Creating a classroom school news show is a great way to get your students to come together and become a team. Doing this may pique their interest in the profession or give them an extracurricular activity to participate in other than sports. Cultivating a school news show is a great project to unite like-minded students to create something the entire school can enjoy.
Assemble a Team
Not every student will want to participate in the news production, which is okay. Spread the word about your project and post a signup sheet outside your classroom. Starting a news production show would be difficult for elementary students without enough guidance, but middle and high school students can find their creativity through more autonomous work as they put the show together.
Organize and Structure
Now that you have a team of students, delegate what roles everyone is willing to try. Explain what each job could entail and present positions like anchors, reporters, weather associates, directors, editors, writers, etc. Next, what kind of segments do you want to put into the news? Brainstorm possible storylines or themes you can try out throughout the school year.
Write Stories and Prepare
Start preparing for your first newscast by writing out the lines for a teleprompter. Students should gather information regarding their individual stories and organize themselves before starting to shoot any footage. Ensure your students understand the importance of developing a solid understanding of their story before beginning to fine-tune and create it for the screen.
Assemble a Production Area
Find a permanent location in the school where you can leave the majority of your equipment set up for each weekly or daily news show. Be familiar with the fundamentals of shooting footage, although your students will get better the longer they produce the news. Setting up your video lighting is one of the more essential aspects, so take some time reviewing this portion of the production before filming anything.
Shoot Your Footage and Edit
Now that everything is planned out, you can start creating the classroom school news show. Film the interviews, segments, main anchor points, B-roll for transition shots, etc. Once you have enough footage and then some, allow the students to plug away at the computer to edit the ultimate end result for their news.
The first production may not go according to plan, which is perfectly fine. Slowly over the weeks and through repetition, students will find their passion. Make this project a safe space for students to test their skills and see if videography and news production is something they would like to try as adults.
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