Press Day, (Writing & Communicating Skills) Created by a professional media team, featuring a Public Media specialist, magazine Editor, Feature Writer, a published Creative Writer and Graphic Designer. Curated by a highly experienced Head of English. Press Day is an ideal term starter activity, for when exams are finished or the end of a term. Designed to engage 60-120 students. Ideally create news teams with a combination of students from each year group. Year 6/7 students will have freer ideas and more energy than others! Including 6th formers will engender team spirit and provide task focus, just by their presence. But I’m sure you know that already. If your school is larger, split up the student body to enable all your students to enjoy this very creative, very active opportunity on different days. Press Day will guide your students to conduct research, practice and show their communication skills, use language, write specifically, work in a team and build their confidence. This event should be fun but that’s up to you, and them! Working to a deadline will improve exam writing performance. This whole-day event aims to actively engage students in using their learning in an active, focused and practical way. Engaging in the process is key, NOT the outcome! Critical thinking, using language and creativity are the key elements that students will experience. Every student will have opportunities to take on responsibility and support other students. Resources - 28 A4 pages: Covers every aspect of tabloid & broadsheet newspaper production. SUPPORT FILES: Job descriptions & checklists for every role; Journalist Photographer Editor Layout Artist Marketing (Ads) Info sheets: Press Vocabulary Research docs Comprehensive ‘How tos’ for students Staff support info STAFF: You can have a lot of fun adopting a character and role-playing, in response to answering the persuasive questions of students, or not! I could come to your school and do this as CPD to take staff through the process, or lead the day with your students at your school. Suggestions: Aim for each team to fill 4 sheets of A4 paper. An A3 colour printer is ideal. It’s best if each newspaper is formed by folding one sheet of A3 paper in half. This event has been successfully run in schools with great engagement and fun for both staff and students.