September 2019 … At the end of the school year, the student reporters in each Healthy NewsWorks program are invited to reflect on what they have learned throughout the year by working on their healthy newspaper team. Here’s a sampling from the 2018–19 staffs:
Fourth grade reporter
By being a member of the [school newspaper] I have learned many things.
One thing I have learned is how real journalists report. Before I came to the [newspaper], I had no idea what a source was or how to use it. But now I know exactly what it is and exactly how to use it.
Another thing that I have learned … is how to know if a website is trustworthy or not. If I didn’t know this, I would probably trust any website that seems OK. …
The 3 things that I have learned … are to look at what source gives you information, and that you have to say which source gave you the info, and the other thing that I have learned as a reporter is how to live a healthy life.
Sixth grade reporter
By being a member of the [school newspaper] staff, I learned that children need to exercise at least 60 minutes a day. It gets your heart pumping harder, which makes it stronger. I learned that I should look at the label before drinking fruit juice to make sure it’s 100% juice. Some fruit drinks are bad for you because they contain mostly water and high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is sugar.
I have grown because now I know how to prepare for an interview and how to interview someone. I would tell other students to become a reporter, because it is fun and you can write your own newspaper.
Fifth grade reporter
When I started the school year, I didn’t know I was going to be part of the [school newspaper] experience. So when I heard that I would be part of it, I felt excited and nervous. I had never worked in journalism. I wasn’t sure whether I would like it. I found it difficult because you have to write down everything that the person is saying while they’re saying it.
Even though it was hard, it turns out I really liked journalism. You get to talk to different people. My favorite [newspaper] experience was when I went to the second, third, and fourth graders to explain our survey about favorite outdoor activities. That experience helped me work on projecting my voice and helped me increase my confidence.
