Students Create News Stories in English Class

MOUNT VERNON – Sheba Serna’s English 4 class at Rebecca Turner Academy recently completed an assignment where they read an urban fiction story, “Double Jeopardy,” and were asked to identify a part of the story that would be in the newspaper if it was real life. They then created a pseudo newspaper article, using textual details for accuracy. Students completed this during the week of Monday, October 30, 2023.

Students worked in groups and were allowed to embellish where details weren’t stated. They perused the text together, pulled out relevant details and wrote their articles. They also included printed and drawn pictures in their stories. Students were highly engaged, fact checked details from the story with one another and made sure the pictures helped solidify their articles.

This assignment served as an engaging culminating project for the story rather than a typical essay. Students loved tapping into their creative sides, showing they understood the task of identifying newsworthy stories within a text.

While some students may struggle with reading and writing, a creative task like this can help them enjoy learning.

“The outcome was more than I anticipated,” said Mrs. Serna. “Most (of my students) avoid reading and writing. When I assign written work, they usually cringe at the thought of writing. This assignment allowed them creative autonomy. There was no right or wrong pressure, so they dove in headfirst. Students were, and are, so proud of their work.