You Know the Parts. Now Let's Write the Game.
Last chapter, you learned every paragraph in the sports article body.
Support. Quote. Play-by-Play. Balance. Historical Background. Tail.
One sentence each.
Now let's zoom in on the part readers look forward to most.
The play-by-play.
This is where you take your reader inside the game — quarter by quarter — and walk them through exactly what happened.
What Is Play-by-Play?
Play-by-play means telling the game in the exact order it happened.
It answers the question every reader is asking: What actually happened out there?
Not just the final score. The whole game, quarter by quarter.
One Rule. Every Time.
Write the play-by-play in chronological order — Q1 first, Q4 last.
Why? Because that's how the game happened. And that's how your reader wants to experience it.
Think about how you tell a story to a friend:
"Okay so first, San Isidro was losing. Then Zion started scoring. Then they pulled ahead. And then Oliver sealed it."
That's chronological. And it works every time.
One Paragraph Per Quarter. One Sentence Each.
Four paragraphs. Four sentences. That's the whole play-by-play section.
| Paragraph | Quarter | What Goes Here |
|---|---|---|
| Play-by-Play 1 | Q1 | How the game opened |
| Play-by-Play 2 | Q2 | How it developed |
| Play-by-Play 3 | Q3 | The turning point |
| Play-by-Play 4 | Q4 | How it was sealed |
What Makes a Strong Play-by-Play Sentence?
Every play-by-play sentence needs two things.
1. A specific score.
San Isidro trailed 15–10 after the first quarter.
2. A transition word to connect it to the next paragraph.
Transition Words: Your Play-by-Play Connectors
Five transition words. Each one has a job in the timeline of your story.
At the start, Rizal Central raced to a 15–10 lead.
San Isidro trailed at halftime, however.
Then Zion scored eight straight points in the third quarter.
Meanwhile, Henry was shutting down every Rizal Central attack.
In the end, San Isidro held on for the win.
A Complete Play-by-Play in Action
Q1 → Q2 → Q3 → Q4. One sentence per quarter. Transition words connecting each one.
✏️ Practice Time
Apply what you learned. Work through both activities below step by step.
Fix the Mixed-Up Play-by-Play! Arrange four mixed-up sentences in the correct chronological order — Q1 first, Q4 last.
📋 Four Sentences to Arrange
Write Your Play-by-Play Fill in the frames — then write your own version of all four quarters.
🏀 The Game
🔍 Self-Check Guide
| What to Check | Done ✅ | Try Again 🔄 |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 sentence covers the first quarter | ☐ | ☐ |
| Q2 sentence covers the second quarter | ☐ | ☐ |
| Q3 sentence covers the turning point | ☐ | ☐ |
| Q4 sentence covers how it was sealed | ☐ | ☐ |
| Each sentence includes the score | ☐ | ☐ |
| Transition words connect each sentence | ☐ | ☐ |
| All sentences are in past tense | ☐ | ☐ |
📊 Simple Rubric
Answers for writing activities will be different for each student. Use the rubric to check your work or ask your teacher for help.
🧠 Match It!
Tap the correct transition word from the word bank to complete each sentence.