ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS RESOURCES

LANGUAGE ARTS :: SECONDARY RESOURCES :: RIGHT DIRECTION 2 :: NEWSPAPERS IN THE CLASSROOM

NEWSPAPERS IN THE CLASSROOM

Planning Points

Approximate Time Needed: 5 days
Correlation to English I SCS: 2.01, 2.04, 3.01, 3.02, 3.03, 4.01, 4.02, 5.01, 6.01, 6.02
Correlation to NC High School Exit Exam Competencies: C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, C8, PI9, PI10, PI12

Lesson Objectives

- Primary objectives of this lesson are for students to:

Learn about basic journalism terms, styles and purposes
Identify elements of journalistic style (inverted pyramid, localization, etc)
Use journalistic techniques to interview a subject(s) for their own news story
Write two original news stories.

Materials Needed:

class set of newspapers for 4-5 consecutive days
packet of basic journalism terms (see attached sample)

Description:

Day #1 -

Give each student a copy of the newspaper and let him/her have a few minutes to browse through it. Most times students will find an article or two that interests them; this is helpful for later use.
After about five minutes, have them turn to the front page and explain the different parts found there (Banner, Flag, Headline, By-line, etc.) Discuss the difference between hard and soft news stories as well as the "Inverted Pyramid" style journalists try to follow. Note that journalists try to answer the 5 W's (who, what, where, when, why, and how) in the first two paragraphs.
Following the introduction, discuss and identify the different types of stories that appear in each section of the paper. During this time, explain what information is given in various types of news stories.

Day # 2 -

Give students the current daily paper at the start of class and briefly review the information learned on day #1.
Have students choose 2 news stories (1 each of hard and soft) and summarize each article by answering the following questions:
What questions did the writer answer in the first two paragraphs?
What type of article is this?
Did the writer include any opinions? If so, whose?
Is the article at all biased?
Were any people interviewed for this article? If so, how did the interview add to the article?
Students can either be left in a large group setting or can be broken into groups of 3-4 to discuss their findings. At the end of class, discuss what they learned through the assignment.
In this activity students should discover the basic format followed by journalists.
All journalists try to answers as many of the 5 w's as possible in the first paragraph.
Story types differ depending on what the subject matter is.
Stories with opinions and biases are usually editorials.
Why an interview was conductedÉwhat did it add to the article, what you as a reader learned from the quotes chosen, and how the quotes affected the reader's opinion of the article (Did it add credibility to the article?)

Day # 3 -

Tie up any loose ends from yesterday and explain the use of interviewing subjects for news articles. Have the students answer the following questions:
What is the purpose of interviews? The purpose of interviews is to add credibility to the story. Direct quotes from sources knowledgeable about the facts of the story make it more believable. They provide the proof for the journalist.
When may writers avoid interviews? Writers may avoid interviews if sources are proven to be unreliable or will add no relevance to the article.
When are interviews necessary? How can an interview help an article? Interviews are necessary and can help when journalists need hard facts and examples to support the information given in an article.
Briefly cover the letters/editorial section of the paper. Read one letter and one editorial as a class, and explain how these articles are different from the rest of the paper. (see attached list of definitions) Discuss how these are opinionated columns as opposed to stories based on factual information. While there may be factual information in them, they include the writer's opinion. Hard news stories only report the facts.
Give students News Writing Assignment (attached) and discuss it with them.

Day # 4 -

Students have their stories proofread for content and grammar by peers and make proper revisions.

Day # 5 -

Students share news articles with one another in class. Each of their stories needs to be read by at least 2 people.
All students are given the rubric for assessment. They will read and grade two stories.
Upon completion, collect all stories to assess them. Grade can be based on peer (30%) and teacher (70%) assessment.

Assessment:

Peer and teacher assessment, see attached rubric.

Additional Notes:

About one month before this mini-unit, contact a local newspaper to ask for class set of newspapers.

Teacher's Notes:

News Article Assignment - English I

Based on the notes you've been given and the information regarding news stories we've discussed in class, you will write two original news stories. The stories can be based on any information you feel is important and newsworthy. At least one of the articles needs to include quotes from an interview you conducted for the story.

School related idea for stories:

Drama Club performance
Men's basketball game
Women's basketball game
New dress code policy
New attendance policy
New principal's first year on the job
The number of standardized tests high school students need to take

Theses are just a few school-related events/topics you may consider for your story. You are, however, not confined to school-related issues. If you'd like a more challenging assignment, you may write about a community or national issue. Keep in mind the time frame we are following when choosing an assignment. You need to budget your time wisely if an interview is necessary, especially considering the hectic schedule many public figures keep.

Length of each story is dependent on the topics you chooseÉ

The attached rubric explains how grades will be established. If you have any questions please ask before you submit your final draft.

Final drafts are due on Monday.

News Story Rubric

This rubric should be applied to both stories. If a student turns in only one story, his/her highest possible grade will be a 50%.

	Style (Journalistic)	Content	Grammar, Spelling, and Mechanics
4	Student successfully answered all 5 W's in first 2 paragraphs. Properly used interview and quotes to enhance article.	Student included only relevant facts. Followed inverted pyramid format. Placed least relevant info at end. Localized story if possible.	Student had less than 3 errors. Properly used quotation marks and other punctuation.
3	Student successfully answered 4/5 W's in first 2 paragraphs. Used interview and quotes to enhance article.	Student included only relevant facts and made an attempt to follow inverted pyramid format. Localized story if possible.	Students had less than 5 errors. Students attempted to properly use quotation marks and other punctuation; had minor flaws.
2	Student answered 3/5 W's in first 2 paragraphs. May or may not have used interview and quotes to enhance article.	Student had a mix of relevant and irrelevant facts. Attempted to follow inverted pyramid format. Localized story if possible.	Students had less than 8 errors. Did not use quotation marks properly.
1	Student answered less than 3/5 W's in first 2 paragraphs. Did not use interview and quotes properly.	Student used primarily irrelevant facts. Did not follow inverted pyramid format.	Students had more than 8 errors.
0	Student didn't answer any of 5 W's in the first two paragraphs. No interview or quotes.	Student made no attempt to use relevant facts. No specific format used. No organization in paragraphs.	Students had more than 15 errors.

Newspaper Identification

The following is a list of terms common to newspapers and journalism:

Parts of the front page:
Front page: the display window for the paper

Masthead: the newspaper's nameplate; always found on page one

Ears: short messages found on each side of the masthead

Edition: the version of the paper (ie. county/city edition)

Banner Headline: a headline that runs the entire length of the front page; sometimes called a Streamer

Cut: any kind of illustration such as a photo, map, drawing, or chart

Cutlines: the lines of print under any cut; sometimes called a caption

Top Story: the story that always appears in the most prominent location on page one. Always the most important story of the day.
Classifying the news:
Local News: news that pertains to surrounding areas

National News: news that pertains to the nation

International News: news from around the world
News related terms:

Deck: a second headline that appears between the main headline and text of a story

Byline: the line above the text of a story that tells who wrote the article

Dateline: a line of type that usually appears at the top of a story and tells when a story took place

Wire Service Initials: AP (Associated Press) UPI(United Press International)

Lead: The first paragraph or two in a news story; supposed to catch the attention of the readers and get them interested in the story

Summary Lead: most common type of lead. It summarizes or condenses the main facts in the story. Answers who, what, when, where, why and sometimes how

Body: the part of the story that gives the details

Subhead: small headline that appears within the body of a story

Jumpline: appears at the bottom of a story and tells the reader on what page the story is continued

Libel: a written statement that exposes a person to public ridicule or hatred
Organizing News Stories: Inverted Paragraph

The most important information in the story appears first, and all information appears in the order in which events occurred
Newspaper professions:
Editor: the person responsible for deciding which stories are worth printing

Reporter: the person who researches and writes the stories

Photo Journalist: the person who takes photos for newspapers
Types of news stories:

Ongoing: stories that often develop slowly and appear in the paper for several days or weeks

Example:The OJ Simpson/Nicole Brown story appeared daily for several weeks in most papers across the country.

This was a widely publicized story that kept readers interested for months.

Follow-ups: stories that keep the reader up-to-date on what has happened since the first day the story appeared

Example: The recent story about Eric Miller, the physician in Raleigh who was poisoned with arsenic

As new information was discovered in the case it was reported to the public.

Hard News: contains only factual information and is identified as critical news by the editor

Example: President Bush's tax plan.

This is critical news that will affect the nation.

Soft News: contains only factual information and is identified as more public interest than critical

Example: Duke basketball team going to the White House to meet the president.

This is more of a localized story doesn't concern the majority of the population.

Feature Story: the story that appears in the most prominent location on the first page of each section of a newspaper

Human Interest Story: contains factual information and targets specific groups of people.

Example: The quality of care in nursing homes throughout North Carolina.

Editorial: an opinionated column written by the editor of the paper regarding an issue s/he feels is important. Most of the time it is localized.

Letter to the Editor: letters written by general population to the editor of the paper. Most information is opinionated.

<< Back | Table of Contents | Next >>