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You Write It Interview,

Meet a Teen Journalist

Zhoriél Tapo, 13, gives us the scoop on reporting for Scholastic Kids Press.  

By Adee Braun
From the May 2022 Issue
Featured Skills: Summarizing, Central Ideas and Supporting Details,
Common Core Standards
  • Anchor Standards
    R.1, W.5, L.3
  • Grade 6

    RI.6.1, W.6.5, L.6.3
  • Grade 7
    RI.7.1, W.7.5, L.7.3
  • Grade 8

    RI.8.1, W.8.5 , L.8.3
TEKS Standards
  • Grades 6, 7, 8
    10b, 10c, 10d

Presentation View
See Student View

Directions

1. Read the interview. 

2. Choose a central idea for your article. 

3. Write a three-paragraph article based on the interview. Be sure to include quotes.

As a member of Scholastic Kids Press, Zhoriél Tapo is part of a group of young journalists who report on news and events around the world. She’s covered everything from hurricanes to elections and interviewed several celebrities. Scope editor Adee Braun spoke to Zhoriél about what being a Kid Reporter is all about.

Scholastic Kids Press Corps. 

Zhoriél works on an article at home.

Adee Braun: How did you become a reporter for Scholastic Kids Press?

Zhoriél Tapo: I’ve always loved to watch the news. Then one day three years ago, my parents saw on social media that Scholastic was accepting applications for Kid Reporters. I really love learning about things, and I enjoy speaking to people and writing. Those are the things that you need to do as a Kid Reporter. So I decided to apply. 

AB: How do you decide what to report on?

ZT: I research what’s happening in my state of Louisiana to find a topic or event that would be enjoyable for kids. Usually I write about something that’s happening in the month, so it’s really relevant. 

AB: What’s your process like?

ZT: Once I find a topic I want to cover, I check with my parents and my editor to see if it’s OK. Then I do research. I find a person to interview. I interview them, take pictures, and write my article—maybe with three to four drafts. Then I send it all to my editor. 

Courtesy of Tapo family

Zhoriél interviewed celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse.

AB: What’s the best part of being a reporter?

ZT: My favorite part is meeting people. I get to learn more about them and what makes them important.  

AB: What’s the most challenging part?

ZT: The most challenging thing I’ve faced is when Covid came, because I wasn’t able to do in-person interviews anymore. Thank goodness for Zoom and FaceTime and Google Meet! Otherwise, the hardest thing is keeping to my maximum word count. My articles can’t be more than 350 words. That’s hard because when I interview people, they give so much good information.

AB: Who is your favorite interview so far? 

ZT: I love to dance, so my favorite interview was with the ballerina Misty Copeland. After just a couple minutes, it felt like I was having a conversation with a friend because it flowed so well.

Scholastic Kids Press Corps.

Zooming with ballerina Misty Copeland

AB: Who would be your dream interview?

ZT: I really want to report on Zendaya. I love everything about her. I enjoy watching her act and sing. And I love her fashion! 

AB: What advice would you give to kids who are interested in journalism?

ZT: Be yourself. Because if you don’t do that, then you won’t have a good time doing what you love. 

This article was originally published in the May 2022 issue.

Activities (5)
Reference
Skills Activities
Writing Support
Activities (5)
Reference
Skills Activities
Writing Support
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

1. READING THE INTERVIEW

  • Give students a minute to preview the You Write It: Interview. Prompt students to use the headline, subhead, and central image to identify the topic of the interview.
  • Break students into groups to read each section of the interview and discuss what they find interesting, surprising, or convincing.
  • Reconvene as a class and ask volunteers to summarize the central idea and supporting details from the interview. Have a volunteer read aloud the writing prompt at the top of the page in the printed magazine or at the top of the digital story page. Brainstorm examples of central ideas (or central claims) that could be used.

2. MODELING THE TEXT

If your students need additional support, project the Annotated Model Text or the Non-Annotated Model Text and review together first.

3. WRITING

  • Distribute the guided-writing activity (available in your Resources tab). This activity guides students to choose a central idea for their articles, paraphrase each question-and-answer pair from the interview, and choose sentences from the interview that they will use as quotations in their articles.
  • Using their responses from the guided-writing activity, have students write a three-paragraph article about the inspiring student using these guidelines:
    •    Opening Paragraph:
      • Your first sentence should be a hook—that is, it should grab the reader’s attention. One option is to state something that is surprising, interesting, or moving. What detail from the interview did you find most interesting?
      • Let readers know what the article is going to be about. In other words, state the central idea of the article.
    •  Body Paragraph:
      • Explain to your readers what the inspiring student’s experience was like, using information from the question-and-answer pairs you summarized.
      • Summarize the most important ideas presented in the interview. Each idea you include should support the central idea that you wrote.
      • Don’t forget to include the direct quotes you chose.
    • Conclusion:
      • Wrap it all up. End your article with a strong sentence that will give your readers something to think about. One option is to end with a quote. Another is to refer to your hook from the opening paragraph.
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