4 Department of Education-Region III

TARLAC CITY SCHOOLS DIVISION

Juan Luna St., Sto. Cristo, Tarlac City 2300
Email address: [email protected]/ Tel. No. (045) 470 – 8180

English
Quarter 4: Week 4
Learning Activity Sheets
ENGLISH 4

Name of Learner: ___________________________________ Grade Level: 4-Q4 Week 4

Section: ___________________________________________ Date: _________________

Identifying Features of Journalistic Writing

Background Information:

Children are the future of the world. When they grow up without any idea of what is
happening around the world, their survival is at stake. It is very important to instill the habit
of following the news in children from a very young age.

Journalism is collecting news and writing about it for newspapers, magazines,

television, or radio. It is very important in our world. It helps the society to be aware of the
information it needs to live and the decisions to make about different things.

Journalistic writing is a style of writing that is used to report news stories in a variety
of media formats.

Features of Journalistic Writing:

1. Simplicity and Brevity – journalists should write with simplicity in such a way that
audiences can easily understand the content without having to read it multiple times.
Writing with brevity (short and to the point) helps create simplicity. The longer a
sentence is the more difficult it is to understand. Also, audiences don’t like long
paragraphs because they look too overwhelming to read.

Examples:

Wordy sentences with redundancy Sentences with simplicity and

(or wordiness) brevity
1. The secretary tendered her
1. The secretary resigned yesterday.
resignation yesterday.
2. They were united in holy matrimony 2. They married in Barasoain Church
in Barasoain Church in Bulacan. in Bulacan.
3. Kindly look at the sky above. 3. Kindly look at the sky.

2. Precision – means that each word should be used as it was intended by its original
“dictionary” meaning. Meanings often evolve over time, but in journalistic writing, we
stay true to the book. There should also be no slang words or abbreviations.

Examples of slang words:

Slang Words Meanings

1. kid 1. child or youngster, but its dictionary definition is a “young goat”
2. cop 2. police officer
3. flex 3. show off
4. frenemy 4. a person you are friendly with but ultimately do not like or trust.

1
Examples of sentences with abbreviated words:

Sentences with Abbreviated Words Sentences without Abbreviated Words

(used in Jornalistic Writing)
1. Anika is currently living in the 1 Anika is currently living in the
Phils. Philippines.
2. I am a teacher at MCES. 2. I am a teacher at Maliwalo Central
Elementary School.

3. Objectivity and Factual – Objectivity means the absence of own opinion. A

journalistic writing should be based on facts, observations, and interviews with expert
sources, or those knowledgeable of the issue. Write in the third person (he, she,
they), not the first person (I, me, my, our, we), to stay removed from the story to be
fully objective. Don’t write about what you think, believe, or feel, but what you see
and hear. The only opinions which should be included are those said by the person
or persons being interviewed or quoted so that readers know where those are
coming from.

Journalists avoid adjectives and adverbs because they tend to insert opinion.
Instead, writers should choose specific nouns and active verbs that best illustrate the
facts.

Example of not staying objective:

Nathaniel is so intelligent and talented that he will definitely become

successful after graduation.

Intelligent and talented are adjectives – not facts. They are purely subjective
terms. What one person considers intelligent or talented is not necessarily true for
another person. Also, “he will definitely become successful” is not a factual
statement because there is no way of predicting that. Instead, a journalist would
focus on the facts, and let the reader form his own opinion.

Example of objective writing:

Because Nathaniel has held a general average of 95% throughout high school
and won five national awards for his artistry, his classmates and teachers voted him
“Most Likely to Succeed.”

4. Fairness and Balance – are achieved by ensuring that both sides of a story are
addressed and receive equal coverage. Some stories have more than two sides.
Journalists should never take one person’s version of events at face value (or as
true). Sometimes, of course, a source on the other side of a story will either refuse to
be interviewed or return phone calls. Once a reporter has given every source ample
time to respond, he can move on with the story. However, he must include a
disclaimer in the story.

2
Examples of disclaimer:

✓ Repeated calls to Dominic Uy were not returned

✓ Dominic Uy declined to be interviewed for this story
✓ When contacted for this story, Dominic Uy replied, “No Comment.”

Whichever statement you use, it must be accurate. By including a disclaimer,

you are letting readers know that you made every effort to achieve balance and
fairness in the story. Based on that information, the reader will formulate his own
opinion as to the source’s decision for not responding.

5. Inverted Pyramid – journalistic writing is most often written in a format called the
inverted pyramid, which arranges the information in descending order of importance,
or newsworthiness. The most important information should come first, such as the
Who, What, When, Where and How. The important details of the story should follow.
After this, other general information should be included.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_pyramid

Example of an Inverted Pyramid: (original text)

Most A nine-year old passenger (who) was severely injured (what)

Newsworthy early today (when) after a car hit a truck, crashed into a tree,
Info and overturned on Mac Arthur Highway (why).

According to the Tarlac City Police Department, the driver, Paul,

Important 36, was speeding and lost control of his car, causing the
details
accident (how).

Other Paul, who was driving the car along the highway, fell asleep,
background and it was too late when he realized that he was already
info crossing the opposite lane.

3
Learning Competency:
Identifying Features of Journalistic Writing
Directions/Instructions:
Read carefully the directions indicated in the following activities, then provide what is
needed or asked in each item.

Activities
A. Identify the features of journalistic writing being described in each sentence. Write
SB for simplicity and brevity, PR for precision, OF for objectivity and factual, FB
for fairness and balance, and IP for inverted pyramid.

1. ___________ arranges the information in descending order of importance or

newsworthiness.
2. ___________ means that each word should be used as it was intended by its original
dictionary meaning.
3. ___________ are achieved by ensuring that both sides of a story are addressed and
receive equal coverage.
4. ___________ journalists should write with simplicity in such a way that audiences can
easily understand the content without having to read it multiple times.
5. ___________ should be based on facts, observations, and interviews with expert
sources or those knowledgeable of the issue.

B. Choose the sentence that is more appropriate to use in journalistic writing.

_____ 1. A. Lebron James plays basketball in the NBA.

B. Lebron James plays basketball in the National Basketball
Association (NBA).

_____ 2. A. My bag is black.

B. My bag is color black.

_____ 3. A. The house in front of the church was destroyed by fire

B. The house in front of the church was burned.

_____ 4. A. All parents who are interested should come.

B. All interested parents should come.

_____ 5. A. My cousin loves to flex her special dishes in her Instagram

account.
B. My cousin loves to show off her special dishes in her
Instagram account.

4
C. Read the short news article below and answer the questions that follow.

PGH official on getting first COVID-19 vaccine shot: ‘I will gladly take it’
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 12)— The spokesperson of the Philippine
General Hospital who is slated to receive the first COVID-19 vaccine shot said Friday
he will gladly take it to encourage other people, including his fellow frontliners battling
the pandemic.

“In a way, I wanted to tell our frontliners, especially those working in PGH, that the
vaccine is here,” Dr. Jonas del Rosario said in an interview with CNN Philippines’ The
Source.

“So, I will gladly take it, even just for the first dose, to encourage others to take it
also,” he added.

Del Rosario, however, noted there are other frontliners who may be more deserving to
get the vaccine first, saying he may have some immunity after contracting the
coronavirus twice last year.

“But they identified me as someone that can probably represent the frontliners who
had significant experience with COVID, and partly quite affected by it,” he explained.

1. Is the news article written in an inverted pyramid format? Give a brief explanation why
you think so.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________.

2. Give the following most important information in the news:

Who: ______________________________________________________________
What: _____________________________________________________________
When: _____________________________________________________________
Why: ______________________________________________________________

3. Which among the first three paragraphs gives the least important details in the news?
Check the appropriate box and write your one-sentence explanation on the blanks
why you believe so.

First Paragraph Second Paragraph Third Paragraph

____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________.

5
D. Read the article carefully. Referring to the qualities of a journalistic writing, cite
the good features and spot the weaknesses of the article below. Write your answers
in the appropriate columns below.
Original Text

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, events, and incidents are the products of
the authors’ imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is
purely coincidental.

Two Pupils Receive Awards

By Princess Dianne F. Bustria/Yolanda Q. De Leon

Mila Aguas and Berna Sison, both Grade 4 pupils of Dimaculangan Central
Elementary School, were awarded gold medalists for their honesty during the celebration
of Intramurals.
The said pupils who are both kind and dependable, returned a pouch bag
containing five thousand pesos, a cellphone, and other valuable items to the Principal’s
Office. The bag was left in the canteen by one of the school visitors named Dina Pingol,
who was distracted that day. The children found the pouch bag and immediately brought it
to the Principal’s Office to help them find the owner. Miss Pingol was very happy that her
bag was returned and praised the children for their honesty.
I believe that these two pupils grew up in families whose parents have good moral
values which influenced their children well.
When asked about the value of honesty, Mila Aguas said, “My parents always tell
me not to desire other people’s belongings.”

She added however, that at first, her friend Berna, had wanted to keep the pouch
bag to themselves, but Mila said she refused. I wanted to get Berna’s side of the story, but
she was no longer around during this interview.

1.

Objectivity and Factualness

Good Features Weaknesses

Ex. In the first few paragraphs, it is
written in the 3rd person

2.

Fairness and Balance

Good Features Weaknesses

6
Reflection:
Draw a heart ( ) in the column which corresponds to how well you learned the lesson.

Yes A Little No
I can distinguish journalistic writing from other forms
of writing.
I can identify the features of journalistic writing.
I can identify words that are redundant or not needed
in sentences.
I can decide whether a news article meets the
features of journalistic writing or not.

References:
Niles, Robert. 2007. “What is journalism?”.Mckinley Elementary. https://www.robertniles.com/
journalism /#:~:text=Journalism%20is%20a%20form%,2s

“PGH official on getting first Covid-19 vaccine shot: ‘I will gladly take it”. CNN Philippines Staff.
https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/2/12/PGH-spokesperson.html

“The Inverted Pyramid”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_pyramid

Zovio, 2021. “The hallmarks of Journalistic Writing”. The University of Arizona Global Campus
Writing Center. https://writingcenter.uagc.edu/journalistic writing, actual.

Photo Credits:

Page 4, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1pWnaw6bNE
Page 4, https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=O1pWnaw6bNE
Page 4, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1pWnaw6bNE
Page 4, https://shopee.co.id/2-Pcs-Set-Middle-School-Bags-Girls-Cute-Backpack-Black-School-
Bags-For-Teenage-College-i.170026355.2880214397
Page 4, https://www.shutterstock.com/search/group+parents+children

Answer Key

A. B. C. D.

1. IP 1. B 1. Answers may vary 1-2. Answers may vary

2. Who: spokesperson of PGH
2. PR 2. A What: said he will gladly take receive first
Covid-19 vaccine shot
3. FB 3. B When: Friday
Why: to encourage other oeople
4. SB 4. B
3. Answers may vary
5. OF 5. B

Prepared by: Reviewed:

PRINCESS DIANNE F. BUSTRIA REYMAR D. PAGUIO, PhD

Teacher III EPSvr- English

Evaluator: LILY BETH B. MALLARI

EPSvr-LRMS
YOLANDA Q. DE LEON
Head Teacher I ROBERT E. OSONGCO, EdD
Chief-CID
7