Writing · Writing: Planning, Drafting, Revising and PublishingChoosing and Using Forms: News Reports, Reviews, Letters, Short Fiction and Graphic Texts
2.1 3.6About 70 minutes
Learning goals- I can write a news report with a headline, a lead and the inverted pyramid.
- I can write a review that uses criteria and evidence to support a verdict.
- I can write a clear, polite business letter or formal email with a specific request.
- I can use the conventions of short fiction and of graphic forms such as flowcharts, timelines and infographics.
Words to know
conventions
The features readers expect in a particular form.
lead
The first sentence or paragraph of a news report, which gives the key facts.
inverted pyramid
A news structure that puts the most important information first.
objective
Presenting facts without the writer's personal opinions or feelings.
criteria (in a review)
The standards used to judge something, such as acting or pacing in a film.
salutation
The greeting in a letter, such as Dear Ms. Singh:
graphic form
A text that presents information visually, such as a flowchart, timeline or infographic.
Same facts, different shapes
A snowstorm closes the schools in your town. A reporter writes a news report. A student writes a short story about being trapped at a friend's house. A parent writes a letter to council about unplowed sidewalks. The weather office makes an infographic about snowfall totals. A critic reviews the new film everyone watched that day.
The Grade 10 curriculum asks you to write in a variety of literary, informational and graphic forms. Each form has conventions: features readers expect. When you know the conventions, you can meet them, and sometimes break them on purpose.
Remember from Grade 9
In Grade 9 you wrote expository reports, personal narratives, and media texts such as infographics and podcast scripts. This lesson adds the news report, the review, the business letter or email, short fiction and graphic forms such as flowcharts and timelines, with their Grade 10 conventions.
1. The news report
A news report informs. It is objective (no I, no opinion from the reporter) and written in the third person. It follows the inverted pyramid: the most important information first, so a reader who stops after one paragraph still knows what happened.
- Headline: short, present tense, strong verb: Storm closes Elm County schools.
- Lead: the first sentence answers who, what, where, when (and often why and how).
- Quotations from people involved, with attribution (said principal Dana Ross).
- Short paragraphs, often one or two sentences.
2. The review
A review evaluates a book, film, game, album, restaurant or event. It mixes information with judgment:
- A brief, spoiler-free overview of what it is.
- Criteria: what makes a good example of this kind of thing? (For a film: story, acting, visuals, sound, pacing.)
- Evidence for each judgment: specific scenes, lines or moments.
- An overall verdict and who would enjoy it (often with a rating).
The voice can be lively and personal, but judgments must be backed up.
3. The business letter or formal email
Use a business letter or formal email to make a request, complaint, application or thank-you to an organization. It is clear, polite and brief, and it says exactly what you want.
4. Short fiction
A short story entertains and often suggests an insight. Its conventions:
- Begin late: start close to the conflict, not with the character waking up.
- One main conflict and a small cast.
- Show, don't tell: reveal feelings through actions, dialogue and details (her hands shook as she untied her skates instead of she was nervous).
- Dialogue punctuated correctly, a new paragraph for each new speaker.
- A turn near the end: a change, realization or choice.
5. Graphic forms
Graphic forms present information visually: flowcharts (steps and decisions), timelines (events in order), charts and graphs (data), infographics (a mix of short text, icons and data), diagrams and maps. Their conventions are a clear title, labels, a logical reading path, short text, sources for data, and white space so the eye is not overwhelmed.
| Form | Main purpose | Point of view | Key conventions |
|---|
| News report | Inform | Third person, objective | Headline, lead with 5 Ws, inverted pyramid, attributed quotations |
| Review | Evaluate | Often first person | Overview, criteria, evidence, verdict, no spoilers |
| Business letter / email | Request, inform, thank | First person, formal | Addresses or subject line, salutation, clear request, closing |
| Short story | Entertain, suggest an insight | Any | Conflict, show don't tell, dialogue, a turn |
| Infographic / flowchart / timeline | Inform quickly | Usually none | Title, labels, reading path, sources, white space |
Worked exampleLet's turn one set of facts into a news lead and a letter
Facts (invented for practice): On Tuesday, Elm County District School Board closed all 14 schools because of 35 cm of snow. Buses were cancelled. Principal Dana Ross of Elm Valley Secondary said, Safety comes first. Many sidewalks near the school were still unplowed on Wednesday.
- Headline (present tense, strong verb): Snowstorm closes all 14 Elm County schools.
- Lead (who, what, where, when, why): Elm County District School Board closed all 14 of its schools on Tuesday because of 35 cm of snow.
- Second paragraph (key detail + quotation): "Safety comes first," said Dana Ross, principal of Elm Valley Secondary School. All bus routes were cancelled for the day.
- Now the same facts in a letter to a city councillor. The purpose changes from inform to request, so the form changes too.
- Opening paragraph: I am a Grade 10 student at Elm Valley Secondary School, and I am writing about the sidewalks near our school after Tuesday's storm.
- Request paragraph: On Wednesday, many students walked to school on the road because the sidewalks were still unplowed. I respectfully ask that the sidewalks within one kilometre of local schools be cleared first after major snowfalls. Thank you for considering this request.
The news report stays objective, with the key facts in the lead. The letter is in the first person, polite, and ends with one specific, reasonable request.
Hands-on activityOne event, three forms
You need: paper, a pencil, coloured pencils (optional) and a family event or local event to write about (a birthday, a storm, a sports game, a move, a community festival).
- Write a headline and a 2-paragraph news report (inverted pyramid, third person, a quotation from a family member, with their permission).
- Write a review of the event or of a meal, film or game connected to it (three criteria and a verdict).
- Make a graphic form: a timeline of the day, or a flowchart of how a decision was made, with a title and labels.
- Ask a family member which form gave them the clearest picture, and why.
What to look for: no I in the news report and the most important fact first; criteria and evidence in the review; a graphic with a title, labels and a clear reading path.
Just for funA news editor's favourite headline: Man bites dog. A dog's favourite headline: Dog gets the whole sandwich. Same event; it all depends on your point of view.
Your turn
1What does the lead of a news report answer?
Who, what, where, when (and often why and how).
2Is I think the storm was scary acceptable in a news report? Why?
No. News reports are objective and written in the third person; the reporter's opinions do not belong.
3Name three criteria you could use to review a video game.
Any three: gameplay, story, graphics, sound, difficulty, controls, replay value, price.
4What is the salutation in a business letter?
The greeting, such as Dear Councillor Mendes:
5Rewrite to show rather than tell: He was excited about the game.
Example: He was at the arena an hour early, tapping his stick on the boards and checking the clock every two minutes.
6What should every infographic include so readers can trust its data?
The sources of its data (plus a title and labels).
More practice: warm-up
1What shape describes the structure of a news report?
An inverted (upside-down) pyramid.
2What is the main purpose of a review?
3Which graphic form shows events in order?
4Where does a short story usually begin?
Close to the conflict (begin late).
5Name two parts of a business letter.
Any two: heading (address, date), inside address, salutation, body, closing, signature.
More practice: on your own
1Write a lead for: Yesterday, Grade 10 students at Lakeview Secondary raised $3 200 for the local food bank with a winter carnival.
Example: Grade 10 students at Lakeview Secondary School raised $3 200 for the local food bank at a winter carnival yesterday. It covers who, what, where, when and why (to support the food bank). Many newspapers would name the actual day of the week instead of yesterday, because readers may read the story on a different day.
2A film review says The movie was bad. Don't watch it. Explain what is missing.
It has a verdict but no criteria and no evidence. A strong review explains why: e.g. the plot repeats itself, with a specific example, and says what kind of viewer might still enjoy it.
3Write the opening paragraph of a formal email to a local business asking whether they hire students for summer jobs.
Example: Subject: Summer employment inquiry. Dear Hiring Manager: My name is Sam Okafor, and I am a Grade 10 student at Lakeview Secondary School. I am writing to ask whether your store plans to hire students for the summer, as I am eager to gain work experience in customer service. Clear subject, formal greeting, who you are, purpose.
4Turn this told sentence into a short shown scene with dialogue: Maya was disappointed she did not make the team.
Example: Maya read the list twice. Her name wasn't there. "Maybe next year," said Coach Lin. Maya nodded, folded her jersey into her bag, and walked out before anyone could see her face. Feelings are shown through action and dialogue.
5Which graphic form would best show how to decide whether a website is a reliable source? Why?
A flowchart, because it shows a sequence of yes/no decisions (Is there an author? Is it current? ...) leading to an outcome.
Challenge
1Explain how and why the same facts change when moving from a news report to a letter of complaint, using two specific conventions.
Point of view: the report is third person and objective; the letter is first person and openly concerned. Structure: the report puts the most important facts first (inverted pyramid); the letter opens with who you are and why you are writing and ends with a specific request. The purpose (inform vs. request action) drives these changes.
2Write the first 4 to 6 sentences of a short story about a snow day that begins late, shows instead of tells and includes dialogue.
Look for: an opening in the middle of the action (not waking up); a conflict hinted early; sensory detail; feelings shown through action; correctly punctuated dialogue with a new paragraph for each speaker.
3A writer breaks a convention on purpose: a news-style report written about a family's pet cat (Local cat refuses breakfast; family in crisis). What is the effect, and what does it show about conventions?
Using serious news conventions for a tiny event creates humour (parody or mock-seriousness). It shows that conventions carry expectations: readers recognize the form, so breaking or borrowing it creates a deliberate effect. Writers must know a convention well to play with it.
Quiz
1. In the inverted pyramid, the most important information comes:
2. Which belongs in a review but not in a news report?
3. What should the final paragraph of a request letter include?
6. Which headline follows news conventions best?
Big idea: Expectation 2.1 asks students to write for different purposes and audiences in a variety of literary, informational and graphic forms, and 3.6 asks them to use presentation features effectively. Knowing each form's conventions makes writing faster and clearer.
How to help: read a local news report together and find the lead. Ask your teen to review a film or meal you shared, with reasons. If they need to write a real email (to a coach or employer), help them check the subject line, greeting and request.
Common difficulties: opinions slipping into news reports; reviews with verdicts but no evidence; letters that never state the request; stories that start with the alarm clock; infographics with too much text and no sources.