A Quarterly Women's Sports Magazine
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Work with a group of up to four classmates to develop and produce one issue of SportsTalk. Choose the fall, winter, spring, or summer issue. Focus your in-depth cover article and related features on one sport. The cover article should include news, quotes from coaches and athletes, a look at trends, and any other information you think is important.
You may also include features such as an editorial, a column of short news items, news from schools and colleges in your area, pictures, letters to the editor, how-to tips for improving your game, and an "Ask the Coach" column.
STEP 1: Initial Search
Start your research by visiting these sports Web sites:
USA Today
Search: Women's Sports
CNN/Sports Illustrated
Click on Women's Sports
The WWWomen Women's Search Directory's sports page
STEP 2: Organize Staff Assignments
You and the other members of your group need to decide who will do what. All of you can be reporters for the magazine, but there are other staff responsibilities as well. You may want to designate an editor, a photo editor, a features editor, and a designer/art director.
- Editor: Has overall responsibility for collecting all materials on time for the magazine. Edits stories for grammar and accuracy, as well as for length. Writes the editorial essay.
- Photo Editor: Researches photos on the Web, assigns photographers, takes pictures, decides on the best photos for the stories.
- Features Editor: Assigns or writes various features for the magazine, such as "Ask the Coach," and interviews with athletes.
- Designer/Art Director: Works with the editor and others to design the cover and inside pages, including all the stories and photos.
STEP 3: Plan Your Issue
Hold an editorial meeting and decide which women's sport you will cover. Make sure each group in your class is covering a different sport. Then brainstorm ideas for the main cover story and other features. The photo editor can think about finding a striking cover photo.
STEP 4: Expanded Search
Next, do a general Internet search on your chosen sport - its star athletes, teams, coaches, and important issues. Each member of your team can research one or two subjects: for example, players' salary negotiations, team records, outlook for the season, etc.
Before beginning to write, read articles in sports magazines and newspapers, as well as articles you find on Web sites. You'll find that sports writers use specific action verbs and a punchy writing style. (See Grammar for Writing, Level Blue, page 93.)
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STEP 5: Draft Your Stories
Decide who will write which stories and features. The editor should keep a chart or log with a list of the stories, the name of the reporter writing it, the date that the story is due, and whether it needs one or more photos. Then write the first drafts of your stories.
STEP 6: Revise Your Drafts
Exchange first drafts among group members for feedback. Revise your drafts, incorporating any suggestions you think will improve your work, and give them to the editor on or before the copy deadline.
When you are quoting a player or coach, make sure you use quotation marks correctly. Also use underlining or italics when appropriate, and apostrophes (especially in contractions). Using these punctuation marks correctly can help make your stories lively, clear, and smooth. (See Grammar for Writing, Level Blue, pages 245, 247, and 251.)
STEP 7: Illustrate and Design Your Issue
The designer/art director should make a "dummy" layout so that you know where every article goes. Identify each story and picture on your layout with a file name. Today, magazines and newspapers use special software and computers to design their pages. But layouts can still be done with pencil and paper.
STEP 8: Publish SportsTalk
If possible, produce the magazine on a computer. Otherwise, paste down the articles and photos, and photocopy the pages to make copies of the magazine. Distribute copies to the class.
Copyright ©2007 by William H. Sadlier, Inc. All rights reserved.