The Bulldog 5: A Weekly News Class for 7th Graders

The Bulldog 5 is a weekly news broadcast created by 7th-grade students as part of a trimester-long writing class. Designed to teach students the fundamentals of journalism, public speaking, scriptwriting, and video editing, the class challenges students to think critically about current events in their school and community. Every week, a team of students works together to research stories, conduct interviews, write scripts, film segments, and edit the final broadcast. The name The Bulldog 5 represents the goal of delivering five minutes of news in each episode—keeping it short, engaging, and informative.

This hands-on class gives students real-world experience in a newsroom-style environment. Students rotate through different roles such as anchor, reporter, editor, and camera operator, ensuring everyone gets a chance to explore multiple aspects of media production. The broadcasts are shown to the school each week, giving students a platform to inform, entertain, and connect with their peers. The Bulldog 5 not only strengthens students’ writing and communication skills but also fosters teamwork, responsibility, and creativity in a fast-paced, collaborative setting.