News Analysis Worksheet: Explore the 5 W’s + How of Any News Story

Help your students become sharp readers and informed thinkers with this engaging News Analysis worksheet. By using the six key questions of journalism — who, what, when, where, why, and how — kids learn to break down news stories into their essential parts. It’s great for classroom work, homework, or family learning time.

What’s Inside This Worksheet

• A bold graphic organizer with six spaces labelled Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? for students to fill in key details.

• A space to write the headline in the middle, encouraging students to pay attention to the title and how it reflects the story.

• Clear instructions explaining what kinds of answers are expected under each “W” and “How” (for example, a person or group for Who, cause or reason for Why, etc.).

• Designed in a visually appealing layout to make the analysis less intimidating and more fun for younger learners.

Why It’s Useful

• Builds news literacy: Students learn to identify reliable information and understand what makes up a clear news story.

• Strengthens reading comprehension: They practice summarising and extracting main ideas.

• Encourages critical thinking: Asking “why” and “how” helps students consider causes, motives, events, and context, not just facts.

• Supports writing skills: When students see what a headline should do, and how information is organized, their own writing improves.

• Flexible use: Works for many levels—primary school, early secondary, homeschooling.

How to Use It in Your Classroom / Home

1. Choose a news article suitable for your students’ age. Preferably short, clear, and interesting.

2. Either let students read it themselves, or read together as a class.

3. Ask them to fill in the worksheet: headline + the six questions.

4. Once completed, have students share their answers — compare what different students thought for “why” and “how” (these often vary).

5. As an extension: students can write their own headline, or re-order the story using the 5W+H format. Or compare two news stories about the same event and see how “why” and “how” are treated differently.

6. Use this in regular practice to build confidence.

This News Analysis worksheet is a simple but powerful tool to help students make sense of what they hear and read in the news. Try it out with the next article you look at together — and watch how much more informed, thoughtful, and curious your children become!