Upcoming due dates

Current events #4 is due on 1/12 - Monday.

Independent Reading #4 due Friday, 1/23

2nd issue of the paper set to come out 1/31 - which means it needs to be completed by 1/23 in class.

Investigative feature draft 1 is due 1/5

1st run of laid out pages are due 1/9

Reminders

today in class your laid out, final drafts of your feature stories are due. Please make sure to turn it in laid out.

tomorrow, your final draft of your section articles are due with all prior drafts attached.

tomorrow, your independent reading #3 assignments are due.

Independent Reading assignment #4 will be due January 23rd.

Investigative feature draft 1 is due on Monday, 1/5 when we return. Make sure to attache all research and notes.

Chorus is cancelled for tomorrow.

Please come to class prepared to work on your feature stories, investigative features and/or section articles...

You may also work on your independent reading assignments #3 which are due on Tuesday with your final drafts of your section articles.

You want to download the free trial from Adobe Indesign CS4 - it's the newest version, so you probably won't be able to open it on the school's computer. I'm sure it is great. I'm going to see if I can download this one too.

Feature Article final draft due date changed to Monday

Feature article final drafts will be due in class on Monday instead of tomorrow due to yesterday's unexpected interruption.

feature articles due on Friday.

Final drafts of feature stories are due on Friday, 12/19.

Your final draft should appear on the top - stapled behind it should be:

They should have 2 prior drafts, attached with any and all notes.

They should be laid out on a page with at least 1 sidebar and 1 image (both properly cited)

They should have at least 5 quotes from students in our school

They should reference at least 2 different print sources (or web sources)

Story should be organized in a logical structure, strong lead and appropriate ending.

You should avoid using the first or second person in your piece

Current Events #2

due on Monday - Current Events #2

Make sure to select a story that is from your section...



cut it out, annotate it



analyze it



reflect on it.



Turn it in on time, on Monday.

Baruch college on Monday

Vinny, Erick, Erin, Sarah, Anastasia, Georgina, Livianette and Melissa

Please make sure to come dressed in your uniform with Blazer on Monday. We will be leaving 2nd period.

We will all come to class and then we will leave together.

Bring your sourcebook and a pen. Write a list a questions you'd like to get answers to.

Upcoming due date reminders

Monday - Current events #2 is due
Monday - Baruch College trip for editorial staff

Tuesday - 2nd draft of section stories are due
Tuesday- indesign in class- section checklists

Thursday - investigative feature assignments will be given out - Your 1st drafts will be due when you return from break (January 5, 2009)
Friday - Final drafts of feature stories are due

Tuesday, 12/23 - Independent reading assignment #3 is due.

Independent Reading Assignment due Dec. 23

Directions: Identify and present passages from your independent reading book that illustrate the qualities listed below. Limit passages to one page of text. To present them, you may type them or photocopy and paste them. After each passage, write a brief but specific explanation of hot the passage exemplifies the quality stated (three to five sentences). Remember to provide the page number of each passage.

passage that reveals an important quality about the main character (protagonist)
passage that shows an important part of setting
2 different passages that suggest the complexity of the protagonist's conflict(s)
2 passages in which the author uses language in a particularly effective way
passage that shows teh symbolic importance of something or a passage that suggests why the book has the title it has
passage that shows the protagonist's situation at the end
passage that suggests and important idea, theme, or insight the book conveys
passage that shows what you liked about the book

Sidebars and images for your feature articles

Make sure when you turn in your second feature drafts on Friday (with the first ones attached), you have at least one sidebar and some images you can use for the layout of your article.

Your final draft of this article will need to be laid out in Indesign - an article with sidebars

http://www.absolutewrite.com/freelance_writing/sidebars.htm - possible sidebar ideas

When taking info for sidebars and/or images, make sure to cite them appropriately.

Section articles are due tomorrow

Please make sure to turn in your drafts for your section articles tomorrow. If they are incomplete, please indicate so and what you need to add.

We are looking to have the next issue out into everyone's hands by 1/30/09.

Each section should start laying out pages - set up each one with section heading, page number and text boxes with picture slots. Headline boxes and byline boxes. I will provide you a checklist by Wednesday.

Debrief

I'm proud to say you guys picked up on most or all of what I would have said about the paper. I will put together a final checklist for each section and I know our next effort due to come out at the end of January will be even better.



I'm going to readjust some of the deadlines. We are going to not do the investigative feature until holiday break. so disregard that for a while.

Congratulations

I just wanted to take a moment to say how very proud I am of all of you. You worked very hard and had a great first paper.

Please remember as you read this paper, that most of you have never done this before. Yes, we made mistakes, but we did a lot more right than we did wrong.

Don't let anyone make you feel badly about your effort. We will be debriefing positive and challenged items on Monday.

Revel in your accomplishment... we will just do better next time.

You all make me really proud - celebrate this weekend!

Newspaper Reflection and debrief

Today all classes received a copy of the first issue of the paper...



please go back to the blog post that I made earlier, and reflect on the first issue. We will be discussing and debriefing on Monday, 12/8

Urban voices connections

We are doing a concert that centers around the theme of Media...

We are going to need students to write pieces that work with this theme...

It can be a poem, a song, a short narrative and/or feature article on something related to what we are doing to be read at the concert in March.

This will meet some creative standards in class - it will also offer a nice balance to the non-fiction writing we do in class.

Urban Voices

Just remembered that we never covered Urban Voices in the first issue... can someone in news please write and article about Urban voices?



You can talk to Ms. Delahunt and/or email her to answer your questions.



We should have a news article about it in the paper.



Thanks.

Meet in the pub lab and then we will all walk over together.

Portfolio pulling

Your portfolio pulling for first trimester should be done by tomorrow.


You should have selected your 3 best pieces of work from the first trimester.

You should reflect on each piece specifically discussing the following:

• what standards does this piece show you have mastered?


• what have you learned about yourself as a learner from this assignment?


• what do you still need to work on to make yourself a better learner for future assignments based on this assignment?


• how can you adjust your learning to get your needs met based on your experience with this assignment?


• how do the standards and skills used in this assignment connect to other assignments you have done in this class as well as other classes?

Cite examples from your work to support all of your answers to the above questions... write a narrative reflection for each piece. I will want to see your selections...

Moving forward, you will be expected to reflect on your work whenever you get work returned to you graded. It should always address the above information.

Due for tomorrow-

First drafts of feature articles are due tomorrow...

please include drafts and an outline of what you intend on writing if it is not finished...

who will you interview? where are you getting information from?

For Homework Tonight

Write a list of possible articles that we can generate from the Town Hall meeting today.



Think in terms of school news, feature/entertainment, opinion/editorial, or sports.



Make sure to read the packets given out and annotate. Which packet was most helpful? Post to this blog some of what you learned from the packets...

For tomorrow (12/3)

Make sure to bring your notebook to take notes on the town hall meeting
If you have a camera, bring it for the meeting

Make sure to email me your topic for your feature article if you haven't already.

Current Events Assignment #1

Select 1 article from the section you are writing in...

• If you are a news writer, then select a breaking news story from the A section of the newspaper...
• If you are a feature/entertainment writer select a part two story
• If you are an editorial/opinion writer select one of the same
• If you are a sports writer select a sports article

Mention - the by-line (author), what paper you got the article from (preferrably The New York Times), the section and don't forget to attach the article to your analysis. Make sure to highlight what you talk about in the article... be specific to the text.

Identify and analyze all of the following:

• headline
• lead
• any pictures/captions
• paragraph length
• diction (author's choices of words)
• direct/indirect quotes
• journalistic style
• balance of information

Make sure to reflect on the article -

• What does the content make you think about?
• What are you curious to know more about?
• What questions do you have?
• What did you notice about the style of writing that you can incorporate into your own writing?
• What did the writer do well? What could they have done better

2nd Trimester

All new work completed will be applied to the second trimester. I'm no longer accepting work for trimester 1 as my grades are due by the end of the week.

The first issue of the newspaper was sent to the printer today and will hopefully be in our hands by the end of the week... we were only 1 week off our original deadline.

I would like us to set some class goals for the second issue. Once we have the issue in our hands, we will be debriefing. I will ask you to take a copy home, read through the whole thing and mark it up... what did we do well, what do we need to improve?

any inconsistencies that you notice will also be necessary to notice... we will be discussing this in class... you will post to the blog the work you thought was done best and as a whole what we need to work on most.

On Friday, your first draft of your feature story will be due.
On Monday, your current events 1 for the 2nd trimester will be due.

In-Depth Reporting (Investigative Feature) Assignment – First draft due: December 12

You are a reporter sent to investigate important school matters. Each journalist will be assigned a different school matter.

Reporters will have to:
1. Interview at least 5 people related to your subject
2. Survey the class and other members of the school
3. get statements from at least 5 students not in class
4. Write an in-depth news report with the results of all of the above
5. Layout your story in indesign with appropriate charts, graphs, sidebars and/or images

Here are some suggested topics

1. school nutritional program
2. sports program
3. curriculum/scheduling
4. homework
5. uniform
6. discipline
7. school electronics policy
8. school media
9. channel 1
10. college board
11. after school activities
12. spirit week
13. lunch
14. inappropriate student behavior
15. student achievement
16. parental involvement
17. relationships with teachers
18. testing
19. college
20. careers related to journalism
21. portfolio assessment
22. school trips
23. a topic of your choosing that is approved by the teacher

Top 3 choices

1. ____________________________________
2. ____________________________________
3. ____________________________________

Selected topic:

5 people you plan to interview:

1. _____________________________________
2. _____________________________________
3. _____________________________________
4. _____________________________________
5. _____________________________________

Questions you plan on asking:

Investigative Feature or In-depth Reporting

As we begin our discussion of Feature, we are going to be discussing many different threads of feature writing:

7 kinds of feature
- straight feature
- interpretive feature
- personality feature
- interview feature
- brite
- news feature
- human interest story
entertainment feature
- reviews
- celebrity news

investigative feature - a more indepth research feature which requires deep understanding

Calendar for December -

In class, Ms. Livigni and I have made a calendar for the month of December. It has all due dates and topics we will be working on.
We start feature in class tomorrow. Please read the packet given out and be ready to start discussing features of feature...

How does feature differ from news?

Please start thinking about possible feature topics...

1st Trimester Grades

The first trimester ends this week and grades are due in on Thursday. Here is a brief explanation of how the grades are broken down...
Teacherease is just a record of the work that you have done. It lets you know what you have turned in and how you have done on it.

I look at the grade of 1-4 that you have received.
4=A (exceeds the standards of the trimester)
3=B (meets the standards of the trimester)
2=C (approaches the standards of the trimester)
1=NC (still needs to be improved because you are still not getting something)

0=F (not enough work to make a judgement of where you are at)

Some standards addressed this trimester can be viewed at this website:
http://www.nylearns.org/standards/standard_tree.asp?StandardID=18655&lev=gradelevel

as you are considering your portfolio work for the first trimester, try to pay close attention to specific standards we've addressed

Next Independent Reading Assignment #3

the next assignment will be due on December 23rd before the Holiday Break.

1st issue - almost done

I just reviewed what we have so far and I'm missing almost the whole news section and the sports pages. Please email me the pdf files of the these pages.

On Monday, we will beginning the next issue and moving on. What we haven't finished, will be finished at lunch. By Wednesday...
Those students who didn't participate equally will be talked to.

Moving forward we will be laying out as things are finished.

As a class we will be working on feature and then investigative feature in the month of December...

However, we will be still producing a paper so the News section and all other sections will still be producing material for the paper. A few people will be shifted from the sections they are on... I will inform, so please stand by.

Once the paper actually comes out, we will be debriefing about the process. How does it look? Where were our misteps and issues? How can we do it differently next time?

finishing the paper

I am hoping that today we finish up the pages we need to complete... if not we will continue to work until we do. I will be working with the news staff today as well as with Anastasia and Erin on the staff box...

Newspaper Staff
Ms. Sackstein - teacher/advisor
Erin O'Driscoll - editor-in-chief
Anastasia Papis - editor-in-chief
Livianette Cabrera - News editor
Sarah Bianchi - Feature editor
Melissa Iachetta - Entertainment editor
Georgina Papazafiropoulos - Sports editor
Omar Abbas
Giselle Bonilla
Chris Caraballo
Tonya Castillo
Adriana Crotty
Kaitlan Cusanelli
Vinny Gatto
Andrew Jimenez
Max Llorente
Ariana Mendunjanin
Pria Nahal
Christian Quintana
Shazia Rahaman
Victor Rivera
Eirene Skocos
Jamie Torney
Eric Vasquez

Additional Staff
Raisa Balabanova - featured reporter
Avi Solkoff - layout specialist

Photography
Allred, Moses
Barry, Alexandria
Feliciano, Luis
Ganpat, Vincent C
Godette, Ladonna
Lim, So Ri
Manaloto, AnnaLee
Mencia, Yanil
Olszewski, Robin
Rubildo, Alexander
Saccente, Joseph
Sharma, Monica
Villa, Matthew
Villanueva, Haidy

Urban Voices

We are having Urban Voices on Friday...



if you have any ideas for music you'd like the class to sing, please post it to this post.



Meet in the pub lab and then we will all walk down together tomorrow.

Deadlines and reminders

Yesterday's Layout session was a success for a few of you and several of you came up to work duing lunch... THANK YOU for your dedication and hard work.

I am happy to help students learn to do their work, but I will NOT do the work for you.

Yes, Indesign is frustrating. Yes Indesign is difficult to get when you are first learning, but it will only get easier with practice. Come up to the pub lab and practice.

Monday, Independent reading assignment #2 is due (Make sure you have all 10 components) Make sure they are labeled appropriately with what you are trying to identify. Make sure you have an excerpt with the page number or numbers. Make sure you have analysis for each one.

Your first current events assignment (only 1 article) will be due when we return from Thanksgiving. Monday, December 1

All Make up work is due December 1

the marking period ends and December 5 and that is when my grades are due.

Quality Review

On Wednesday and Thursday, the Quality Review will be happening at school. There will be many people visiting your classes and asking you questions about the work we do at school.

Please come to class on time and ready to work (as you always do) on these days.

Make-up Work

All make-up work is due no later than December 1st. Prior to that date would be preferable.

Your independent reading assignment #2 is due Monday, 11/24

We will be doing the reflecting work next week -

Indesign - starting pages for Tuesday

Setting up a page
making columns
inserting text
justifying text
text wrapping
inserting pictures

Make sure to bring your thumb drives with all final versions of your articles.

Finishing the paper

Today in class, is Channel 1 and portfolio day -

The rest of the week we will be laying out the paper to make sure it is ready by Thursday...

Friday we have Urban Voices, meet in the classroom and we will walk down together.

Tuesday - get into sections and sit around 2-3 computers depending on the size of your group...
you will be working on laying out your section.
http://www.senecadesign.com/designgeek/indesign.html- indesign tips
http://livedocs.adobe.com/en_US/InDesign/5.0/help.html?content=WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-6d1e.html - Layout table of contents

All of your articles should be with the group either on a thumb drive or in an email. Once on the page, you will decide on the look - I will have some ideas for you...

Play with columns - if you need pics, please ask and I will make sure you have some.

Entertainment, you may use either book covers or movie posters for yours.

Wednesday - same thing...

Thursday, you will need to save what you have done as PDF files and email them to me at mssackstein@yahoo.com

You will need to make sure that all pages that your group has laid out are proofread, and clean. Have at least 1 picture on them.
have a page number on them in the top, outside corner (even pages on the top left, odd pages on the top right).
each section should have the title of their section on the top of the page as well... I will help everyone set this up on the first page. News puts it on the second as it doesn't go on the first, just the banner.

Portfolio

Portfolios are the place where you show what you know. Being a portfoli school, we try to assess students based on the work that they do against the standards of the school. Test grades and numbers are not nearly enough. A learner must truly understand their strengths and weaknesses and work to learn techniques to improve on both to meet standards.

Portfolio is a 4 part process:

1. Collection: when you put all of your work (even work in progress) in your work in progress (WIP) folders to keep track of everything that you are doing. Examples of this can be homework, class work, labs, drafts, writing assignments and tests and quizzes
2. Selection: when we complete a trimester and you want to show your exemplary work (your best work) so show evidence of your learning. It actually demonstrates the standards you've mastered in the class.
3. Reflection: after you've completed a piece in any class, you must reflect on that assignment. What standards are you meeting or exceeding or still approaching? How can you improve or continue to excell at these standards? How can you adjust your learning to better meet the standards? How were you able to show what you know?
4. Connection: Our classes don't happen in isolation and therefore our learning can't be. We must start to make better connections between what goes on in each of our classes. How does what you learn in once class help you with what you are doing in another class? How do the skills you are learning help contribute to making you more ready for life after school? How does your learning prepare you for more than just good grades?

Reminders...

Next week we will be laying out and preparing the first issue of the paper. This is going to be an old hands on deck experience. Even if your article is not going into the issue, you are still responsible for finishing your articles, so we can chart your progress.

Remember, by Thursday, we will need to have the paper finished.

Your independent reading assignments #2 are due on Friday, 11/21. Please do not forget.

The end of the trimester is December 5th. You will be getting report cards on December 12th.

This week...

Tomorrow in class you should be working on revisions and playing with InDesign - make sure to save everything you do to your thumb/flash drives daily. Bring it to class every day.



We have very close deadlines now approaching. We will be laying out the work that we have already done. Please make sure you are sending your finished articles to me via email or you have it on your thumb drive in class ready to be laid out.

Looking ahead

Today we will be working with Urban Voices...
Next week, full steam ahead we are getting this issue of the paper together.

Election news articles are due on Monday.

We will be doing final revisions and layout all next week.

We have no school on Tuesday. Wednesday I will be on a field trip and you will be working independently in class in sections.

Reminders

Your final drafts of second articles are due tomorrow with all earlier drafts.

Your election articles will be pushed back to Monday, 11/10.

There is no school on Tuesday.

Week of 11/3

Today in class we had speeches... you needed to have your first drafts. Please continue to work on your articles all week.



on Wed. you will have a town hall meeting.



your election articles are due on Friday, 11/7



your final drafts of second articles are due on Friday as well.

Self-inventories due on Wed. 11/5

Reminder

You need to post on the one of the articles posted the other day about the future of newspapers. Please don't forget to read both articles and then post something relevent... what you think and why....

For class on 10/31

Come prepared with 5 questions for our new choral liaison from Urban Voices

make sure to turn in your final drafts of your first section articles with all notes and earlier drafts, interview notes and other information or research.

Your first drafts of the second articles are due on Monday.

Urban Voices is Coming to our class

Starting this Friday, we will be working with the Urban Voices program which is brought to us from the Metropolitan Opera Company.

this choral program will be working with our curriculum as an extention to what we already do.

More will be discuss in class on today.

Journalism – Election coverage assignment

Tuesday, 11/4 is our elections. Please make sure to check in with television coverage of the elections a few times during the day.

Make sure to get a copy of the NY Times or Newsday on Wednesday with the full results.

Your assignment is to report on the elections…

Make sure to include results for Local, State and National races…

If you can get comments from voting adults about the turn out and results.

What do you notice about the results? About the voters? Are they as knowledgeable as they should be for a voting public?

Your article should be written in a news format… inverted pyramid… strong active leads using journalistic style.

Get as many quotes as you can.

This assignment will be counted as a test grade due on Friday, 11/7.

Sport's Writing Tips

Tips for Sports Reporting From Phil Jasner

Here are some tips for conducting all kinds of sports interviews -- pregame, postgame, off-days, in-person, telephone or teleconference.

• Do your homework. Be as prepared as possible by reading clips, newspapers, magazines, etc. and by paying attention to TV, radio and cyberspace. Don't count on the interviewee filling in the blanks.
• Despite what you might hear some people in the profession say, do NOT treat sports as if it were the toy department. Given the salaries of the players and coaches, the prices of tickets for fans, concessions, parking, etc., you have a responsibility to take sports very seriously. I was taught that part of your job is to give the readers enough information to determine whether it is worth the investment of their time, money and loyalty.
• Treat your subject with respect. There's no place here for hero worship or being a fan. You're doing a job.
• Block out your prejudices about a player, coach, manager or executive. You're the conduit between the subject and the readers. If you're writing a column or opinion piece, you can approach it differently.
• Don't be afraid to ask the hard, pointed questions. In many cases, the better the question, the better the answer. But don't be confrontational. Try to make the subject feel at ease, to feel that you really care.
• Be specific.
• Remember that in today's world of cable, cyberspace, etc., game detail and scores are readily available many places. You can explain why and how things happened, how they developed, whether they involved situations that were covered in practices or meetings or timeout huddles.
• Don't hesitate to ask for additional explanations or details. The more you know and understand, the better you can relay it to a reader.
  Remember--who, what, where, why, when and how.
• Thank the subject for his or her time and patience (if that's appropriate).
• If it's a situation where you can, call back to clarify facts, names, spellings, etc. And always get both sides of a story--sometimes there are several sides.
  
• An editor I had early on always said, "Keep it light, bright, tight and right."
  

From Phil Jasner Sports Reporter for the Philadelphia Daily News
Phil Jasner covers the Philadelphia 76ers and the NBA for the Philadelphia Daily News. In his 26 years with the newspaper he's covered high schools, the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL, the Stanley Cup finals, professional soccer, various college sports, and the 1992 Olympics in Spain. He is a former president of the Pro Basketball Writers Association and will be inducted in May into the Overbrook High Hall Of Fame.

Current Events assignment changes

Good afternoon all,

After careful consideration, I have decided to make a modification to the current events assignment. In the interest of quality rather than quantity, I would like everyone to do only 1 article a week in the future.

They will be due on Wednesdays. 1 article, focus on doing a really good job. Select an article from the section you working on in the newspaper for further insight into what you need to be writing.
For example, if you are writing for the news section, only look at the part 1 from the NY Times.
if you are working on the entertainment section, only read from that section.
Make sure to:
label the headline, by-line, date, newspaper and section and style.

Look at the headline, lead, any pictures associated with the article as well as the caption.
Look for direct and indirect quotes.
Length of paragraphs.
The inverted pyramid

Think about how effective the article is. What makes it effective or NOT? Be specific. Use the author's words for support.

Don't forget to reflect - you can think about the content, but more importantly, what questions do you have? What did you learn? What would you use in your own writing? Again, be specific and critical.

Choose your article well - I'm going to require you use the NY Times for your one article.

Articles on the future of newspapers in high school

Please read the two articles and comment to this post... (on either or both)


http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080611/0139151374.shtml - interesting article on the whether or not high school newspapers are obsolete.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20081006/papers - another article about the health of high school journalism - please read and post your comments

links to other high school newspapers - be inspired

http://dir.yahoo.com/Education/K_12/Newspapers/Individual_School_Papers/

http://www.cnpa.com/members/HighSchool.htm

http://my.highschooljournalism.org/il/machesneypark/hhs/

http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic97.htm

http://www.viking.stark.k12.oh.us/~vv1nc/

http://www.nerdworld.com/nw5109o1o0.html

useful resources for starting a newspaper

http://hsj.org/Teachers/Teachers.cfm?id=73 - How to start a high school newspaper

http://hsj.org/Editors/Editors.cfm?id=74 - reaching the high school audience

http://hsj.org/Editors/Editors.cfm?id=47 - journalism jobs

http://hsj.org/Editors/Editors.cfm?id=52 - journalism colleges by state

http://hsj.org/Editors/Editors.cfm?id=110 - papers with youth sections

Independent Reading Assignment #2

Remember if I don't get a correct assignment from at least 3/4 of the class, we will be beginning weekly reading logs which will consist of at least 5 logs a week or 10 written pages.

Your next independent reading assignment is due Friday, Nov. 21. I gave out the assignment sheet again, so make sure it is done correctly this time...

all sections must be labeled with which passage you are selecting and your analysis must be specific to the passage selected. Use the author's words as you do in the current events assignment (particularly in the passages about effective language).

make sure to put passages in quotation marks and to label page numbers. Spread your passages out... not too many from any one section.

Use different passages for every one of the 10 parts and make sure to do analysis on every passage individually.

This week's work -

Remember that we will be working on your first stories all week - revision as well as beginning to prepare your second stories.

Make sure to have all appropriate material in class with you all week. You won't be allowed to go to your locker, so please be prepared.

Your final drafts of the first stories are due on Friday, 10/31 with all prior drafts.

Your first drafts of the second story are due on Monday, 11/3.

There is no school on 11/4 for students on election day... However, I will want you to cover the election. (more on this later)

Extra help will be offered in the morning before school - Monday, Wednesday... starting at 7am. If you are interested email me at mssackstein@yahoo.com for a pass.

high school papers online

http://my.hsj.org/nationaledition/ - this will give you all some ideas... go through what they have online...

I can also find some more links to other school papers. I think as we start to craft ours, we will need to see some examples.

Drafts are due tomorrow (they will be spot checked) and current events #3 is due as well.

Timeline for the first issue of the paper

Now we are coming into crunch time for our first issue to get out on time - we are shooting for a November 26th issue date, that means it must be completed no later than November 21st.

Monday, 10/27 - first drafts of first articles for all sections due (you won't turn them in, but will be expected to have them for in class revision)
Friday, 10/31 - hard copies of final drafts of these articles will be due (with all prior drafts attached) - finishing touches made by Monday and then electronically sent to mssackstein@yahoo.com in microsoft word format
Monday, 11/3 - first drafts of second articles are due
Monday, 11/3 - layout begins
Tuesday, 11/4 - election day - no school
Friday, 11/7 - final drafts of second articles -hard copies of final drafts of these articles will be due (with all prior drafts attached) - finishing touches made by Monday and then electronically sent to mssackstein@yahoo.com in microsoft word format
Monday, 11/10 - whole class finishing up final touches and beginning to work on layout... playing with Indesign. Each pair of students will be responsible for doing layout for pages in their section including adding pics
Tuesday, 11/11 - Veteran's Day - school is closed
Wed. - Friday - continued layout and finishing on last minute articles
Monday, 11/17 - finishing touches and proofreading... in sections, each student will go through the printed pages of their section with me and look for errors and typos.
Friday, 11/21- Independent Reading assignment 2 is due
Friday, 11/21 - First issue of the paper is complete and ready to be sent to the printer.

First drafts of section articles are due Monday

Due on Monday, 10/27 = first drafts of section articles. You should know what you are writing by today.

Current events 3 is also due on Monday.

Starting a newspaper

Today in class we will be watching Channel 1 and trying to get an idea of how they generate a news program around a theme or idea.

Our first issue so far is consumed with ideas about the beginning of a school year. We have a variety of paper topics.

Today you will be meeting in your sections after channel one and starting to learn about the kind of writing you will be doing.

What do you know so far about your kind of writing? Post comments to this posting

Different kinds of journalism writing

Those of you looking to get ahead... here are some links to different kinds of writing we will be doing in our paper:

News writing
http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/news/

http://www.northernstar.info/nina/highschool/write.html

Feature writing
www.taje.org/fortaje/ppt/features.ppt

http://www.snn-rdr.ca/snn/nr_reporterstoolbox/featurewriting.html

Entertainment writing
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/review.html - book reviews
http://www.spiritofbaraka.com/how-to-write-a-movie-review.aspx - movie review
http://www.louisianavoices.org/Unit6/edu_unit6w_writemusicreview.html =- music

sports writing
http://www.apbookstore.com/apsporhan.html
http://sportswritingediting.blogspot.com/

http://www.notrain-nogain.org/list/spt.asp

editorial/opinion
http://www.rxaction.org/Toolkit/Writing_Opinion_Editorial.pdf

Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell

We discussed "the Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell today....
Monday, 10/20 - Shiptrap Island brochures are due - be creative and use the story... manipulate it to suit your needs.

consider:
What makes man different from animals?

consider:
foreshadowing: when an author plans clues about what will happen in the story later to help build suspense.
suspense: the quality that makes readers eager to know what happens next

How does Connell build suspense throughout the short story? give specific details... comment on this post...

What did you think of the story? How does Rainsford change?

Upcoming events -

Today in class we will be finishing up self-assessments and getting ready to really start full steam ahead on the newspaper.

You had your first independent reading assignment due today (Oct. 16)
Your Most Dangerous Game Brochure will be due on Monday, Oct. 20

Starting next week we will be breaking up into sections -
Editors in chief - Anastasia Papis and Erin O'Driscoll

News section: Livianette C - editor

Victor R
Andrew J
Eirene S
Vinny G
Kaity C
Chris C
Tanya C

Feature section: Sarah B - editor
Pria
Ariana
Christian
Adrianna

Entertainment -
Melissa
Shazia
Gigi
Jamie T

Sports
Georgina
Omar
Eric
Max * Layout editor
(Avi) layout editor

Gisselle Bonilla

Ms. sacksteim

I was absent friday 10/10/08 and i missed the Dangerous Game assignment. If you could please tell me what i have to do.

Thank you .

byeeee. see you tommorrow :)

Notables

Tomorrow is the PSAT. We will be administering the test in room 327 starting 2nd period. Please make sure you bring number 2 pencils and approved scientific calculators

Please show up on time as you can't join class if you are late after the test has begun.

Your self-assessment packets are due on Thursday, signed by your parents and you.

Your independent reading assignment 1 is due on Thursday.

The Most Dangerous Game assignment is now due on Monday, Oct. 20.

Current Events assignment observations

good afternoon all.

I have been reading the current events assignment turned in and I believe some of you are really getting the purpose of it as well as trying hard to really start examining author's craft.

However, some folks are still ignoring earlier comments made and leaving parts out.

You must identify varying parts of the article, analyze what the author has done with his/her writing and how effective it is for the reader. How do the author's choices affect how the reader understands the article?

a reflection is also very necessary... What did this article make you think of? Do you have questions about anything? What would you like to know more about? How can you use what you have noticed in your own writing?

Because of the amount of time we've lost in class over the last few weeks, Current Events assignment #3 will be due on October 27th instead of the 20th.

Revising News

Make sure you have a strong, active headline (includes some kind of verb and excludes articles)

Make sure you have an engaging lead that gets to the heart of your news story.

Make sure your paragraphs are short and all information is properly attributed to sources.

Make sure you have both direct and indirect quotes.

Make sure you have employed the inverted pyramid and used only necessary information to convey your story... BE OBJECTIVE. NO OPINION

lead post

LEAD:-
COAL,the "dark fuel" may be the most visible villin of global warming,but its use is up and projected to get higher.
WHAT KIND OF LEAD IS IT AND WHY?:-
i think its an effective lead because it keeps people aware of what are they doing.

The Most Dangerous Game

Please go to the following link and either read the story and/or print it out and read it.

You will need to have read this story by Friday, October 10

http://fiction.eserver.org/short/the_most_dangerous_game.html

Reminders....

Your current events assignment # 2 is due on Monday, 10/6.

Hope everyone is enjoying their day off

CSPA conference

Hello everyone,

We have an opportunity to go to the CSPA fall conference on November 3rd.



I'm going to post a link.

http://cspa.columbia.edu/docs/conventions-and-workshops/fall-conference/index.html



It costs $36 and we would have to bring money for lunch.



Are you interested? Let me know because I'd have to register us.

layout editor

hi ms. S , i believe  i can be the layout editor because i believe in design to help the catch the reader attention. if i look at a newspaper i think of it as a boring newspaper why? well one the design looks completely boring and i would think the story boring also, unless it has a very good lead! plus i like to design things for examples i like architect , i wanted to design building when i was a kid and still good. if i given the opportunity to design a newspaper i can guarantee you the first thing students will do when they walk into school they'll pick up the blazer. i also happen to be really good with computer's. 

sarah bianchi

hi ms. S.. A job i think that i would like to take on for our newspaper would be a feature writer.  I am a good writer.  I feel like this would be the best job for me because everything else seem to contain some kind of editing of others people's work and I am really bad at that.  I know we don't want a newspaper full of grammer and spelling mistakes.

Job requirements By Andrew Jimenez

Hi Mrs. Sacstein it's Andrew Jimenez from english newspaper and I am going to tell you why I think i am qualified for editing a newspaper and referring to the texts. I am qualified because I pull facts out of the text instead of saying what if. I also have experience with editing writing from last year in ms. Mckloskey's english class. And my writing skills i believe is good.  

Weekend homework

Continue to work on current events assignment due Oct. 5.

Continue to work on independent reading assignment due on Oct. 15

Gisselle Bonilla 

Late H.W 9/9/08

9/25/08

Daily News

Head line: Patriots are still fran-tic in championship pursuit.

Lead

"Ask fancis lewis seniors Luis Diaz why he begged coach Roger Sarmuknis to switch him from goalkeeper to midfield the move on the many hand in juries he endured last year"?

Affected 

Seniors are hurting then self over a sport at this point they think soccer is something more then there life. As Diaz says "Anything to help us win" He says. Even if there is a shootout?"Yeah" He says."Even if that". Diaz has been hurt as almost lousing his eye site and even then, He still thinks soccer is more important.

What kind of lead is it:

Question lead.

Gisselle Bonilla
Homework.
9/23/08


I really do agree. In my opinion i have nothing to add, But if students in my class want to add more i think it will be a good idea.

Editorial Policy - First draft to be reviewed and revised by the class

this is a draft of an editorial policy I had to draft as a part of an advisor's course I took last year. It has a lot of information in it and it is very clear about a lot of different issues. Please read it and comment on things you feel should be left in or taken out...
In addition, please comment on what topics you feel would be suitable for us to address in our first issue. What is the message we want to convey to the school?

The Blazer’s Editorial Policy and Mission Statement (first draft)
As preservers of democracy, World Journalism Preparatory School (WJPS) shall protect, encourage and enhance free speech and the exchange of ideas as a means of protecting our American way of life.

The Blazer is the official student-produced medium of news and information published/produced by The Blazer and ENEWS students. The Blazer has been established as a designated public forum for student editors to inform and educate their readers as well as for the discussion of issues of concern to their audience. It will not be reviewed or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution. Advisers will coach and discuss content during the writing process.

Because school officials do not engage in prior review, and the content of the The Blazer is determined by and reflects only the views of the student staff and not school officials or the school itself, its student editorial board and responsible student staff members assume complete legal and financial liability for the content of the publication.

Electronic media (including online, broadcast and podcast media) produced by WJPS students are entitled to the same protections – and subjected to the same freedoms and responsibilities – as media produced for print publication. As such they will not be subject to prior review or restraint.

Student journalists may use print and electronic media to report news and information, to communicate with other students and individuals, to ask questions of and consult with experts and to gather material to meet their newsgathering and research needs.

The Blazer and its staff are protected by and bound to the principles of the First Amendment and other protections and limitations afforded by the Constitution and the various laws and court decisions implementing those principles.

The Blazer will not publish any material determined by student editors or the student editorial board to be unprotected, that is, material that is libelous, obscene, materially disruptive of the school process, an unwarranted invasion of privacy, a violation of copyright or a promotion of products or services unlawful (illegal) as to minors as defined by state or federal law.

Definitions and examples for the above instances of unprotected speech can be found in Law of the Student Press published by the Student Press Law Center.

The editorial board, which consists of the staff’s student editors, OR HOWEVER THE DECISION IS MADE will determine the content, including all unsigned editorials. The views stated in editorials represent that of a majority of the editorial board. Signed columns or reviews represent only the opinion of the author.

The Blazer may accept letters to the editor, guest columns and news releases from students, faculty, administrators, community residents and the general public. We ask that letters to the editor, guest columns or other submissions be 300 words or less and contain the author’s name, address and signature. All submissions will be verified.

The Blazer editorial board reserves the right to withhold a letter or column or other submission and/OR return it for revision if it contains unprotected speech or grammatical errors that could hamper its meaning. Deadlines for letters and columns will be determined by each year’s student staff, allowing sufficient time for verification of authorship prior to publication.

Staff members will strive to correct errors prior to publication; however, if the editorial board determines a significant error is printed, the editorial board will determine the manner and timeliness of a correction.

The staff of The Blazer will strive to report all issues in a legal, objective, accurate and ethical manner, according to the Canons of Professional Journalism developed by the Society for Professional Journalists. The Canons of Professional Journalism include a code of ethics concerning accuracy, responsibility, integrity, conflict of interest, impartiality, fair play, freedom of the press, independence, sensationalism, personal privacy, obstruction of justice, creditability and advertising.

The adviser will not act as a censor or determine the content of the paper. The adviser will offer advice and instruction, following the Code of Ethics for Advisers established by the Journalism Education Association as well as the Canons of Professional Journalism. School officials shall not fire or otherwise discipline advisers for content in student media that is determined and published by the student staff.

The student editor and staff who want appropriate outside legal advice regarding proposed content – should seek attorneys knowledgeable in media law such as those of the Student Press Law Center. Final content decisions and responsibility shall remain with the student editorial board.

The Blazer will not avoid publishing a story solely on the basis of possible dissent or controversy.
The Blazer’s editorial board reserves the right to accept or reject any ad in accordance with its advertising policy.

Electronic manipulations changing the essential truth of the photo or illustration will be clearly labeled if used.

The duly appointed editor or co-editors shall interpret and enforce this editorial policy.
(This template was taken from JEA's website)

Gisselle Bonilla
Date 9/23/08
Homework.


Today in newspaper class we came up with rules for our Mission Statement. I think we as a class we did a real good jod. I agree with all mission statements we made becaouse i think this our things we should keep in mind when were writing for the school newspaper. This are things that could defnitely help us in class now or in the future.

The Blazer's Mission Statement as decided by our class

Our mission is to maintain a free and open press that encourages student submissions and ideas, to truthfully inform the student body and surrounding community about current and interesting information that pertains to our school in a fair and balanced, unbiased manner. We seek to convey our message in a clear way for audiences of all ages. We work to have a respectful and academic tone to speak to the importance of what we do.

Please post your ideas about additions, subtractions or other revisions to this post.

Tonight's homework - Mission Statement

Now that we have a goal in mind for the paper, what are some suitable topics and means for gathering information for our first paper?

Comment on this post.

Reminder - next current events assignment is due on Oct. 6.

Revisions to your first news article are due Friday with copies of all prior drafts.

Editor responsibilities

Editor-in-chief (This will mostly be one or more people) -

• oversees the whole production and all other editors
• Has a strong command of journalistic writing and proofreading skills
• responsible for keeping section editors on task
• has final say over what goes in and how it is presented
• Responsible for writing the unsigned editorial representing the paper
• Responsible for editing, in particular the opinion/editorial section

News editor

• has a strong command of news writing convention
• helps writers with revision and development of articles
• keeps section on task and on deadline
• edits section
• makes sure that section is well balanced

Feature editor

• has a strong command of feature, investigative feature and entertainment writing conventions
• helps writers with revision and development of articles
• keeps section on task and on deadline
• edits section

Sports editor

• has a strong command of news writing convention
• helps writers with revision and development of articles
• keeps section on task and on deadline
• edits section
• makes sure that section is well balanced

Layout editor

• Responsible for design elements - how does the paper look?
• Must know indesign
• Must be tech savvy
• Must be committed to making sure articles are correctly laid out

section definitions

Section definitions
News section - usually section 1 in most newspapers - objective writing - strict structure (inverted pyramid, strong lead, complete attribution, direct/indirect quotes, NO subjectivity from the writer... you just report, you don't analyze)
different papers have different ideas of what news is... what do we think news should be? Remember, news is anything that an audience wants to know about... but there is a clear distinction between hard news and soft news
see earlier posts for specifics on news writing and/or websites to help with good examples. I will see what I can do about posting student articles as exemplars.

Kinds of articles - anything going on in school, community (strictly from a 5 ws and h standpoint... we are here to inform)

Feature section - softer news - it could take hard news but from a different angle. It needs an angle and depth. These articles should concentrate on one idea within a subject

Entertainment section - soft news - movie or bookor music reviews - can be subjective, but still balanced and researched - we can put our comics, art, and creative "stuff" here.

Investigative feature - these are researched articles - this is where you'll do surveys, find research and poll a lot of people. It takes feature to the next level and it usually can be carried on for more than one article/angle/issue.

Editorial/opinion - Here's where you can use your opinion. Editorials are usually unsigned and represent the whole paper. Opinion pieces are signed. Both of these writings are based on opinion, however subjective, they must be based in fact. They need to be balanced and accurate even if based on an opinion.

Sports/Sports feature sections - like feature, only focused on sports... they can use narratives or they can be like straight news focused on a particular event.
Sports feature is usually about people and/or sports related ideas like nutrition or body enhancing drugs

Sports news can be about a game, a preview to an event or it can be about professional sports.

Weekend work

So we had an excellent debate yesterday in class using the text to motivate our ideas about how Stockton wrote "The Lady or the Tiger?" You all came up with excellent thoughts about which door was chosen.

Always remember, when you make an argument to avoid "what if" statements unless they are somehow grounded in textual evidence.

For Monday, you need to have your first current events assignment - 5 articles with analysis as provided

For Tuesday, your first draft of your "Lady or the Tiger?" articles will be due.

Have a great weekend.

First News Article - Not the Lady or the Tiger

Please have your drafts ready to hand in tomorrow in class. I will be collecting them.

Make sure you read my model assignment for homework and made observations about what you notice it does...

i.e. does it follow the inverted pyramid? are all of the elements present? Is it clear what I was sharing in the next day's news?

See everyone in class. We will be drafting the articles for the story.

Those of you still having difficulties with your blogging, we will try to clear up in class tomorrow.

"The Lady or the Tiger" by Frank Stockton

Write a draft of a news article that would appear in the local paper the next day after the events of the story. You may use the text to create direct quotes as shown in the example provided.

First drafts are due on Tuesday, 9/23.

Key terms from today's class -

verbal irony - when an author's says one thing and means something completely different. The tone is often sarcastic. For instance when a person calls something "special," instead of saying something mean... they don't really mean special good, they mean something else.

plot diagram - consists of the following parts of a plot (which is the sequence of events that move a story)

• exposition: the introduction or set up for the story
• rising actions: after the initial conflict is introduced, there are a series of things that happen that lead to the climax
• climax: the turning point
• falling action or denouement: the events that lead to the resolution
• resolution: the answer or finish - how the story ends - the conclusion of the plot... conflict either gets resolved or doesn't in some cases.

Generating Story ideas and writing articles

We discussed generating stories in class today, always keeping the audience in mind. If we are creating the news for our school, what news needs to be produced in order to make the paper relevent?

Your first draft of your first news story is due on Thursday, 9/18 -
Make sure it has a headline, byline, strong lead and remains objective. Information should be cited properly and sources should be attributed properly.

This is a FIRST draft... it does NOT have to be perfect, just a draft. We will be working with revisions soon.

It needs to be typed - double spaced. Times New Roman 12 pt font

*****First current events assignment (5 articles) is due on Monday, 9/22.

HOMEWORK SEP.15.08

gisselle bonilla.

Today in class it was our frist time in the computers.I think it was a great way to learning because we were with a pair.Wich we help one another.I think working in class with computers is a very diffrent way of learning.I was really happy today to know that we use computers to learn about the "leads".I think we should do this more often.

newsu experience

well ,i have regitered myself on newsu but not started yet.i hope it would be helpful.

New U

Good afternoon,

Today you had your first (but certainly not last) experience with News U. You will learn to love this website as it will offer you a multi-media opportunity to hone your skills as a reporter.

Today in class everyone had a chance to register (and write down login info somewhere safe) and work on your leads.

What did you think of the experience? Was it fun? What did you learn? Did it help to practice? Did you like the format?

Post your reflections to this blog post.

Mission Statements and Editorial Policies

The Blazer, the school's paper (that our class will be exclusively responsible for creating this year), has no mission statement or editorial policy.

a mission statement is something that states the goal or purpose of a publication.

for example:
Mission Statement
Pennsylvania Newspaper Association
"Our mission is to advance the interests of Pennsylvania newspapers, promote the importance of a free and independent press and provide a forum for critical and innovative thinking about the future of journalism and the newspaper industry."

editorial policy - states the paper's policy about how editorials and other opinions will be handled. It decides what kind of forum we are going to offer. (Open or closed or any variety of either)
here are some examples:
http://thedartmouth.com/about/

http://www.sundaystandard.info/about_us.php

http://www.splc.org/newsflash_archives.asp?id=1293&year=2006

http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=9202

http://www.gazette.uwo.ca/policies.cfm

Think about what is appropriate for our school... we will be writing a mission statement and an editorial policy for our paper next week.

Independent Reading Assignment

Directions: Identify and present passages from your independent reading book that illustrate the qualities listed below. Limit passages to one page of text. To present them, you may type them or photocopy and paste them. After each passage, write a brief but specific explanation of hot the passage exemplifies the quality stated (three to five sentences). Remember to provide the page number of each passage.

• passage that reveals an important quality about the main character (protagonist)
• passage that shows an important part of setting
• 2 different passages that suggest the complexity of the protagonist's conflict(s)
• 2 passages in which the author uses language in a particularly effective way
• passage that shows teh symbolic importance of something or a passage that suggests why the book has the title it has
• passage that shows the protagonist's situation at the end
• passage that suggests and important idea, theme, or insight the book conveys
• passage that shows what you liked about the book

The first one will be due on October 15th.

Extra Credit Opportunity

YouTube presentsOpportunity for Student Journalists

Today, in partnership with the Pulitzer Center, YouTube presents Project: Report, a journalism contest for non-professional, aspiring journalists to tell stories that might not otherwise be covered by traditional media.

*See the *Project: Report* channel page for all program details.*See the YouTube News team's announcement.

In each of the three rounds of Project: Report, reporters will be given an assignment to complete. Each of these assignments gives people an opportunity to report on the important individuals, issues, and communities in their lives that others do not yet know about.

Round 1

The assignment for Round 1 is to profile someone in your community, in three minutes or less, highlighting a story you think deserves to be heard by a wide audience. Video submissions for Round 1 are due by midnight EST on Sunday October 5, and a panel of journalists from the Pulitzer Center will narrow the field to 10 semi-finalists.

Round 2

The assignment for Round 2 will then be officially announced, and the judging for this round will be opened up to the YouTube community to determine the five finalists who will move onto the third and last assignment (TBD).

PrizesWinners of each round will receive technology prizes (video cameras and laptop computers) from Sony VAIO and Intel, and the grand prize winner will be granted a $10,000 journalism fellowship with the Pulitzer Center to report on a story outside of their home country.

Even if you did not participate in or advance past Round 1, you may still complete the assignments for Rounds 2 and 3, though you will not be eligible for the grand prize.

With Project: Report, the Pulitzer Center and YouTube hope to bring an audience to as many of these stories as possible and draw attention to important topics that have been under-reported, misreported, or not reported at all.

Download official press release

Homework #3

Find 3 examples of strong leads. Post the one you feel is best and why to this blog post.

What kind of lead is it? Why is it effective? What is the language like?

***Bring an independent reading book for tomorrow's class period. If you are unprepared, you will lose credit for class participation tomorrow.

Independent Reading

You will need to read at least 25 independent reading books over the course of this school year. You will need to document your having read these books. You will need to have completed at least 10 independent reading assignments -to be given out in class on 10 of your 25 books. Otherwise, while you are reading you will keep reading logs in your sourcebook.

They should include:

• The date
• The author
• The title
• Pages read during that sittinga synopsis of what you have read in those pages
• a connection of some kind (text-to-text, text-to-world, or text-to-self)
• You should also make a note of places in the text that appeal to you where the author has done something interesting with the language or writing (i.e. figurative language, strong examples of sentence structures or characterization)
  
  You will be held accountable for this work

The parts of a news story

Today in class we reviewed the parts of a news story and how to identify each of them. I also handed out the on-going current events assignment.

On going current event:
http://wjpsnewspaper.blogspot.com/2008/05/ms-sacksteins-sample-current-events.html

This link will take you to a sample of how the current events assignment will look per article. You will notice the detail and care I took in presenting this information. This is the first of many on-going assignments.

Your first 5 articles will be collected on 9/22/08

Homework #1 - Review

To be collected on Monday, September 8:

1. Find an article that interests you...
2. Cut it out
3. Identify the following elements: Headline, bi-line, lead, Who, what, when, where, why and how, direct/indirect quotes
4. Reflect - Why did you choose the article? What did you learn? What did it make you think about? How effective was the article?

What is journalism?

Journalism is:
According to the University of Western Ontario (http://www.fims.uwo.ca/journalism/what-is-journalism.htm):
Journalism is the timely reporting of events at the local, provincial, national and international levels.
Reporting involves the gathering of information through interviewing and research, the results of which are turned into a fair and balanced story for publication or for television or radio broadcast.
Journalism is not justfact-finding media analysis opinion writing, or commentary
although all of those aspects can play a part at times.

Excellent Election Coverage -

http://www.npr.org/templates/topics/topic.php?topicId=1102

One of the on-going assignments you will working on this trimester is coverage of the Election. This website is an excellent resource for both sides. NPR (National Public Radio) is not sponsored by a side, but rather by the people, so it offers a wide variety of opinions. I suggest you visit the website and look around.

If you find anything of interest, share it with the class... comment on this post.

5 Essentials for Classroom Success

I was really pleased to see everyone starting to consider our learning environment. It is really important to remember that we are a community of learners and we must consider those around us if we will be successful in our pursuits.

I apologize for the accusation that all folks didn't visit the blog. I forgot to set it up to get the emails from the comments, so it was my bad. Please accept my apology.

I look forward to continuing our discussion on this topic tomorrow as well as the beginning of our discussion of news...

What is news? Who are the consumers of news?

Course Syllabus

Course Syllabus for Newspaper – 10^th grade ELA

Ms. Sackstein room 325 (Publications Lab)

ssackstein@wjps.org or mssackstein@yahoo.com

Newspaper is a course designed to give ELA credit for 10^th grade, keeping within all of the learning standards for NY City and NY State. This class will be run like a real newspaper and publication will be its intention from day one. Everything we do is for the good of the paper. Since we will be starting from the beginning our main goal will be the creation of a school-wide newspaper with editorial staff and mission. I anticipate getting at least 3 issues out over the course of the year (1 per trimester of varying length and skill level).

Supplemental texts: Newsday and/or NY Times subscriptions

Relevant magazine articles and newspaper articles

Self-paced reading on relevant issues

Field Trips, possible JEA convention, field work

Short stories and Non-fiction essays and/or articles

Materials needed:

• 2 sourcebooks – one for newspaper work and one for literature work – both are to be in class everyday. (There is a lot of conferencing in this class, so I may ask to look at your sourcebooks on any random day)
• Pens, pencils, highlighters and post-its
• School email address for class email blasts and/or blog posting
  

OVERALL COURSE GOALS:

• To teach the student skills necessary in communication in the print media today with emphasis on writing, but including interviewing, observing, reporting, reacting and synthesizing.
  
• To help the student to become an intelligent consumer of mass media
  
• To give the student the opportunity to discover and explore the various forms of writing utilized in journalism
  
• To provide students with opportunities to critique their own writing, the writing of others and to have his writing evaluated by a teacher
  
• To help the student understand and accept the legal, moral and ethical responsibilities inherent in a free press
  
• To help the student learn the copy rules and tools necessary for preparation of copy for newspapers, yearbooks and broadcasting
  
• To help the student to develop responsibility for punctuality in meeting deadlines
  
• To teach the student the necessity of research to add validity, emphasis and depth of writing
  
• To teach the student the practical aspects of producing a school newspaper
  
• To help the student develop the verbal, written, personal and social skills needed to publish a school newspaper.
  
• To give the student an outlet for creativity not found in other classrooms
  
• To awake in the student an awareness of the world around him, both social and political
  
• To stimulate an interest in journalism as a career
  
• To analyze literature and use author's craft in our own writing
  
• To use reading of materials as models for what we can be doing
  
• To understand the revision process
  

UNITS TO BE TAUGHT:

• The Challenge of Journalism
  
• The News Story
  
• In-Depth Reporting
  
• Journalistic Style
  
• Features
  
• Editorials
  
• Columns and Reviews/Entertainment writing
  
• Sports writing
  
• Photojournalism
  
• Headlines
  
• Copyediting and production
  
• Advertising and Business
  
• Literature analysis
  
• Poetry analysis
  
• Author's craft

GRADING:
There will be several projects assigned over the course of the term. Because this is a project based course, students are expected to use their class time wisely in order to complete their projects on time. I am available to answer questions and to provide help to those students who are actively working on their assignments. Many of your projects will be writing based. Learning how to write journalistically is different than essay writing, therefore all assignments are subject to revision. You can always rewrite an article or assignment if you aren't pleased with your grade. (This is encouraged.) There will also be several opportunities for self-evaluation.

Deadlines are a major part of producing publications. Therefore, journalism students should think of assignment due dates as deadlines. If a student (group) needs and extension of time, they must request it from me in advance of the stated deadline. Extensions will be granted at my discretion. Late work causes problems (not to mention fees) for everyone. Any late assignment cannot receive full credit. Extra credit will be awarded for turning work in early.

Blog posting is an important part of class and will contribute to your class participation and homework grades. Our blog address is:

http://wjpsnewspaper2.blogspot.com/

All major assignments will be rubric graded on a scale of 1-4 based on the standards. 1= needs improvement, 2= approaching the standards, 3=meets the standards and 4= exceeds the standards. A list of standards and curriculum map will be provided.

Portfolio – you will keep a working folder in class of all your work in progress assignments for the year. At the middle and end of each trimester, you will be expected to pull your exemplary work from your completed assignments for your portfolio. We will discuss this further in class.

Welcome again...

Good morning or afternoon to all of you. This blog will serve as a classroom outside the classroom, as support and forum for furthering classroom discussions. I will often assign homework to post to the blog.

Please don't hesitate to ask your classwide questions here... anything personal should be sent to me via email. This way the personal matter can be handled privately.

Your first official assignment is: to introduce yourselves to each other... Who are you? Are you new to WJPS? If yes, where were you before? What do you hope to gain from your experience in this class? What are your expectations? How do you like to learn?

I will go first: I'm Ms. Sackstein. This is my second year teaching at WJPS. I teach ELA and journalism classes. This is my 7th year teaching ELA. I started my career at Far Rockaway High School for 3 years, moved to Locust Valley High School on Long Island for 2 years (where I advised the school newspaper) and then I landed here. I am extremely happy and excited to be here and to share my knowledge with you and for each of you to share yours with me and each other.

Expectations, as you will learn quickly, I'm sure, are a big part of my class. I expect everyone to try their best and never settle for something that isn't as such. The work we produce will be published in a school paper so we want people to really be wowed by the work we do. I know that each of you is capable of keeping up with the work and trying your best. You can expect me to be available for help via conferences or email as much as possible.I'm an auditory/visual learner, but I like to keep things interesting. I will do my best to make sure everyone's learning preferences are honored as much as possible. I'm looking forward to a good year.