Pumpkin Facts LessonsThe Five W’s and H

Sentence combining using appositives, participles and prepositional phrases

Feature LeadsIncorporating and attributing quotes

properlyShortening of paragraphs, journalistic

style

The Pumpkin Facts• Assignment: Use the following set of facts to write a news brief.

• This is Al Smith’s first year growing pumpkins on his farm in Durham.• Al Smith won $175 in the Cumberland Fair pumpkin growing contest.• There were three pumpkin judges.• Smith’s pumpkin weighed 807 pounds.• Smith plans to make a Jack O’Lantern for his kids and the “biggest pie

that will fit into a pie plate.”• Al Downs, one of the judges, said that Smith’s pumpkin was the biggest

at the fair since Andy Brown’s 950 pound pumpkin five years ago.• The Cumberland Fair ends Saturday.• Danielle Ricker came in second with a 640 pound pumpkin.• “All the rain this summer really helped,” said Smith.• The pumpkin contest took place on Saturday.

Which “W” should you begin (lead) with?

• Who: Al Smith• What: took first place in pumpkin growing

contest (won $175)• Where: Cumberland County Fair• When: Saturday• Why: 807 lb. pumpkin• How: three judges and it was the biggest since

Andy Smith’s 950 lb. five years ago.

Journalistic Style

• Get as many “W’s” into one sentence into your nut graf sentence as you can.

• How do you do that?

Use Appositives

• Appositives are phrases that define or explain something about a noun (person, place or thing)

• Example: Rookie pumpkin grower, Al Smith• Example: Durham farmer, Al Smith

This cuts down on your words; brevity and conciseness are important in journalistic writing

Use Participles

• Participles are verbal phrases (always ending with -ing or -ed) that act like adjectives

• Example: Entering his first pumpkin-growing contest, Al Smith won $175 and first place….

• Example: Taking advantage of a rainy summer, Al Smith won $175…

• Example:

Watch out for dangling participles!• Weighing in at 807 pounds, Smith won the first

place prize in the pumpkin growing contest.• Sounding like a worn out jalopy, Gina finally

told her husband to take their car down to the auto shop to be repaired.

(Al Smith needs to lose some weight!)(Gina’s voice sounds like a worn out jalopy?)

Use prepositional phrases

• Prepositional phrases begin with a preposition and are very handy in beginning a sentence that you want to pack with information.

• Example: With a 807 lb. entry, Al Smith…..• Example: In his first try, Al Smith…..• Example: Without…..• Example: On…..

Combine these elements

• Prepositional phrase, appositive, participle, • On Saturday, farmer Al Smith, entering his first

pumpkin growing contest, took home the $175 first place prize.

• Prepositional phrase, adjective, appositive• With his 807 lb. entry, rookie pumpkin farmer Al

Smith walked away with first place and $175 in the Cumberland Fair’s annual pumpkin growing contest.

Let’s try this together:

• Don’t worry about order: just try to pack all the w’s into one sentence.

Do we have to begin with a “w”?

Consider using a feature lead!

What’s that?https://docs.google.com/a/rocklandschools.org/document

Examples of these for Pumpkin Leads

Comparison or contrast: It’s been five years since the judges have seen a pumpkin this large. Allusion: Cinderella could have used Al Smith’s prize winning pumpkin for her magical ride to the ball.

Examples of feature leads:Shocking: A rookie won the Cumberland Fair’s annual pumpkin contest this year.

Suspense: Farmer Al Smith had a reason to welcome the rain all summer.

Direct Address: Here’s hoping you didn’t miss seeing Al Smith’s prize winning pumpkin this year at the Cumberland Fair. •

Question / Quote leads• USING QUESTIONS LEADS• • A question lead is a good way to grab the reader and make him or her want

to read on.• • However, the question must come from outside of the facts. Then, you’ll

find your answer in the set of facts. • • To write a good question lead:• • Begin by asking yourself: what are you most curious about? That will lead

to a good question.•

Good question leads• For example in the set of facts about Al

Smith’s 807-pound, award-winning pumpkin, ask yourself what are you most curious about? Things like:

• How difficult was it? Is there a secret? Was it

just beginner’s luck? • • So, here is one possible lead….

QUESTION LEAD

What is the secret to growing a prize-winning pumpkin? According to Al Smith, who produced an 807-pound prize-winner on his first try, the weather has to cooperate.

“All the rain this summer really helped,”said Smith, whose pumpkin won first place in the Cumberland Fair pumpkin-growing contest Saturday.

Two more question leads Do you believe in beginner’s luck? Al Smith might.

Smith produced an 807-pound pumpkin in his first year growing them. The gigantic gourd won first place in the Cumberland Fair’s annual pumpkin growing contest. What would you do with an 807-pound pumpkin? Al Smith entered his in the Cumberland Fair’s annual pumpkin-growing contest and won the $175 first prize.

Introducing Quotes into StoryDo’s and Don’t’s

• Do identify the person you are quoting.

• Don’t use phrases such as We asked Al Smith what he did to get such a big pumpkin and he responded or even When asked or He was asked….

Do’s and Don’t’s

• Do transition into the quote. How?• Do use description and introductory info:

Example from one assignment: Smith plans on turning his pumpkin into a Jack O’Lantern for his children and the “biggest pie that will fit into a pie plate.”

How should you transition into and introduce the rain quote?

• Smith thinks that the weather played a part in his success. “All the rain this summer really helped,” he said.

• Smith doesn’t have a secret recipe for his success. To him it’s all about Mother Nature. He said, “All the rain this summer really helped.”

• Was Smith’s accomplishment beginner’s luck? He said, “All the rain this summer really helped.”

Journalistic paragraphing• Journalistic style uses shorter paragraphs

often with only one sentence• The sentences are packed with information,

however, using adjectives, appositives, participles, clauses and prepositional phrases.