Lab: Court Reporting

The driver of the police van starts to pull out, momentarily blocking your view of Ide and the protestors. The two young men behind you come forward for a closer look.

“Did Tony just give her the finger?” asks the young man in the sweatshirt.

“I don’t blame him,” says the second young man.

As you move to a new position, you pass near the young man wearing the sweatshirt.

You glance at your watch and notice that court will be in session in a few minutes. You know that you’ve got a seat reserved, but you know judge Dickerson doesn’t like people coming into his courtroom late. Given all the noise out here, the judge might be in a bad mood.

Do you

A) Talk to the young men

B) Talk to the woman with the megaphone

C) Head right into the courtroom

[In class Friday, you will be given the next chunk of the story.] —Lab: Court Reporting (EL 227: News Writing)

I’m in the process of creating a “Choose Your Own Adventure” exercise for a courtroom reporting exercise in my News Writing class.

Tomorrow morning, I’m going to hand students a packet of information based on the choices they make. There will be a few other quick choices, then when the court breaks for lunch, they’ll have an hour to write up their notes.

When court reconvenes, I’ll shift into role-play mode, and I’ll perform for them what happens in the courtroom.

They’ll have to take notes on this sequence, and incorporate these events into the story that’s due at the end of the lab.

Wish me luck!