Story Vocab
This is a possible topic or subject for a yearbook story.
Story Idea
The football team plays a game Friday night. Is this an event or a story?
Event
The school has a pep rally. Give one possible angle.
Student reactions, behind-the-scenes preparation, spirit traditions, or the people who organized it.
A story pitch should explain what the story is about and why ________.
Why it matters.
You notice a teacher always has students stay after class to help them. What could you investigate?
Why the teacher does it and how it impacts students.
This is a short explanation of a proposed story and why it matters.
Story Pitch
A student scores the winning touchdown after recovering from an injury. Is this an event or a story?
Story
The basketball team wins a championship. Give a human-interest angle.
A senior's final season, a player's comeback, a first-year player's experience, or the team's journey.
Name TWO things that should be included in a story pitch.
story idea, people involved, angle, why it matters, interview sources, photo ideas.
You notice one student is always taking pictures around campus. What questions could you ask?
Why do they take pictures? What do they photograph? How did they get interested in photography?
This is the specific focus or perspective used to tell a story.
Angle
Homecoming happens every year. What kind of event is this?
Tradition
The school gets a new principal. What is one angle besides simply introducing the new principal?
Their first impressions of the school, their first week, their goals, or how they are getting to know students.
You want to write about the school cafeteria. Give one possible story pitch.
Example: “More Than a Lunch” — a story about the cafeteria workers who prepare meals and help make the school day run smoothly
You discover a student has a unique hobby that almost nobody knows about. What type of story could this become?
A human-interest story.
This is a collection of potential story ideas that the yearbook staff can use throughout the year.
Story Bank
The choir performs at the Christmas concert. How could you turn this event into a story?
Find a specific angle or human-interest element behind the performance.
Five students participate in the same activity outside of school. What could make this a story?
Explore why they participate, what they experience, and what their shared connection is.
A student says, “I want to write about football.” What question should you ask to help them develop an angle?
“What specifically about football do you want to tell?”
You see a school employee arriving before everyone else every morning. What could you investigate?
What their morning routine is, what they do before students arrive, and how their work impacts the school.
This person or resource provides information that helps you tell a story.
Source
Why isn't simply writing “The basketball team won the game” enough for a strong yearbook story?
Because it tells what happened, but doesn't explain the people, meaning, experiences, or details that make the story interesting.
The school has a Christmas tradition that happens every year. Give THREE possible angles.
Why the tradition started. How students experience it today. How the tradition has changed over time. A student's personal connection to it. Behind-the-scenes preparation
Complete this story formula: WHO + WHAT + ______ = A stronger story.
WHY
Your assignment is to find a story that most students have never noticed. What question should you ask yourself?
“What is happening here that someone might want to remember 20 years from now?”