Sports Reporting

1. Start with a class discussion about everyone's favorite moments from a sports event. Encourage students to describe the moment and to explain why they think it was so memorable or important to them or to the game.

2. Next, the class should attend an event together, such as a local baseball game or a gym class, or else engage in some sport or activity the class can do themselves, switching off between the students who watch and those who play. Tell students to watch carefully and jot down the details they want to remember for their writing. When the game is over, students should ask themselves, "What was the most important moment in that game and why?" By answering that question, they begin to make meaning of the event, not only to describe it for the reader but to explain it as well.

3. Have students write about the magic moment of the game. How can they best capture it? What other details from the game will have to be included? What quotes from the players might add support to their writing?