Newspaper reporters arrange most of the articles they write in what they call an inverted (upside-down) pyramid.
They put the most important news at the beginning and then include the less important details as they write.
These skillful writers try to put the who, what, when, where, why, and how (5 W's and H) at the beginning. They call this part the "lead." Then they add the rest of the details in the order of their importance. The least important information they put at the end.
An inverted pyramid story looks like this:
Tallahassee - A Tangelo County fourth-grader won this year's annual Florida State Spelling Bee yesterday when he spelled the word paraphernalia correctly. He is the youngest student to win the contest in its 50-year history.
(WHERE
WHO
WHAT
WHY
& HOW)
For his effort, Larry Johnson, a ten year-old honor student as Lemonline Elementary School, was awarded a $1,000 U.S. savings bond. In addition, he will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to represent the state of Florida in the National Spelling Bee, to be held in October.
(DETAILS)
Runner-up in the contest was Tabitha Waters, an eighth-grader at Grapefruit Middle School in Baywater. Tabitha was eliminated when she misspelled ennui. She received a $500 U.S. savings bond.
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The winner of the National Spelling Bee will be awarded a $20,000 college scholarship to attend a college or university of his or her choice after completing high school.
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Students from 38 Florida counties took part in the three-day contest. Following the event, all 38 contestants were invited to dine at the Governor's Mansion.
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Larry is the son of Farley and Beth Johnson of Newtown. He has a sister, Linsey, who is an eighth-grade student at Newton Middle School, and a brother, Bruce, who is a first-grader at Lemonlime.
