Write a news report: the 5 Ws and the passive
Students analyse a short local news report, learn why reporters use the passive, then plan with the 5 Ws and write their own report with a headline.
At a glance
- From
- Level 3, Bridge English: Week 10, News and reports
- Grammar
- past simple passive (was built, were found)
- Key language
- was found, were discovered, was built, was taken to, were rescued / who, what, where, when, why / headline, report, witness, according to
- Children make
- An 80-word news report with a headline.
- Class size
- Works with 10 to 50 children; pair and group steps say how to scale.
Objective
Students use the 5 Ws to plan a news report and use the past simple passive when the action is more important than who did it.
Success criteria for children
- I can find the 5 Ws in a news report.
- I can form the past simple passive.
- I can write a short report with a headline.
Timing: 60 minutes
| Minutes | Stage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | Warm-up: headlines | Students guess the story from three short headlines. |
| 5 to 15 | Reading: the model report | Read and complete the 5W grid. |
| 15 to 27 | Why the passive? | Active vs passive; was / were + past participle. |
| 27 to 35 | Practice | Task 2: active to passive. |
| 35 to 53 | Plan and write | Choose a story idea, plan the 5 Ws, write 80 words and a headline. |
| 53 to 60 | Peer check and exit ticket | Partner checks the 5 Ws; exit ticket. |
Materials
- Worksheet, pens
- Optional: any real local newspaper page to show layout
- Breaking News English (free, linked from Week 10)
- Magazine zone (free, linked from Week 10)
Step by step, with teacher talk
0 to 5 minWarm-up: headlines
- Write: "Dog rescues swimmer", "School roof damaged in storm", "Old coins found under playground". Students guess what happened in each.
5 to 15 minReading: the model report
- Students read the report and complete task 1 (the 5 Ws). Check together.
15 to 27 minWhy the passive?
- Write: "Workers found a box." and "A box was found." Ask which one the report uses and why. (We don't know or care exactly who; the box is the news.)
- Show the form: was / were + past participle, and "by" only if the person matters.
- Students find the five passive verbs in the report.
- "The box was found." Do we know who found it from this sentence? (No.)
- "The letters were written" or "was written"? (Were, because letters is plural.)
27 to 35 minPractice
- Students rewrite four active sentences in the passive. Check in pairs.
35 to 53 minPlan and write
- Students choose an idea from the worksheet or invent a school or local story. Real people must be treated kindly; invented stories are fine.
- They plan the 5 Ws in notes, write the report (first sentence answers who, what and where), and add a quote from a witness.
- Finish with a headline of no more than six words.
"Your first sentence is the most important. If the reader stops there, do they know what happened?"
53 to 60 minPeer check and exit ticket
- Partners tick each W they can find in the report. Then see the exit ticket below.
Differentiation
Support
- Give a report frame: "On ___, a ___ was found in ___. According to ___, ..."
- Students rewrite the model report with three details changed.
Stretch
- Use other passive tenses: "The box will be shown in the museum."
- Write two versions of the headline and explain which works better.
- Add a final sentence about what happens next.
Reading passage
This is an invented story written for this lesson.
A box of letters and photos from 1975 was found under the floor of Hillside School's hall last Tuesday.
The metal box was discovered by builders who were repairing the old wooden floor. Inside, there were 32 letters written by pupils, a class photo and a school newspaper. The letters were addressed to "the children of the future".
"We couldn't believe it," said head teacher Mrs Ellis. "One letter asks if we have flying cars yet. Sadly, we don't!"
The box was taken to the local library, where the letters were cleaned and copied. The school is now trying to find the people who wrote them. Two former pupils have already been contacted.
The photos will be shown at the school's open day next month.
Questions
- What was found, and where?
- Who found it, and what were they doing?
- Who were the letters written to?
- Why does Mrs Ellis say "Sadly, we don't"?
- What is the school trying to do now?
Printable worksheet
Prints on its own A4 page. Use Print the worksheet above, or print the whole plan and the worksheet starts on a new page. One copy per child, or one per pair to save paper.
News report
1. Find the 5 Ws in the model report.
| Who? | What? | Where? | When? | Why or how? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2. Rewrite in the passive. Do not use by unless it is important.
- Someone stole a bike from the school gate yesterday.
- The council built the new park in 2024.
- Firefighters rescued two cats from a tree.
- A famous author opened the library.
3. Plan and write your own report. Ideas: a lost dog returns home, a school wins a competition, strange footprints on the field.
| Who? | What? | Where? | When? | Why or how? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Headline:
Answer key
Reading passage questions
- A box of letters and photos from 1975, under the floor of the school hall.
- Builders who were repairing the old wooden floor.
- "The children of the future".
- Because one letter asks about flying cars, and there are none. She is making a joke.
- Find the people who wrote the letters.
Worksheet
- 1: Who: builders (and Mrs Ellis, the school). What: a time capsule box of letters and photos. Where: under the hall floor at Hillside School. When: last Tuesday. How: during repairs to the floor.
- 2: A bike was stolen from the school gate yesterday. / The new park was built in 2024. / Two cats were rescued from a tree (by firefighters). / The library was opened by a famous author. (Here "by" matters because the author is the news.)
- 3: answers will vary. Check the first sentence answers who, what and where, and at least two passive verbs.
Exit ticket
Write a one-sentence news opening for this headline: "Giant pumpkin grown by Year 6". Use the passive.
Homework
Find a short news story (on paper, radio or a children's news site with an adult). Write its 5 Ws in English.
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- Level 3, Week 10: News and reports (the curriculum week this plan comes from)
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