Introduction
Short story writing is an essential skill in your level; one that you have to learn in order to write stories for your class newspaper project. Today you will have to make a research about a very tragic plane accident that happened in Greece in 2005 and write your own story with an engaging plot. You will also make use of characterization, conflict, point of view and revision.This topic might seem to be a bit difficult but it is very creative and interesting. Writing stories can be fun once you start writing and they help you to express yourself.
Get ready and let's get started. Enjoy it.
Click on the "Task" button to find out what you need to do.
Task
What makes a story newsworthy?
Its timing, significance, how many people are affected, proximity, prominence and human interest so as to generate empathy or other emotions.
In this webquest you will be working in groups of four to do the following activities:
- Listen to a video with the sound off but with subtitles narrating the accident and then another one with sound.
- Print and read a specific online newspaper story from the “Resources” section that is available online selected by the teacher. You can also compare these stories with others found on the Internet.
- Analyse the story in terms of planning, structure and content.
- Make an outline of the story that you are going to write.
- Write your story, based on the given accident from a different perspective.
The story of each group will be published in your class newspaper.
Click on the "Process" button to find out how to do these things.
Resources will be needed in order to complete the tasks.
Links to the videos you are going to watch
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yalp4Lp0apI
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAPGkNDnBHA
Links to the newspapers
Print and read:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4154748.stm
Compare texts:
http://www.ekathimerini.com/34853/article/ekathimerini/news/deadly-air-…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-409703/Ghost-flight-horror-crash-blamed-pilots.html
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2006/dec/19/theairlineindustry.travel
https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Cypriot_plane_with_121_on_board_crashes_in_Greece
Process
Now you have to work on the following numbered activities. After the completion of each step move on to the next one. Your final goal is to write your story.
STEP 1
- Watch and listen to the videos.
- Print and fill in question 1-6 in the News Story Analysis Worksheet.
STEP 2
- Print and read a specific online newspaper story from the “Resources” section.
- Complete the corresponding tasks in Worksheet I.
SO REMEMBER. When you write a story
use past continuous to set the scene of the story and then simple past.
use adjectives and adverbs (e.g. they waited patiently)
use direct speech with reporting verbs and punctuation (e.g. 'How strange', I thought)
use discourse markers (e.g. then, after that, in the end)
- Compare these stories with others found on the Internet.
- Analyse the story in terms of planning, structure and content. Fill in questions 7-8 in the News Story Analysis Worksheet.
- Class discussion and reflection on news stories.
STEP 3
- Make an outline of the story that you are going to write.
- Use the News Story Project Guidelines.
STEP 4
- Write your story, based on the given accident from a different perspective.
- Share your work with your classmates and receive feedback. Please fill in the Evaluation Rubric for one of your classmates. Make any necessary changes to the original story.
STEP 5
- Present the final version of your story in a classroom produced publication or post it on the school website.
Evaluation
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B. Please fill in anomously for a member of your group the evaluation form on the quality of Collaborative Work Skills.
Peer Evaluation of Collaborative Working Skills
For: ________________________________________
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Unsatisfactory (1point) |
Satisfactory (2 points) |
Advanced (3 points) |
Excellent (4 points) |
Score |
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Contribution |
Does not provide ideas and he / she is not willing or hesitates to discuss and participate. |
Sometimes provides ideas and tries to help and participate. |
Usually provides useful ideas, very often participates in the given tasks and initiates group discussions. |
Always provides great ideas and suggestions. Participates actively leading the discussion and contributes extensively to the tasks. |
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Level of Work |
Provides a low level work that needs editing. |
Provides work of good quality that needs some improvement. |
Provides work of very good quality with very few mistakes. |
Provides work of excellent quality. |
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Time-management |
Pour time management. Never finishes on time. |
Tends to be late, but eventually he / she finishes on time. |
Very good use of time limits. He / She always finishes before the deadline. |
Excellent time management. He / She is well prepared beforehand for the next tasks. |
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Listens and supports |
He never listens to others. He thinks that he is always right. He is not supportive. |
Sometimes listens to other members, but there are times that he / she works individually. |
Usually listens to others and supports them when needed. |
Always listens, exchanges ideas and supports the whole team |
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Attitude |
He is always critical towards all group members. He doesn’t like anything. |
Sometimes he is critical towards others with no justification. |
He is rarely critical towards others and he tries to explain his views. |
He is never critical and encourages others for their work. |
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Conclusion
You've created your newspaper stories through this project ! I hope you all enjoyed the process of writing and you are excited to read them.
This project allowed you to research on a specific news event and motivated you to practice your story writing techniques. You imaginatively created dynamic characters of your own and you became acquainted with different elements of story writing processes.
You successfully worked collaboratively in groups to write stories for your newspaper.
Apply the writing skills that you have worked on in your next newspaper issue as well. If you need more help visit the following sites:
Links on how to write a story
https://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199846412/student/chapter8/exercise/exercise3/
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/creative1/shortstory/
Credits
I would like to give credit to the webquests I previewed before my attempt to create my first webquest.
Mostly from:
You're the Author! Writing your own short stories.
Teacher Page
Liana Mantzari
Not Provided at Not Provided.
Location: Unknown Greece 
Member since: May 12, 2017
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