The Hoof and Horn
Over the course of our novel study, you will complete four written assignments and
compile them to create a newspaper covering Animal Farm and its political/social
relevance.
Required Writing Pieces
One of each of the following:
 News story relaying a major event in the
novel
 Feature story profiling a character in the
novel and the character’s historical or
current counterpart
 Advertisement utilizing propaganda
principles to promote or belittle leaders in
the novel or their interests
 Editorial Cartoon illustrating an issue, relationship, or thematic implication in
the novel
One selection from the following two Opinion Pieces:
 Editorial on an issue raised in the novel and/or a related historical or modern
issue
 Letter to the Editor stating opinion on an issue raised in the novel
There will be detailed explanations and guidelines
for each of the writing pieces. You will receive
instructions for each of the pieces as we read the
novel and have specific time set aside in one of the
computer labs to work on each piece. When all
pieces have been completed, you will compile them
in final, professional form in a newspaper layout.
News Article
Definition
A news article reports valuable events or information to the average reader. News articles contain
valid, factual information from credible sources, using concise language.
Style
News articles require a different style of writing from what is used when
writing a story. When writing a newspaper article, picture a triangle like
the one to the right.
The news article contains all of the important information in the opening
paragraph, called the lead. The information includes answers to the
questions who, what, when, where, why and how. It is written this way because most people do not
read a newspaper article all the way to the end. Writing in this style also permits easy editing if the
article is too long for the space allowed. Newspaper writers put the most important information at
the beginning of the story.
Elements of a News Article
Headline:

This is a short, attention-getting statement about the event. Usually
contains an action verb.
Byline:

This tells who wrote the story (author).
Lead:

Contains the who, what, when, where, why and how information. A
writer must find the answers to these questions and write them into
the opening sentence(s) of the article.
Explanation:

Give the reader more details about the information presented in the
lead.
Write in third person (he, she, it, they).
Be accurate and factual. Do not express your opinion.
Use quotations to express the reactions and opinions of others.
Identify who is being quoted.



Additional
Information:

Add additional information about this event or a similar event that
has some connection. This information should be interesting, but not
necessary for the reader to understand the event.
News Article Example
Identify the five parts
of this news article:
__________________________
High Flying Escape Ends in Death
__________________________
By Robin Sloan
__________________________
Icarus, son of the famous inventor, Daedalus, plunged into the
Aegean Sea and drowned while attempting to escape from the
island of Crete early yesterday afternoon. His body has yet to be
recovered.
__________________________
Icarus and his father had made wings from wax and bird feathers
they had collected over the years while imprisoned on the island of
Crete. They attached the homemade wings to their arms and, using
a flapping motion, lifted off from the island shortly before noon.
While making their escape, Icarus flew too close to the sun. As a
result, the heat melted the wax on his wings which caused the
feathers to drop off. The wings collapsed and Icarus fell into the
sea and drowned.
__________________________
Daedalus, sobbing from the distant shore where he had landed
safely, said, “My last words to Icarus before we left the island were
to stay close and not fly too high! He just didn’t listen! Why didn’t
he listen to me?” Daedalus and Icarus had been held prisoner by
King Minos on the island of Crete, and had been forced to build a
labyrinth at the palace of Knossos. It was known to be the most
difficult maze in the world to navigate successfully.
Answer the following questions for the lead paragraph:
Who? ________________________________________________________________________
What? ________________________________________________________________________
Where? ______________________________________________________________________
When? _______________________________________________________________________
Why? or How? _______________________________________________________________
Write Your Own News Article
Assignment
You are a reporter working for the newspaper The Hoof and Horn. Write a newspaper article about an event
that takes place in Animal Farm as if you observed the event. Interview at least two characters with different
points of view who observed or participated in the event. Include quotations from each of the two characters
in the article. Be sure to identify the characters you quote.
Procedure
1. Choose an event that takes place in Animal Farm.
Here are some examples of events you could choose:
a. Old Major’s meeting and speech
b. The bloodless rebellion
c. Inspection of the Jones’s farm house
d. The missing milk
e. The Commandments
f. The Battle of the Cowshed
g. Mollie’s disappearance
h. Animal Heroes
2. Organize and gather information. Fill in the guide sheet below to get started.
Headline:
Byline:
Lead Paragraph:
Interview character 1:
Quotation:
Interview character 2:
Quotation:
3. After completing the guide sheet above, write your complete article. The article should be a minimum
of three paragraphs: lead, explanation, and additional information.