Most students have never thought about why a news story is structured the way it is. This 22-slide PowerPoint lesson makes that structure visible — and once they see the inverted pyramid, they can't unsee it. The lesson opens with what hard news actually is and why it differs from feature writing and opinion. From there it moves through the inverted pyramid structure, the anatomy of a summary lead, the function of each "graf," and how professional reporters decide what goes where.
See it on Teachers Pay Teachers — $6.40
Real news examples ground every concept in something students recognize. What's Included: 22-slide PowerPoint presentation (also opens in Google Slides) Definition of hard news and contrast with other story types Full inverted pyramid breakdown with visual diagram Summary lead structure — the who, what, when, where, why, and how "Graf" anatomy — how each paragraph functions in a hard news story Real-world news examples throughout Practice exercises built into the slide sequence How to Use It: Works as a single-period lesson or across two shorter class periods.
The practice slides make it easy to pause and have students apply each concept before moving on. Pairs naturally with a lead-writing worksheet and a news story rubric if you want to extend it into a full unit. Why This Slideshow: The description field on TPT is full of "hard news slideshows" that list standards and features but don't actually teach structure.
This one is built around the question students always have — why does a news story look like that? — and answers it in a way they can immediately apply. After 24 years teaching journalism at the secondary level, that's the lesson I kept coming back to rebuild until it stuck. This slideshow is part of the News Writing Basics Bundle and the News Writing Essentials Bundle — both available at significant savings.
It's also included in the Complete High School Journalism Curriculum Bundle, which covers the full year. If this resource saved you prep time, please leave a rating under My Purchases Provide Feedback. Every review earns you TpT Credits toward future purchases — roughly $1 in credits for every $10 reviewed. Follow Starmaker Tools for Teachers to be notified when new resources launch or go on sale.
Keywords: hard news writing, inverted pyramid, journalism slideshow, high school journalism, news writing lesson, summary lead, lead writing, journalism PowerPoint, student journalists, news story structure, journalism grades 9-12, high school ELA, expository writing, news writing unit, journalism curriculum
Designed for grades 9-12.
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