Choosing an Angle
Proverbs 4:7
“Wisdom is supreme-so get wisdom. And whatever else you get, get understanding.” HCSB
What Is a Story Angle?
Imagine something exciting happens at CHEAR.
Maybe there is a Picture Day.
A journalist could simply write:
“CHEAR had Picture Day on Wednesday.”
That tells us what happened, but there are MANY different stories that could be written about the same event.
One writer might write about:
- What it takes to organize Picture Day
- How students felt about having their pictures taken
- What the photographer does behind the scenes
- Funny moments that happened during Picture Day
- Why school pictures are important for the yearbook
These are called story angles.
A story angle is the specific focus or point of view a writer chooses for a story.
Think of the event as a whole pizza. Your angle is the slice you choose to serve your readers.
You cannot tell every detail about everything, so good journalists decide:
What part of this story do I want my readers to understand?
The Topic vs. the Angle
A topic tells you what the story is about.
An angle tells you what specifically you are going to focus on.
For example:
Topic: CHEAR Picture Day
Possible angles:
“Behind the scenes of CHEAR Picture Day.”
“How students prepare for their school pictures.”
“What it takes to photograph an entire homeschool co-op.”
Same topic. Three completely different articles!
Here is another example:
Topic: Entrepreneurship Class
Possible angles could be:
“Students learn how everyday problems can become business ideas.”
“Why understanding customers is important when starting a business.”
“How student entrepreneurs are learning to work as a team.”
The angle makes the story more focused and interesting.
Finding the Big Idea
Before you begin writing, ask yourself:
What is the most interesting thing about this story?
Then ask:
Why should someone care about this?
Those two questions can help you discover your angle.
A strong angle should be:
Specific: It focuses on one main idea.
Interesting: It gives readers a reason to keep reading.
Relevant: It matters to your audience.
Supported: You can find facts, observations, or interviews that help tell the story.
Let's Practice With the Bible
Think about David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17.
The topic is simple:
David defeats Goliath.
But imagine five journalists were there reporting on the event.
They might choose completely different angles.
Angle 1: Courage
“A young shepherd faces the warrior everyone else was afraid to fight.”
Angle 2: Faith
“David trusts YAH rather than weapons or physical strength.”
Angle 3: The Underdog
“An unexpected challenger defeats a trained Philistine warrior.”
Angle 4: Leadership
“David steps forward when Israel's soldiers are afraid to act.”
Angle 5: The Reaction
“Israel's army goes from fear to victory after David defeats Goliath.”
They are all reporting on the same event, but each journalist has chosen a different part of the story to emphasize.
Why Does This Matter?
Proverbs 4:7 says:
“Wisdom is supreme—so get wisdom. And whatever else you get, get understanding.”
Journalists need more than information.
They need understanding.
Before writing a story, a good journalist asks questions, listens, observes, researches, and thinks about what is really happening.
Your job isn't simply to say:
“This happened.”
Your job is to help your reader understand:
“This happened, and here is why this part of the story matters.”
That is the power of choosing an angle.
ANGLE ATTACK!
Goal
Your team will receive one story or event and race to create as many different story angles as possible.
Round 1: Bible Newsroom
3 minutes
Your tutor will give the class a Bible story.
Examples:
- Noah and the Ark
- David and Goliath
- Daniel in the lions' den
- Esther approaching the king
- Moses and the Red Sea
- Joseph being reunited with his brothers
In teams, come up with three different angles journalists could use to report the story.
Remember, you are NOT retelling the story three times.
Each angle must focus on something different.
For example, if the story is Daniel in the lions' den:
Faith Angle: “Daniel continues praying despite the king's new law.”
Political Angle: “Officials use a new law to target one of the king's most trusted leaders.”
Reaction Angle: “King Darius spends a sleepless night after Daniel is thrown into the lions' den.”
Round 2: CHEAR Newsroom
3 minutes
Now your tutor will give you a school topic.
Examples:
- Picture Day
- A new class
- Open House
- A student business
- A class project
- Field Day
- Graduation
- A school event
Your team must create three possible angles.
Round 3: Pitch It!
4 minutes
Each team chooses its BEST angle.
You have 20 seconds to pitch it to the class.
Start with:
“Our angle is...”
Then explain why students would want to read that story.
The tutor awards points:
1 point: The angle is clear.
1 point: The angle is specific.
1 point: The angle is interesting.
1 bonus point: The class says, “I would read that!”
The team with the most points becomes the Newsroom Angle Champions!
Homework
Choose one Bible story.
Write:
Bible Story: ______________________________
My Story Angle: ___________________________
Write your angle as one sentence.
Example:
Bible Story: Esther approaches the king.
My Angle: Esther risks her life by approaching the king in order to protect her people.
Be ready to share your angle next class!
Review Assignments
Let's go over everything we have worked on in the past week to fine tune for Oct. Issue.
Before You Leave
Remember:
TOPIC = What happened?
ANGLE = What part of what happened are we focusing on?
A good journalist doesn't try to tell everything.
A good journalist decides what matters most and helps the reader understand it.