YES! Young European Scribes – European School Magazine
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Editorial
Writing… What an effort!
Does a generation that communicates through the sound of tweets, texts, mms, clicks,
abbreviations, photos, need to learn to write? Need a newspaper? Yes is the answer given by the
European project Yes! If the creation of a magazine written in English by children from Spanish,
Italian, Polish, Turkish, and Romanian schools is one of its objectives. And then the next things to
ask yourself should be: why, how and who is to be addressed? It is true to say that children must
learn to write because most of them find it difficult to do so, and this is because they even find it
difficult to speak of themselves, their emotions, and their problems. The reason is perhaps that they
are rarely listened to, adults often limit them to speaking and writing as they would have them do. A
magazine like Yes, rather than being a simple test of strength between European schools competing
with one another, could be a great opportunity for children from different countries to get to know
each other, and to be recognized and appreciated for the experiences and emotions they share. If
this is the aim, the newspaper should be thought of as a tool for them to use, with language and
graphics designed and adapted to their comprehension and needs. A newspaper such as this must
be clear and simple in its composition, though this does not mean titles and photographs are trivial
extras but the primary elements that characterize it. In just a few words titles or a slogan, it must
provide the main message that the article then builds on. Photographs must "speak": small images,
or insignificant ones, are likely to create confusion, and take up space needlessly.
How do you teach someone to write an article? The headline is the first stumbling block: a good
headline makes the reader want to read on, but getting started in writing is the first obstacle to
overcome. Everyone has his or her own way of starting an article, and practice helps you to find
yourself. Pretending you are writing to an imaginary person is one way to overcome the anxiety
caused by a blank sheet, remembering that in the first paragraph the essential information, the
famous "5 Ws" (who, what, where, when, and why) must be included The aim of writing is to inform
and intrigue. It is essential, to write and think with the reader in mind, give your reader a face, and
make it impossible for the reader not to read the story that is being told. It is indispensable for
children who have yet to learn how to write, to know that someone is really interested in what they
have to say, rather than how they wish to say it.
Dott.ssa. Emanuela Rosi
Section Head La Nazione - Sarzana, Italy
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