You are reporting on an explosion and fire downtown that started when a work crew accidentally ruptured a gas line. The resulting fire caused extensive damage to a historic building in the area. Write a lead for your story and explain how it adheres to the concept of the 5W’s and 1H.

What will be an ideal response?

Student leads will vary but should have a core that follows the noun-verb-object structure and several supporting elements based on the 5W’s (Who, What, When, Where, Why) and 1H (How). For example, a student may write the following: “A historic building was badly damaged last night when a construction crew triggered a fiery explosion by rupturing a gas line in the downtown area.” This example contains a noun-verb-object core that tells Who and What (“a construction crew triggered a fiery explosion”) and several supporting elements from the 5W’s and 1H, including Where (“downtown”), When (“last night”) and How (“by rupturing a gas line”). The lead also begins with information that is likely to be most important to the reader by mentioning the damage to a historic landmark caused by the explosion.