Extra! Extra! Write all about it!
Let me tell you a story…
Once upon a time, your parents read the news over their morning coffee. Teens? Not so much.
Today, articles about celebrities, politics, human and animal rights, science, and the arts are at everyone’s fingertips. Most teens interact with a news source of some kind every single day. Countless Big Juicy Conversations live on their phones, and they’re reading them!
The bigger question: what’s the difference between an online screed or rant, versus a thoughtfully researched article? How do they know who to trust and what constitutes journalistic integrity?
High school is a great time to grow your teen’s writing skills through the art of journalism—a slam dunk for kids who find the typical sterile composition class too dull.
The Scoop: The Art of Journalism
The Scoop empowers your teen to join the ranks of journalists for four weeks! They get to:
- Follow their curiosity
- Contribute to an issue they care about
- Mimic the actual job of being a journalist
- Publish their writing in our online magazine
- Practice their new skills in the real world!
- Engage their craving for engagement (giving passionate teens an outlet!)
The Scoop is a perfect opportunity for teens who have academic essay fatigue (you know—end of the school year exhaustion).
You may be surprised how much journalism overlaps with academic writing skills.
- Critical thinking and logic
- Media literacy skills
- Fact-checking and research experience
- Learning how timeliness and proximity determine impact
- Evaluating trends and finding the ‘hook’ in a piece
- Developing writing voice appropriate to genre and audience
Meanwhile your kids have a blast seeing their voices “in print.”
See what our students have to say:
I am extremely happy with all that I learned throughout this class! I have grown immensely as a writer and gained so many valuable concepts that will carry me so far throughout my journey…
– Maya A.
I used to think that journalism was just something you do if you have a publisher or a film crew, but now I view being a journalist as more of a mindset through which you interpret events. – Will K.
I had never asked to set up an interview before, but thankfully it went well, and I could and would do it again. – Lara B.
Check out our BW Gazette! Past students have written about stray animals, archery, school shootings, competitive eating—and more!
The Scoop online class runs May 20 – June 14. Don’t miss the chance to see your teen publish! Register today!
