MH Gr 7 learners become journalists for a day
Mitchell House Gr 7 learners stepped into the shoes of journalists, covering the school's mini-hockey festival with cameras and notebooks.
POLOKWANE – Mitchell House Gr 7 learners recently stepped into the shoes of real journalists as part of an exciting newspaper article project linked to the school’s mini-hockey festival.
The project required learners to cover the mini-hockey festival, which took place last Saturday at Mitchell House, just like actual reporters.
They had to take photographs, observe the action and interview players and spectators.
A lesson in journalism
Ahead of the event, Gr 7 teacher Reamone Saville invited me to speak to the learners in the school’s theatre about the fundamentals of journalism.
In the presence of teachers and executive head Renier van Eyssen, I explained the importance of journalism and what it entails, while highlighting key aspects to consider when covering an event.
“The most important thing to remember when covering a school sports event as a journalist is to find the human story rather than just reporting a play-by-play of the final score,” I told learners.
I advised them to arrive early and build a quick rapport with athletic directors, coaches or players’ parents, as they can provide useful post-game quotes and verify player information.
I also advised the Gr 7 learners to have an accurate team roster, including correct name spellings and jersey numbers, before the event starts. This ensures that photo captions contain accurate information.
The assignment
As part of the creative writing task, Saville explained that learners had to follow the full writing process, including planning, creating a mind map, writing a rough copy, revising and editing before producing their final copy on a clean page in their creative writing books.
On the day of the hockey festival, learners were allowed to bring their phones to take photographs and record relevant information for the project.
They were required to wear their school sports uniforms and were given two hours to cover the event.
“Their goal was to observe carefully, gather useful information and use their observations to create an engaging and well-structured newspaper article – a hands-on experience that brought classroom learning to life,” Saville said.
Success in the classroom
Saville thanks Review for providing the Gr 7 learners with useful information to apply during the event, adding that the articles would form part of their assessment.
“It was indeed a successful mini-hockey festival event that the learners covered,” Saville said.
