ENGLISH 8

Quarter 4 – Module 1
Writing and Composition
 Lesson
Lesson Distinguishing the Types of Journalistic

2 Writing(news report, opinion article, feature

article, and sports news article)

What I Need to Know

In
This module you will be learning the different types of journalistic writing which are
part of communication that keeps us informed of the changing events, issues, and
characters in the world outside. Though it may be interesting or even entertaining, the
foremost value is as a utility to empower the informed. The purpose of journalism is thus
to provide citizens with the information they need to make the best possible decisions
about their lives, their communities, their societies, and their governments.

What Is It
Directions: Based on the activity above you were able to refresh your prior knowledge
on journalistic writing which leads you to the next level of understanding the lesson.

Essential question:
 How important is journalistic writing?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Let’s talk about Journalistic Writing!

7 Elements of Newsworthiness
1. Timeliness
2. Proximity or Nearness
3. Significance
4. Prominence
5. Oddity or Unusualness
6. Conflict
7. Progress
5 Essential Qualities of News
1. Accuracy
2. Brevity (Briefness)
3. Clarity
4. Objectivity

2 kinds of News
1. Straight News- consists of facts reported without elaboration
2. News Feature- Based on facts; writer may give his impression, may describe and
narrate without resorting to biased opinion

https://bit.ly/3i739Lz

What is Headlines

Headlines are becoming increasingly important in the internet age. Not only do
they capture the reader's attention, they serve as source material for search engines.
Today a reader is just as likely to come across an article by reading a list of search
engine results as by scanning a newspaper page.

Headlines should be clear and specific, telling the reader what the story is
about, and be interesting enough to draw them into reading the article.

 5-10 words at the most

 should be accurate and specific
o Ex. City Council to Cut Taxes doesn't mean the same thing as City Council to
Cut Budget
 Use present tense and active verbs, but don't start with a verb
o Ex. Man Skateboards for Homeless
 Use infinitive form of verb for future actions
o Ex. Convention to Create Jobs
 Do not use articles - a, an, the

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 Do not use conjunctions like and - you can substitute a comma
o Ex. President Declares Peace, Holiday
 Should be complete sentences or imply complete sentence
o Ex. Crackdown on Trafficking doesn't tell you who's doing the trafficking and
what kind of trafficking
 Avoid repetition - Headlines summarize; they don't repeat the lead.
o Ex. Rays Win - not Rays Win Final Game of Playoffs
 Don't use unidentified pronouns . They Win Pennant!
 Avoid clever for clever's sake
Ex. Rays Flip-Flop On St. Petersburg
https://bit.ly/2NB95Pe

What’s More

Activity 2: Hone your News Writing

Directions: Fill in the important data below by reading this sample news.

Cebu province COVID-19 cases top 7k with 259 new infections –DOH

Confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 cases in the whole province of Cebu rose to
7,156 as of June 25, the provincial health office has reported.
A Facebook post by the provincial health office of the Department of Health late
Thursday evening indicates that of the 7,156 confirmed cases, 4,139 are active with
reported 259 new cases.
Of the total, the province has recorded 2,789 recoveries, and 228 fatalities. More
than half of the provincial total are in Cebu City or 4,607 of the 7,156 cases.
On Thursday, Cebu City announced 70 new cases, bringing the total to 4,607.
The city has been placed under tight lockdown due to the steep spike in the number
of COVID-19 cases.
At least 12 barangays in Cebu City were identified as hotspots for COVID-19 and will
be placed under strict lockdown, said Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, who has
been designated to oversee the management of COVID-19 response there. 

Answer the following:

Headline: ________________________________
What:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
When:
______________________________________________________________________
Where:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

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 Who:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Why:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
How:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

What Is It?

Opinion piece

An opinion piece is an article, usually published in a newspaper or magazine, that

mainly reflects the author's opinion about a subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many
periodicals.
https://bit.ly/3dGxkG9

In a newspaper it’s called an editorial. Such an article is published purely to express

the author’s or the newspaper’s opinion on something.

When a journalist inserts his or her opinion (or commentary) into a news story, it’s
called editorializing. This is not the same as an editorial and is unacceptable in straight news
reporting. https://bit.ly/2VpQZUp)

Feature article

A feature article gives information of human interest. Feature articles are generally
the stories in newspapers and magazines other than straight news stories, editorials, or
advertising. In addition, because of their human interest, they attempt to involve the reader
emotionally. The feature article does not have the inverted pyramid organization of the
"hard" news article. Furthermore, features do not become dated as quickly as "hard" news
stories. A good feature article is often interesting to read a year after it was written. It is more
similar to fiction because it tells a story. For example, a news story about the Prime Minister
might be about what is happening in Cabinet or perhaps which laws are under consideration
in the Diet. A feature article, on the other hand, would perhaps look at the Prime Minister's
leisure activities or tell the story of some important formative incident that took place in his
youth.
https://bit.ly/3dE4E0v

Sports journalism

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 Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting
topics and competitions. Sports Journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted
to the social elite and has transitioned into an integral part of the news business with
newspapers having dedicated sports sections.[1] The increased popularity of sports amongst
the middle and lower class led to the more coverage of sports content in publications. The
appetite for sports resulted in sports only publications like ESPN and Sports Illustrated.
There are many different forms of sports journalism, ranging from play by play and game
recaps to analysis and investigative journalism on important developments in the sport.
Technology and the internet age has massively changed the sports journalism space as it is
struggling with the same problems that the broader category of print journalism is struggling
with, mainly not being able to cover costs due to falling subscriptions. New forms of internet
blogging and tweeting in the current millennium have pushed the boundaries of sports
journalism. https://bit.ly/2CNoHNj

News Writing

News writing style is just as important for sports reporting as it is for general news,
business stories or any other journalistic work.
The advantage of sports writing is that you are allowed a little it more leeway in your
choice of words. In crime or business writing, you are restricted in your use of adjectives and
adverbs and are encouraged to focus more on nouns and verbs. Sports writing, however,
allows you to go to town in describing plays, the atmosphere, fans and other colorful aspects
of a sporting event.

Introduction

The most important news aspect of a sports game is the score. Who won? How did they win
and what effect did the victory have? Also important is whether we are writing from a Boston
perspective or Cleveland. In this case, we will go with Cleveland.

“Cleveland Cavaliers lost 98-96 to the Boston Celtics after Delonte West’s sank two free
throws in the final seconds, dropping three and a half games behind the Pistons for the best
record in the Eastern Conference.”

More info

The above is enough for those who have a passing interest in the sport. However,
NBA fans would want more information and you could give it to them in one or two
paragraphs.

“The Cavaliers were without star player LeBron James, suffering from a knee injury,
while the Celtics were minus Paul Pierce. Gerald Green led the way for Celtics with 25
points while Kendrick Perkins had 12 points and nine rebounds.

The Cavaliers, for whom Larry Hughes scored 24 with Sasha Pavlovic scoring 17,
have already qualified for the play-offs while Boston are out of the running.”

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Quote
This is where you can provide a quote from the coach or a key player from both
teams. You can precede each saying with a lead-in paragraph or go straight into the quote.

“Celtic forward Al Jefferson, said: ‘They were missing their best player and we were
missing our best play. We just stuck in there.’

Cavs coach Mike Brown said James’ absence was a key factor in their loss.

‘We miss LeBron. We miss LeBron every time he doesn’t play. He’s our guy,’ said
Brown.”

The rest
Once you got the main information and key quotes out of the way, you can go on to
describe the game. Even better would be to describe just one or two plays and include more
quotes.
The thinking behind sports articles is that people would have watched the game on
TV anyway and would not want boring game description. Therefore, quotes from the people
who matter, such as athletes and coaches, would offer better reading value.
There are many types of sports news writing that is offered around the world
everyday. We have merely showed you its simplest form. Certainly, it is a rewarding form of
news writing for journalists who love their sport. And the structure they use allow them to
adapt their skills to any type of journalism writing.
https://bit.ly/3fWpo5c
Sample Sports news article:

Thirdy has PBA blessing to play in Japan, but not forever

The PBA sees no complications with the decision of amateur star Thirdy Ravena to suit up as
an Asian import for San-en NeoPhoenix in the Japanese BLeague, at least for the next two years.
Although he skipped the PBA Draft last year with an eye on a move overseas, Ravena
personally met with PBA commissioner Willie Marcial way before all of this to seek his permission on
his plans.
“I don’t have a problem with his move because he asked for our permission,” Marcial said in
Filipino. “He went to our office to personally inform me even before the draft deadline [last year]. But,
ultimately, the board will decide on that.”
Skipping the draft again after two years in which one becomes eligible will be another matter, Marcial
said. And when that time frame elapses, he would again have to seek the approval of the PBA if he
still has plans of someday playing in Asia’s pioneering professional league.

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Ravena’s move could open doors for other aspirants in the country to try their luck in Japan, although
a PBA rule states that players who are eligible for the draft can’t pass on it for two years or face a ban
or suspension.
San-en, which is based in Shizuoka, which is just two hours away from the Japanese capital
of Tokyo, made Ravena the first Filipino import in the BLeague by signing the former Ateneo star to a
one-season deal. The BLeague and the club jointly announced the acquisition on Wednesday.
While Ravena will be out of the PBA, the three-time Finals most valuable player in the UAAP said that
he will be available for national duty even if the BLeague would run for eight months a year.
As long as he is well taken care of by his team in Japan, Marcial said the league is happy for Ravena.
“His future is also our priority here in the PBA,” Marcial said.
https://bit.ly/2NBXKhO

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 Lesson
Composing Journalistic
3
Lesson
Texts
What’s In

The previous topic taught us on how to compose journalistic writing and acquainted
us of its primary purpose which are to provide information, to persuade and to entertain. The
last lesson also enhanced our skills in writing and expressing our ideas about the different
issues of today. Moreover, it brought us to the next stage of our journey which this next
lesson will bring us.

What I Need to Know

This lesson will teach you on how to make your arguments and writings more
justifiable by citing sources. We believe that nothing is more powerful than a writing which
reveals facts with evidences than a mere claim. As a young learner citing is important for it
shows your reader that you have invested time in surfing ideas which can be beneficial and
an addition to what has already been learned. But there may be instances wherein we are
not aware of our actions in gathering informations which lead us to unintentional plagiarism .
Thus, the proper way of indicating sources in any academic writing is emphasized in this
module. Because we believe that citing sources is a practice of giving credit to the sources
that inform your work and helps maintain academic integrity.

What’s More

What is PLAGIARISM?

OFFICIAL DEFINITION
To plagiarize (verb):
• to use the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own words or ideas
• to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's
production) without crediting the source

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 • to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from
an existing source

WHAT DOES PLAGIARISM LOOK LIKE?

• Copying someone’s work
• Citing a source improperly
• Failure to cite a source
• Creation of false sources
• Turning in another person’s work as your own

For example, consider this original passage:

The legal system is made up of civil courts, criminal courts and specialty courts such
as family law courts and bankruptcy court. Each court has its own jurisdiction, which refers to
the cases that the court is allowed to hear. In some instances, a case can only be heard in
one type of court. For example, a bankruptcy case must be heard in a bankruptcy court. In
other instances, there may be several potential courts with jurisdiction. For example, a
federal criminal court and a state criminal court would each have jurisdiction over a crime
that is a federal drug offense but that is also an offense on the state level.

If someone paraphrased or simply changed the words, as follows, this would be an

example of plagiarism:

The legal system is comprised of criminal and civil courts and specialty courts like
bankruptcy and family law courts. Every one of the courts is vested with its own jurisdiction.
Jurisdiction means the types of cases each court is permitted to rule on. Sometimes, only
one type of court can hear a particular case. For instance, bankruptcy cases an be ruled on
only in bankruptcy court. In other situations, it is possible for more than one court to have
jurisdiction. For instance, both a state and federal criminal court could have authority over a
criminal case that is illegal under federal and state drug laws.

Activity 3 : Plagiarism Check!

Directions: Study the checklist and see if you have done the following. Put check for your
desired answer.

YES NO
1. Are all the ideas in my written work mine?
2. Do I make use of other’s work to gather information?
3. Do I use the work of other people and misrepresent it as
my own?
4. Do I make use of others works to support my arguments?
5. Do I examine the ideas and arguments of others to help me
shape my own thoughts or views on a particular issue?
6. Do I paraphrase too closely to the original text to somehow
claim that it’s mine?
7. Do I Use the exact words of the author in my writings?

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HOW TO AVOID PLAGIARISM

1. Cite your sources

2. Paraphrase
▶ You must reference the original source
▶ The text you produce may be shorter or longer than the original text
▶ You must use your own words

Example:
From plagiarism.com
“Simply put, plagiarism is the use of another's original words or ideas as though they
were your own. Any time you borrow from an original source and do not give proper
credit, you have committed plagiarism and violated U.S. copyright laws.”
My paraphrase:
According to plagiarism.com, plagiarism happens any time you present someone
else’s work as if it was yours. If you don’t give credit to a source, it is a violation of
copyright laws.

3. Quote
▶ You must reference the original source
▶ The text produced is the exact length of the original text quoted (unless ellipses
are used)
▶ You must use the original author’s exact words and you must put quotation
marks around them
▶ You must include the page number of the source from which you borrowed the
author’s original language
▶ You can introduce quotes with phrases like According to Bob Jones, “xxx” or
Bob Jones stated, “xxx”

Examples:
According to plagiarism.com, “plagiarism is the use of another's original words or
ideas as though they were your own. “

It is a violation of copyright law to present “another’s original words or ideas as

though they were your own” because it is considered plagiarism, (plagiarism.com).

https://bit.ly/2YPRDeX
Activity 3: Avoiding Plagiarism Quiz
Directions: Answer the questions below. Encircle the letter of your answer.

1. What must be documented when you are searching for additional information?
(Circle all that apply)

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 a) Words or ideas that appear in books, magazines, newspapers, songs, computer
programs, TV programs, movies, web pages, letters, advertisements or any similar
medium
b) You don’t have to document common knowledge or your own thinking.
c) Information you gain through interviews or conversing with another person (via the
phone, face to face, or in writing)
d) When you copy exact words or a unique phrases
e) Your own thinking that consists of your analysis, synthesis, and interpretation of a
topic
f) When you reprint existing diagrams, charts, graphs, pictures, or other visual
materials
g) When you repost or reuse any electronically-available media including images,
audio, and video

2. Circle the possible ways you can avoid plagiarism?

a) When researching, be extremely careful and methodical in how you take notes on
content and when you paraphrase, quote, or summarize.
b) Never use sources
c) Practice using documentation and become comfortable with citing the sources you
use.
d) All of the above
e) Both a and c

3. Circle as many possible steps to Effective Paraphrasing.

a. Read over the text several times until you grasp its full meaning.
b. Quoting whenever possible because paraphrasing is not credible.
c. Set the original text aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card or sheet of
paper.
d. On the note card, jot down the subject of the paraphrase and a few key words that
will help you put this information in context later on in your paper.
e. Cut and paste the information you want in your paper without citing it until you are
done.
f. Go back and check your notes to make sure you included all the necessary
information that was in the original material.
g. Use quotation marks to identify unique words or terminology that you borrowed
directly from the original material.
h. Do not waste your time understanding the text, just use its ideas however you
would like.
i. Record the bibliographic information on the note card so you can easily refer to it if
you use the material in your paper.

https://bit.ly/2YaA3mO

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 What Is It

What is a Bibliography?

A bibliography is a list of all the different sources that you used for support of your topic.

When do you use a Bibliography?

1. In a report with statistics to show where you found those facts.

2. In a paper/report that uses a main idea from an author.
3. In a research paper to show ALL the different sources required by the teacher.

Always check
What are some “sources” your teacher might ask you to use? punctuation!
1. Textbooks Double check that you
2. Reference books have used correct
3. Books on the topic punctuation marks. (.,;)
4. Encyclopedias There is ALWAYS a
5. Reliable websites period at the end of
6. Magazine articles every entry.

What does it mean to “cite” a source?

 If you “borrow” ideas from a source, you must give the source credit, or it is
plagiarism.
 You “cite” the source by writing it down in the Bibliography (or sometimes referred to
as Works Cited).

How many sources should you use?

 This often depends upon your teacher.
 Usually a teacher will give you a limit such as, “You must use at least 5 sources.”

What information do you need for a book?

 Author’s last name, first name.
 Title of Book.
 City of publication:
 Publishing company, copyright date.

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 https://bit.ly/2NbjNeY

Example:
Preston, George. Fun with Helium. New York: Watts Publishing Company,
2007.

What about a reliable website?

 Author(s)
 Year the webpage was last updated (in round brackets)
 Title of webpage (in italics)
 Available at: URL
 (Accessed: date)

Example: Terry, J. (2007) Moving on - preparing for university & organising your
studies, Available at: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/dcs/teaching/movingon/7.pdf
(Accessed: 5th July 2012).

What information is needed for an encyclopedia?

 “Topic Title.” Name of Entire Encyclopedia. Year of publication. volume, page(s).

Example:
“Helium.” The World Book Encyclopedia. 2008. 6, 98-107.
For a magazine
 Author (last name first), "Article Title." Name of magazine. Volume number, (Date):
page numbers.

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Example:
Jordan, Jennifer, “Filming on top of the world.” Museum of Science Magazine. Volume
7 (winter 1998) pp-11

Newspaper article
Order
 Author
 Year of publication (in round brackets)
 Title of article (in single quotation marks)
 Title of newspaper (in italics)
 Day and month
 Page reference

Example: Prince, R. (2010) ‘Why food is costing us the earth’, The Times, 30th August,
p.18.

https://bit.ly/2UX4Xgn
Activity 4: Examine Me!

Direction: Identify what kind of source is indicated in each number. (Book, Newspaper,
Magazine, Website, encyclopedia)

__________________1. American Association for Artificial Intelligence. 17 Mar. 2001 ..

__________________2. The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th ed. Chicago: U of Chicago P,
2003.
__________________3. Colbert, Stephen. Home page. 1 Nov. 2006. .
__________________4. Creation of the Media: Political Origins of the Media. Los
Angeles: Houghton- Mifflin, 1922.
__________________5. Foreman, Red, Elizabeth Bennett, and Tom Collins. “In
Forecasting Their Emotions, Most People Flunk Out.” New York
Times 16 Feb. 1999. 21 Nov. 2000. .
__________________6. Kramer, Cosmo F. “A Health Threat Baffling for Its Lack of a
Pattern.” New York Times 22 June 2003, natl. ed.: A14.
__________________7. Peterman, Jay S. “Eat This Now!” US News and World Report
28 Mar. 2005: 56-58.
__________________8. Van Delay, Art. Seinfeld: The Show About Nothing. New York:
Penguin Books, 1997.
__________________9. Venetian Blinds: Contemporary Study of Compulsive Lying. New
York: Pendant Publishing, 1994.
__________________10. Peterson, Susan Lynn. The Life of Martin Luther. 1999. 9 Mar.
2001 <http://pweb.netcom.com/~supeters/luther.htm>.
__________________11. Okuda, Michael, and Denise Okuda. Star Trek Chronology:
The History of the Future. New York: Pocket Books, 1993.
__________________12. Olson, Joseph. Carbon-dating in Science. Mankato:
Harcourt/Brace Publishing, 2008.
__________________13. “Helium.”www.helium/sciencedigest/Loyola. com. April 28,

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 2010.
__________________14. Preston, George. Fun with Helium. New York: Watts
Publishing Company, 2007.
__________________15. The Encyclopedia Britannica 1997, Volume 7, “Gorillas,” pp 51-
55.

https://bit.ly/3eEP7in

Assessment (Post-Test)

I. Multiple Choice
Directions: Read and answer the questions below. Select the letter of the correct
answer among the given choices.

1. Is the name of the person who wrote the report.

A. Byline C. Place line
B. Caption D. Quotation
2. It is the first paragraph of the article where you must include the 4W’s.
A. Lead Paragraph C. Body Paragraphs
B. Paragraph D. Caption
3. Where the report is written.
A. Place line C. Byline
B. Headline D. Lead Paragraph
4. It is the title of the newspaper.
A. Masthead C. Byline
B. Headline D. Place line
5. The title of the News Article.
A. Headline C. Byline
B. Masthead D. Place line
6. Which of the following is NOT true about journalism today?
a. A journalist needs a great deal of money to start a new news organization.
b. Journalists have a wider choice of career paths than in the past.
c. The journalism industry is evolving as people get their news in new ways.
d. Creative ideas for journalistic content and delivery systems are springing up
everywhere.
7. In journalism, “convergence” means
a. sharing facilities, newsgathering resources, personnel or content.
b. different news media all cover the same story in the same way.
c. the content of one newspaper is indistinguishable from that of any
other newspaper.
d. news organizations are all striving to put the same ideological slant on
news stories.

8. Which of the following is NOT true about journalism today?

a. Stories created for one medium are likely to be found in other media.
b. Few people nowadays rely on journalists for information about important
events.
c. The techniques for researching and writing stories continue to be important.
d. The tenets of good journalism—critical thinking, clear writing and organized
presentation—remain the same.

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9. Traditional news media—newspapers, magazines and broadcast news
operations—provide what percentage of the factual information on the Internet?
a. 70 percent.
b. 55 percent.
c. 85 percent.
d. 90 percent.
10. What best describes the rightness or wrongness of plagiarism?
a. Always wrong because it is theft and fraud
b. Plagiarism is not a right or wrong kind of thing
c. In some situations, it is OK
d. There is nothing wrong with it
11. Which of the following is not an example of plagiarism?
a. Changing a few words of a paragraph someone else wrote
b. Borrowing an existing idea and presenting it as a new idea
c. Providing the full source for a quotation
d. Translating others’ written work into another language without citation
e. None of the above
12. The proportion of people who get their news from mobile devices was recently
estimated at
a. about one-quarter.
b. about three-quarters.
c. about two-thirds.
d. about half.
13. To paraphrase properly, you need to:
a. Change a few words in the text and cite it to make it your own.
b. Put quotation marks around the text and cite it.
c. Use only the idea from the text without citing it.
d. Summarize the text in your own words and cite it
e. All of the above
14. Which of the following is NOT a true purpose for citation?
a. Citation recognizes the authors you are referencing.
b. Citation is used to distribute money for royalties.
c. Citation allows your readers to confirm that you aren’t just “making stuff
up.”
d. None of the above
15. Which of the following are realistic consequences of plagiarism?
a. Ruined reputation
b. Being suspended or expelled from school
c. Losing money or job Being sued or having to face jail time
d. None of the above

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