Unity College students turn the tables on local journalist

Murray Bridge News’ Peri Strathearn is usually the one asking the questions, but Unity College students have turned the tables on him during a classroom visit.

This term, the college’s year 4 students have been asked to write a news report on a significant event during the history of Christianity.

What makes a news report a news report, they asked?

Teachers Rachel Harrip, Meaghan Spiteri and Jessie Rathjen decided to call in an alleged expert to find out.

Over the course of an hour, students asked about all sorts of things: what stories had been most challenging or his favourite, how much research went into a story, how long did they take?

They learned about the building blocks of any news story: a headline, a photo, a snappy lead sentence, quotes and facts.

I also shared stories of my adventures in the industry, touring construction sites, questioning prime ministers, riding in helicopters or on cargo ships, driving a monster truck – you know, standard stuff.

I look forward to seeing what the students come up with – perhaps some of their work could be published in Murray Bridge News later this year.

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