Download JOURNALISM ELECTIVE

JOURNALISM ELECTIVE
Instructor: Mike Sonksen aka MiKE THE POET
Course: JOURNALISM ELECTIVE
Contact: [email protected]
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Students will learn the internal operations of the newsroom with the ultimate goal of
developing and publishing the school newspaper. Under the direction of the journalism
teacher, who will act as a newspaper advisor as well, students will learn and apply
journalistic terminology, develop a deeper understanding of the First Amendment, the
media and the role it plays in our lives, generate and develop story ideas, write and edit
articles, learn and employ interviewing techniques, learn how to take notes like a
reporter, explore advertising and fundraising ideas, experiment with layout, design and
photography, and, ultimately, publish a finished product: a school newspaper that is
compact, well-written, meaningful and fun to read.
As budding journalists, you will learn how to build readership by discovering what issues
are important and entertaining to you and their audience. Using Socratic discussion
seminars and the Toulmin model of analyzing issues of today, you will also become more
effective conveyors of language. You will learn how to ask always and assume nothing—
even the spelling of a common name, for accuracy is key to good journalism. You will
learn the power of the printed word and the impact—whether positive or negative—it can
have on people’s lives.
Vocabulary quizzes will increase students knowledge of journalism words and other
important words related to the media and communication studies. Students will be
charged with reading various newspapers, including, but not limited to, The Los Angeles
Times, The New York Times, USA Today, and high school and university newspapers.
BOOK LIST/PACING GUIDE
Selections may include but are not limited to:
"How to Start a High School Newspaper," by Auburn Univ. journalism students
The Word: An Associated Press Guide to Good Newswriting, Rene J. Cappon
The Elements of Style, William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
"On Being a Journalist," Modern American Prose, ed. John Clifford and Robert D.
Yanni
The AP Stylebook
We will also rely heavily on the Internet for images and cutting-edge information. Some
sites we will use regularly are:
Highschooljournalism.org
Myhighschooljournalism.org
Latimes.com
Newyorktimes.com
Usatoday.com
Washpost.com
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/default.aspx
http://www.freedomforum.org
http://firstamendment.jideas.org
http://www.jideas.org
http://www.teachfirstamendment.org
UNITS COVERED:
1) What is newspaper writing? How is it different than fiction or poetry?
Introduction to the practice of Journalism and why it is important.
Basic vocabulary used in the newsroom.
2) How to create an outline. Collecting data, how to conduct interviews & proper
research methods needed to create an article. Internet research.
Analyzing articles. Writing reviews or critiquing an article.
3) Concise writing. Cutting clutter, using verbs, basic mechanics of newspaper writing.
4) Styles of writing used in Journalism.
Inverted Pyramid style of news writing.
Narrative articles.
Opinion pieces.
Course Expectations
Each student will be writing newsworthy quality articles for each issue of the View Park newspaper.
Students will be expected to be ready to write. Those that do not want to write might not be right for this
course. Those who want to write should expect to have a great time honing their craft and preparing for the
future. Journalism is one of the oldest professions. Disciplined writing starting in high school assures that
students will already be highly skilled at writing by the time they get to college & the real world. The goal
is to give them the skills they need so they will be prepared for the challenges ahead. Writing skills are
useful in any field.
Grading Policy
The English Department has implemented the following grading breakdown. Class work,
participation, and homework will be worth no more than 50% of the final grade.
Assessments will be worth no less than 50% of the final grade. At the end of a quarter,
your total points earned will be divided by the total points possible. If you end up with a
“borderline” score of, say, 89.6%, that score with be rounded up to 90%, which translates
into an A- grade. An 89.5% score, however, will translate into a B+ grade.
Assignments
Assignments will be worth the following amount of points
Homework: 10 pts. Final Essay: 70 pts.
Essays: 35 pts.
Late/Missing Assignments
The English Department mandates that ABSOLUTELY NO late work will be turned in
after the completion of a unit.
Materials
The following materials are required for class. Students must bring them EVERYDAY.
1. Blue or Black ink PENS (more than one!)
2. One red pen
3. Highlighters
4. Loose leaf college ruled paper (start with 40 pages)
5. A pocket dictionary
6. Post-It Tabs (essential for annotating texts)
7. One pack of Index Cards
8. One 1” three ring binder
9. Los Angeles Public Library Card (sign up at your local library, visit: www.lapl.org)
English Notebook Requirement
All students must have an English notebook (1” three ring binder) that contains the
following sections: 1) Warm-Ups 2) Notes 3) Vocabulary
Absences
To best succeed in school, you ought to be in class everyday. But if an absence is
unavoidable, then you are responsible for making up all class work and homework within
forty-eight hours of your return. Students will find all assignments posted on
Powerschool and/or the school website. Remember, taking the initiative to do this
make-up work is solely your responsibility.
Hall Passes
Time spent to focus on literature and writing is essential for class. Therefore, the English
Department has decided that students will be granted three hall passes per semester.
Discipline
In order to get the most out of your classroom experience, you must behave. Acceptable
behavior is clearly spelled out in the View Park Prep Student Handbook.
Technology
Technology is integrated in the course throughout the year. Students and teachers utilize
Microsoft Office, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, for assignments,
presentations, activities and projects. Students will also utilize the internet for interactive
blogs, project research, and the school website for download of assignments and
homework. The English Department requires that students interact with technology as a
part of each unit. Students will be required to participate in a discussion via their grade
level blog.
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