexpected event that will provide a great story; e.g.

stranded whales on the beach.

Take lots of photographs that will later help you to recall the event and write the story.

Complete a 5 Ws chart that explains the what, where, when, why and who of the event.

For planned events, prepare a set of questions to ask various people; e.g. participants, onlookers, audience,

volunteers. Consider the type of event and its purpose so that questions are specific rather than random. The

5Ws chart should help here.

Examples of questions: How did they get involved? Did they have to prepare for it? What have they had to

do? Are there any future events? What happens next? What is the history of the event and how has it

evolved? What did they think of the event? How will people benefit from it? What work was involved ‘behind

the scenes’? How did it happen? Why/how do you think it happened?

Ask each interviewee for permission to quote him/her.

Ask permission to take photographs of interviewees and other people involved in the event. Choose the best

one to include in the story.

Writing the article

Look at all the information you have acquired about the event. Decide how you want to arrange it in the story.

Does it need sub-headings? Does it require any tables, maps or diagrams?

Separate interview responses into two groups, those offering opinions and those giving facts.

Decide which quotes to use. It is not necessary to include a full quote. Highlight key words and phrases and

cross out irrelevant information. Include only the key words and phrases and the words that connect them.

Use ellipsis to show words that have been omitted.

Include the name of the interviewee or if he/she prefers, a general term that describes his/her role; e.g. a

bystander, one of the dancers.

Study the photographs. Do they provide any additional information? Which ones can be included in the article

in addition to those quoted?

Write a name or a title and caption for any photographs included.

Write a first draft of the article. Use only facts and correct English. Edit for layout, punctuation and spelling.

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Write a lead paragraph to introduce the story. This is a general statement about the subject that draws the

reader in to read the whole article.

Play around with some ideas for a short, sharp, snappy title. What figurative language could you use? What

play on words?

For classroom use:



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MAKE IT – a crafty procedure for others to follow

The challenge of the Make It article is to write a detailed procedure for readers to follow and create a crafty piece of

work.

The article must reflect something the students have made themselves and through that process, identified the

materials required and the steps involved.

For the gen zED! edition in October, the Make it article can be no more than 300 words.

The article is written in the form of a procedure with four specific features; the title, an introductory sentence, the list of

materials required and the instructions for construction.

A photograph of the finished item is required and others (a maximum of two) of different steps along the way may also

be useful.

Make it


Student’s name

Year level

Maximum of 300 words

Photograph of finished product


Look at samples of Make It in previous editions of ED! Magazine.

Title: The title for a Make It article is simply the name of the item being made.

Introductory sentence: This includes how the item can be used, who might use it and why it is useful.

Materials: Although written as one list, with dot points for each item, the list comprises two parts: firstly,

materials specific to the construction of the item followed by one of general items; e.g. scissors, glue, tape.

The specific materials are usually listed in the order they are first used. If appropriate, alternatives can also be

listed plus any additional information that may be useful.

Instructions: When writing instructions, it is important to be clear, precise and include only essential

information. Assume that the audience has no knowledge of the process, so every single step must be

recorded.

Number each step.

Write each step in chronological order.

Use a command verb with an adverb if required to begin each instruction.

A brief explanation may be included to clarify an instruction, or a tip to assist construction.

Start a new line for each step of the instructions.

Position photographs illustrating different steps in the appropriate places.

For classroom use:



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THE WORD – a book review to interest others

The purpose of The Word is to write a book review that will help readers make a decision about choosing to read the

book, to give an outline of the story and to give a personal recommendation.

For gen zED!, the book review must be between 150 and 200 words.

The Word


Student’s name

Year level

150 – 200 words

The book’s cover image

Look at samples of The Word in previous editions of ED! Magazine.

Facts about the book

The title – What is the name of the book?

o In a book review, it is only necessary to record the title of the book, but this is also an ideal time to discuss

the purpose and importance of a book’s title.

o What are the characteristics of book titles? What does an author do to make the title of a book appealing

to a prospective audience? What information does a title suggest about the storyline or contents of the

book?

o Take a selection of popular titles to discuss. Suggest different titles for each book. Take a vote to

determine the most popular alternative titles. Discuss why they were chosen.

The author – Who wrote the book?

o The student only needs to record the author’s name for the book review, but this is also an opportunity for

them to discuss favourite authors. A student’s familiarity with different authors and their styles can assist

him/her when writing the personal recommendation.

o Who are the students’ most popular authors? Which authors of fiction write series of books in which the

same characters feature in all books? Who writes ‘one-off’ books? Which authors are known for writing

particular genres?

o Create a ‘Most Popular Authors’ display. Write a biography of each author and compile a list of all their

books for children.

The illustrator – Who drew the pictures in the book?

o Not every book has illustrations but for those that do, the illustrator must be acknowledged. No other

information is required but through discussion and studying the work of different illustrators, students will

begin to recognise their styles and appreciate the added value they give to books. This will be of

assistance to them when writing the personal recommendation.

o How important are illustrations in a book? Do all books need illustrations? Who are some popular/famous

illustrators? Can an author’s book be recognised by the illustrator’s style?

o Create a ‘Famous Illustrators’ display. Write a biography of each illustrator including the authors with

whom he or she has worked. Compile a list of books each illustrator has worked on.

The publisher – Who agreed to take the author’s manuscript and put it into print?

o By investigating the role of the publisher, students will discover that being a writer does not just involve

sitting at a computer and turning the fruits of a good imagination into a ripping yarn.

o Where in the book can you find out who published it? What are some well-known publishing houses? Who

publishes the students’ most popular books?

o Create a chart with the name of a publishing house at the head of each column. In each column, write the

authors who have had their work published by that company.

o Investigate the process from an author’s idea for a story to the book appearing on the bookshelves of a

book store or online. Create a flow chart to show the process and all the jobs involved.

o Research a favourite author. Discover his/her personal publishing journey from manuscript to book shelf.

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As the genre and style are important factors to consider when choosing a book, they can also be included in a book

review.

The genre – What is the category that defines the type of book it is?

o The broadest classification of books is fiction and non-fiction. Within the fiction category, genres include

historical, science fiction, contemporary. Within the non-fiction category, genres include biographies,

guide books, dictionaries, journals.

The style – How is the text written and organised?

o In most fiction books for independent readers, the narrative is written in prose. Other styles include

graphic novels and various forms of poetry. In non-fiction books the narrative is usually written in prose

but the page will be organised to include subheadings and appropriate graphic organisers.

Outline of the story - fiction

The key to writing a good outline for a fiction book is to give enough information about the story without giving

away too much. While the outline can be descriptive it should remain objective.

It is often the hardest part of the book review to write. How much information is enough and when does it

become too much?

It may help to draw a story map that shows all the events and outcomes of the story. Then, cross out all the

events that the book review should not reveal. Use the information left on the story map to answer the

following questions.

Use the information in the answers to compose the outline

When and where is the story set?

Who are the main characters?

What is the main plot?

Are there any sub-plots?

End this part of the book review with a question that points to how the story might end.

Outline of the contents – non-fiction

There are many genres of non-fiction book, organised in many ways to suit specific purposes. How the

information is organised affects the accessibility of that information and so it should be referred to in a book

review.

Non-fiction books include a contents page which can be used to suggest examples of subjects to be included

in the review.

Compare a selection of different non-fiction books. How are their layouts the same and different? What are

their advantages and disadvantages? Suggest ways to summarise them.

Discuss the features of each type of page layout; e.g. sub-headings, maps, tables and diagrams and give

opinions on their advantages and disadvantages.

Display different non-fiction books in similar groups based on how the information is organised.

Personal recommendation

Every reader is entitled to his or her opinion of a book. Because everyone has different opinions about what

makes a good story or a good reference book, it is important to give evidence to support an opinion.

Evidence supporting a reader’s negative comments may be the very thing that encourages someone else to

read or use the book. So even a negative review can have a positive outcome!

Ask students to give their opinions on three random books: one they really liked, one for which they had no

strong opinion and one they really disliked.

Give evidence to support each opinion, evidence that would help another decide whether or not read the

book.

Compare different opinions of the same books. What does this say about the type of books the different

students like to read?

A personal recommendation should also include a suggested age range for whom the book may be suitable.

For classroom use:



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WHO? WHERE? WHAT? – a research article on a person, place or thing

The idea of the Who is? / Where is? / What is? article is to research a subject that will be of interest to the reader. It

may be a person, place or thing from the past or the present.

For gen zED!, the Who is? / Where is? / What is? article must be between 300 and 400 words.

Who? Where? What?


Student’s name

Year level

300 – 400 words

Photographs (max. 3)

Look at samples of Who is? / Where is? / What is? in previous editions of ED! Magazine.

Research

It is important that students take notes from a range of reputable resources especially if they are using internet

websites. This helps them to verify information.

Before they begin, students may want to brainstorm to create a chart with headings that suggest different things they

can find out about their subject. As they research, students make notes under each heading. These can be the sub-

headings in the final article.

Determine the most appropriate form to present the information; e.g. bullet points, graphic organiser, sentences.

Decide on photographs and illustrations to include with the article.

Writing the article

Edit the notes and write the information in the chosen form under each sub-heading.

Photographs should have their own title and if necessary a caption. Permission must be sought from the

photographer, and his or her name included, if someone else’s photographs are used.

An article requires a lead paragraph. This is a general statement that invites the reader to continue reading. The

vocabulary should hint at the article’s appeal and make the reader want to find out more.

Use appropriate figurative language to make the title short, snappy and eye-catching while still informing the reader of

the article content.

For classroom use:



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MIND GAMES – a selection of puzzles to challenge the brain

The challenge of the Mind Games feature is to encourage the reader to think laterally with a selection of different

puzzles.

For the gen zED! edition in October, you must submit three puzzles for the Mind Games.

One puzzle must be a crossword with a maximum of eight clues. The other two can be of any style, housed within a

maximum area of 10 cm x 12 cm.

The size of the puzzles must be large enough for readers to record answers, if required.

Mind games


Student’s name

Year level

1 crossword

2 other puzzles

Solutions to all puzzles

Look at samples of Mind Games in previous editions of ED! Magazine.

Crossword puzzle

Before you begin:

Aim to create a compact puzzle in which the answers have many common letters that can be used in the

across and the down strips.

Try to achieve a balance in numbers of across and down clues.

Aim for a mixture of short, medium and long length words. This helps when putting the puzzle together.

Constructing the puzzle:

Decide on the eight puzzle clues. They may be random or linked to a theme.

Ensure the answers are facts that can be verified.

Check that your answers are correct and spelt correctly.

Using squared paper, try several ways to arrange the answers to achieve the most compact grid.

Hint: start with the longest word first, either across or down.

Letters of different words can only touch at the intersection of across and down answers.

Struggling to fit an answer in? Look at the puzzle so far and see if a word can be made. If so, think of a

question for which this word is the answer.

To number the answers, use a ruler to cover all but the first row of squares. Number the first letter of each

new word, starting from 1, from left to right. Move the ruler down row by row, numbering each ‘first letter’

letters. Look at puzzles in previous ED! Magazines to see how this works.

From the numbered answers, arrange the clues in order under Across and Down.

If two clues, an across and a down, have the same starting letter, there will not be a Number 8 clue. Instead,

these two clues will have the same number.

Other puzzles

The other two puzzles can be of your choice. Choose from examples used in previous editions of ED! Magazine or

include new ones.

All clues and other content must have been researched and devised by you.

Before you submit your entries, ask family and friends to test them to make sure they work.

Remember to include the solution to each puzzle.

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Here are some more examples:

Hidden words

How many words can you find in the square?

Score points for the number of letters in each word you find. One point for three-letter words up to six points

for eight-letter words.

Words can be found horizontally, from left and right; vertically, from up and down; diagonally, from left and

right.

For your puzzle, a maximum of an 8 x 8 square.

Make lists of 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7- and 8-letter words. These may be random or topic based.

Try different ways to place them in a grid so that you use as many words as possible.

With any gaps, add random letters but if possible, choose ones that will make other words.

U E K A N S R T

S L U G T E N H

E G G S T A G I

R A L T H C O N

L E O P A R D G

E A E T R A T E

T L E D E E S R

E E K S N B K D

Find the missing numbers

In the shape there should be 15 numbers between 4 and 102. When ordered from smallest to largest, the

pattern shows an increase of 7 each time; but some of the numbers are missing. Which numbers are they?

For your puzzle, choose a random starting number and a number to add or subtract each time.

Continue until you have 15 numbers. Choose five to remove. Place the ten remaining numbers randomly

within the shape.

Find the function

Place the functions in the number string to make it correct.

You are given a string of numbers and a selection of functions. The functions are placed between the

numbers to make the number string correct.

e.g. Insert these functions to make the following number string correct: + 8, - 6, x 3, ÷ 6

4 = 12 = 2 = 10 = 4

SOLUTION:

4 x 3 = 12 ÷ 6 = 2 + 8 = 10 - 6 = 4

For your puzzle, keep to one and two digit numbers in the number string and one digit numbers in the

functions. Use a maximum of eight functions.

32

53

102

81 11 60

25

4 46

88

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What’s the pattern?

Find the pattern in the sequence of numbers or letters. Write the next two in the sequence.

What are the next two elements in this sequence of numbers? 1, 2, 4, 7, 11, 16, _ , _

o The next two in the sequence are 22 and 29. What’s the pattern?

o Look for the difference between consecutive numbers: + 1, + 2, + 3, + 4, +5

o The pattern is, the difference between numbers increases by one each time.

What are the missing elements in this sequence of letters? J, F, _ , A, M, _ , J, A, S, _ , N, D

o This is not strictly a pattern but do you recognise the sequence?

o The letters are the first letter of each month of the year, so the missing elements are: M, J, O.

o For your puzzle, give between six and ten elements of the sequence and ask for a maximum of three

elements to continue or complete the sequence.

For classroom use:



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Keep Watch –

an interview with a rising star Thousands of kids take part in activities

outside school and many are achieving

great things in state, national and even

international events.

How do they cope with the demands of

such high level performance? What

motivates them? Who inspires them?

What are their dreams for the future?

Here’s your chance to find out what it

feels like to be a reporter interviewing a

celebrity! Find a local hero and spend a

while finding out what makes him/her tick.

The word count for the interview is

between 250 and 350 words.

Finding a subject

You may already know of someone but if not, ask your

parents or teacher to suggest clubs where you may

find a willing candidate. Let him/her know that if you

win this competition, he/she will be featured in the

special gen zED! edition of ED! Magazine. Who could

refuse such great publicity?

Preparing interview questions

A great interviewer is one that asks great questions.

Readers will want to know how he/she arrived at their

current level, who helped him/her and what he/she

hopes to achieve in the future. They will also be

interested in the person behind the activity. Phrase

your questions so your subject gives you this

information.

You will also need some ‘basic information’ including

name, age and achievement to date.

Conducting the interview

It is best to conduct the interview where you can also

take photographs of the subject performing. Will you

record the interview manually or electronically? If

electronically, make sure that all your equipment works

and is fully charged. Bring all leads with you, just in

case!

Taking the photograph

You need permission for any photographs taken and, if

someone takes the photos for you, you must include

his/her name. All photographs submitted to the

competition must be in focus so make sure your

camera and photography skills are capable of taking

moving shots. If in doubt, take a still shot.

Reviewing the responses

Review the responses as soon as possible while the

interview is still fresh in your mind. Type all answers

just as they were given. Edit them for spelling and

grammar. Write any abbreviations in full.

Writing the article

Write the lead paragraph introducing the subject and

stating his/her current achievements. Order the

questions/answers from the most to least informative

and select which ones to keep or discard. Write a

catchy title to draw the reader’s eyes to the article.

Keep Watch checklist

Please make sure you include everything that

is required:

Your name

Your school year

250 – 350 words


22

Spot On – five different

answers to the same question Here’s an opportunity to give five of your

friends the chance to have their say and

either offer their opinion about a world

event or give a response to a specific

survey question. It’s up to you to choose

the question but each response must be


Choosing the question

Think of a topic that your friends and fellow students

would be interested in. It could be a current ‘hot topic’

in the news, an exciting event occurring locally,

nationally or internationally or something related to the

entertainment industry. Ask a question that requires

thought and will give lots of different answers and

explanations for them.

Asking the question

You can only include five people in your entry, but you

need to ask several people the question so you can

choose the five best responses. What would be the

best way to record their answers?

Reviewing the responses

Read through each response. Put aside any you are

sure you won’t use. Look at the rest carefully and

choose the best five.

Taking the photographs

When the five responses have been selected, take a

head and shoulders shot of each person.

Spot On checklist


is required:

Your name

Your school year

30 – 60 words each

5 head and shoulders photographs

23

The Buzz – a news story

about or of interest to children You’ll need to keep your eyes and ears

open to enter this competition. Like a

regular reporter, you’ll need to sniff out a

story that’s happening somewhere near

you and be an ‘at the scene’ reporter. The

story must be about or of interest to

readers of your age, and one that you

would enjoy reading. The word count is


Reporting on the story

Reporting electronically allows you to talk as you go,

describing the scene. It also makes it easier to conduct

interviews. Remember to take the name of anyone you

interview and get his/her permission to quote him/her

in your article.

Find out the 5 Ws of the event; Who? What? Where?

When? Why? You may be able to answer some

questions yourself but for others you will need to

interview people. Try to interview people from as many

different groups as possible; e.g. performers,

audience, volunteers, security. You may receive

different answers to the same questions. That could

make a very interesting article!

Taking photographs

Take photos of the scene and of all individuals

interviewed. Ask permission for photographs to be

taken and used.

Transcribing the report

Listen to your report a few times and then start to type

it. Listen. Pause. Write. Repeat this until the whole

report has been transcribed. Listen to the report again,

at the same time reading your transcript. The two

should be identical.

Writing the report

Decide how you want to present the information and

which quotes to use. If you have used someone’s

quote, include his/her photograph.

Write the first draft. Edit for layout, spelling and

punctuation.

From all the information you have acquired about the

event, write a lead paragraph to introduce the story.

This is a general statement about the subject that

draws the reader in to read the whole article.

Finally, conjure up a creative title that will cry out to the

reader!

The Buzz checklist


is required:

Your name

Your school year

300 – 400 words



24

Make It – a crafty procedure

for others to follow Do you have any crafty ideas you would

like to share with other ED! readers? Well,

here’s your chance. The secret to writing a

good procedure is to actually do the task

as you write. The maximum word count is

300 words.

Materials

First of all, gather all the materials and tools you’ll

need. Arrange items in the order they are first used.

Record the materials in this order as dot points.

Instructions

Starting with a command verb, record and number

each step as you complete it. You may wish to take

some photographs along the way that may help to

explain an instruction. Take a photograph of the

finished item.

Testing the procedure

Ask someone to follow your instructions to make the

item. Watch them carefully. You may realise that you

have missed some small steps. Edit your procedure to

include any missing steps.

Title

The title can be simply the name of the item being

made.

Introductory sentence

Explain how, when, why and by whom the item could

be used.

Make It checklist


is required:

Your name

Your school year

Maximum of 300 words

Photograph of finished product


25

The Word – a book review

to interest others You must surely have read a really great

book that you’d like others to try; or

maybe, you’ve read a really terrible one

that you’d want them to avoid! You can

choose which type of book to review but

remember, you need to justify your

opinions.

A book review has three main parts: facts

about the books, an outline of the story,

taking care not to spoil any surprises, and

a personal recommendation.

In a non-fiction book review, the outline of

the story is replaced by an outline of the

book’s contents and layout.

The book review must be between 150 and

200 words and you must include an image

of the book’s cover.

Facts about the book

This is where you record the title, the author, and

illustrator if appropriate, and the publisher. Do you

know where to find details of the publisher? It’s

somewhere at the front of the book!

You may also wish to include the genre; e.g. fantasy,

science-fiction, historical and style; e.g. prose, poetry,

graphic novel.

Outline of the story

You want to give a suggestion of the plot without giving

away any secrets. Outline a little of the plot and name

the role of the main characters. Make it sound exciting

so the readers want to find out more. Use descriptive

phrases to whet their literary appetites! End this part of

the review with a question that can only be answered

by reading the book.

Outline of contents and layout

There are many genres of non-fiction book, organised

to suit the purpose, from dictionaries and telephone

directories to atlases and encyclopaedia. How the

information is organised affects how easily a person

can access the information – its ‘user-friendliness’.

Non-fiction books generally include a contents page

which can be used to suggest examples of subjects to

be included in the review.

Personal recommendation

Because we all love to read different genres, any book

review with justified opinions will help someone decide

whether or not to read a book, so take this part of the

review seriously. You may have given reasons against

a book, but for someone who enjoys that genre, those

reasons may be what makes it the perfect book for

him/her.

The Word checklist


is required:

Your name

Your school year

150 – 200 words

The book’s cover image

26

Who? Where? What? –

a research article on a person,

place or thing John Logie Baird, Iguazu Falls, the Large

Hadron Collider – who, where, what are

these things? You may or may not know

the answers. You may not even be

interested to find out, but if someone

researched each one and wrote three

interesting articles, you may change your

mind!

Your challenge in Who is? / Where is? /

What is? is to research and write an article

of between 300 and 400 words on

something your friends and fellow

students would find interesting and enjoy

reading.

Choosing a topic

Choose a topic that you are interested in. Your

enthusiasm will shine through and help you write a

better article. Brainstorm to create a chart of headings

to give you a focus for your research.

Researching

Make notes under each heading which can be the sub-

headings of the final article. Choose photographs and

images to include in the article.

Writing the article

Read the notes under each heading and rewrite as

a number of cohesive sentences to form one or

two paragraphs. Decide which sub-headings are

the most important and re-order as necessary.

Write a lead paragraph that draws the reader into

the article, encouraging him/her to find out more.

Use interesting language to create a short and

snappy title.

Who? Where? What? checklist


is required:

Your name

Your school year

300 – 400 words

Photographs (max. 3)

27

Mind Games – a selection of

puzzles to challenge the brain Everyone enjoys spending a little time

testing their powers of logic and lateral

thinking to solve a few puzzles. Your

challenge is to write three of them! One

must be a crossword but the other two

can be of your choice. Remember to

include the puzzle solutions with your

entry.

Crossword puzzle

The crossword can have a maximum of eight

clues. Make sure your answers are spelt correctly.

Aim to create a compact puzzle in which many

letters of each word are shared. Start with the

longest words and work through to the shortest

ones.

Examine puzzles in ED! Magazine to discover how

the Across and Down clues are determined and

the answer squares numbered.

Ask someone to test your puzzle and edit it if

necessary.

Other puzzles

The other two puzzles must fit within a maximum

area of 10 x 12 cm.

Look at past copies of ED! Magazine for puzzle

ideas or find puzzles of your own to include. All

questions and examples used must be your own

suggestions and not copied from anywhere else.

Mind games

Please make sure that your students

include everything that is required:

Your name

Your school year

1 crossword

2 other puzzles

Solutions to all puzzles

28


29

Keep Watch –

an interview with a rising star

30

Keep Watch –

an interview with a rising star

31

Spot on – five different

answers to the same question

32


about or of interest to children

33



34



35


for others to follow

36



37



38

The Word – a book review

to interest others

39

What? –

a research article on a thing

40

What? –

a research article on a thing

41

Who? –

a research article on a person

42

Who? –

a research article on a person

43

Where? –

a research article on a place

44

Where? –

a research article on a place

45


puzzles to challenge the brain

46



47



teacher notes: gen zed! competition 2015 terms 2...

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