Journalism I Curriculum - · PDF file · 2013-04-17Journalism I Curriculum . Gr. 11/12 . 2007 . ... • Create a PowerPoint presentation on a topical concern . 8 . ... The work is

Journalism I Curriculum Gr. 11/12

2007

New Milford High School New Milford, Connecticut

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New Milford Board of Education

Wendy Ann Faulenbach, Chairperson Ann Burns

Dr. Lisa Diamond David Lawson

William McLachlan Thomas McSherry

Dian Traisci-Marandola Jennifer Oliveira Robin Ruggiero

Dr. Lawrence Stillman Julie Turk Joseph Vita

Administration

JeanAnn Paddyfote, Superintendent Tom Mulvihill, Assistant Superintendent

Greg Shugrue, Principal Eileen Reed, Science Department Chair

Authors

Kelly Duncan Rachel Smith

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Journalism I Introduction Journalism I students will acquire journalistic writing skills in the areas of hard news, editorial, sports, and feature writing. Students receive instruction in MS PowerPoint, MS Word, standard mechanics and grammar of standard written English, as well as discuss the ethical concern regarding copyright and journalism law. Additionally, students will survey the history of newspapers, radio, television, and digital communications and critically examine broadcast television news. Upon successful completion of Journalism I, students are able to continue their study in Journalism II. Students taking Journalism I in the fall semester will also write the college essay. Students are required to complete summer reading requirements. Prerequisites/Requirements: None Objectives As a result of successfully completing Journalism I, students will have a basic understanding of basic journalistic writing skills, as well as the history and ethics of the field of journalism. Student Expectations Journalism provides myriad opportunities for students to meet the following New Milford High School academic expectations and New Milford Common Core requirements:

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NMHS Academic Expectations for Student Learning

• Acquire and demonstrate effective communication skills in reading, writing, speaking listening and viewing. (Exp. 1)

• Develop and demonstrate an ability to formulate questions, to research information, to solve problems and to make logical decisions. (Exp. 2)

• Acquire and demonstrate the skills necessary to use technology to enhance learning. (Exp. 3)

• Develop personal goals and plans to prepare for further education and/or a chosen career. (Exp. 4)

• Demonstrate an awareness and understanding of the diversities of American and world cultures. (Exp. 6)

• Utilize the knowledge of history, civics, government, geography, and economics to understand national and world problems. (Exp. 10)

CT State Standards Addressed

• Standard 1: Reading and Responding: Students read, comprehend and respond in individual, literal, critical and evaluative ways to literary, informational and persuasive texts in multimedia formats.

• Standard 3: Communicating with Others: Students produce written, oral and visual texts to express, develop and substantiate ideas and experiences.

• Standard 4: Applying English Language Conventions: Students apply the conventions of standard English in oral, written and visual communication.

Essential Questions

• What is mass media? • What is journalism? • What does “freedom of the press” mean? • What are the ethical concerns of journalism? • How does journalistic style differ from the various styles of writing? • What are the different types of journalistic writing? • What is the role of a newspaper in a democracy? • How do people access news information?

Units of Instruction Survey of Media Outlets 1 Week

Performance Outcomes: • Identify a variety of mass media outlets.

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• Examine the purposes of the various mass media outlets.

Resources: • Textbook: Introduction to Journalism • Various print and non-print news sources Key Terms or Concepts: • Independent media • Alternative media • Broadcast media • Public broadcasting • Satellite radio • Online news sources • Public access television • Corporately-owned media

Assessment: • Assessment will be a composite of homework grades, class participation

grades, and unit quiz.

________________________________________________________________________ Media Law and Ethics 2 Weeks

Performance Outcomes: • Review various First Amendment landmark supreme court decisions • Review the Student Press Law Center student quiz. Resources: • Textbook: Introduction to Journalism • Student Press Law Center- www.splc.org

Key Terms or Concepts: • attribution • Ethics • Sedition and libel • Tinker v. Des Moines • Censorship • Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) • Copyright • Plagiarism • Fair use doctrine • Obscenity • Shield laws • Fourth estate

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grades, and unit quiz. ________________________________________________________________________ Sources of Information and Interviews 2 Weeks

Performance Outcomes: • Review various online sources • Evaluate the credibility of various online sources • Review types of interview sources • Conduct authentic interview • Write a hard news article

Resources: • Textbook: Introduction to Journalism • Various websites and online databases including: www.iconn.org,

www.jea.org; www.highschooljournalism.org

Key Terms or Concepts: • Credibility • Reliability • Validity • Search engines • /~personalaccount • .com • .org • .edu • .gov • Primary source • Secondary source • Expert source • Anonymous source


grades, and a unit quiz. ________________________________________________________________________

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Writing for News Media 4 Weeks

Performance Outcomes: • Write two hard news articles • Write two editorials • Write two entertainment / sports articles • Write one feature article • Edit and proofread other students’ articles

Resources: • Textbook: Introduction to Journalism • Various websites including: www.jea.org; www.highschooljournalism.org,

www.mla.org, www.ap.org

Key Terms or Concepts: • Hard news • Soft news • Subjective • Objective • Feature article • Editorial • Balance • Persuasion • Criticism • Forum • Opinon • Staff editorial • Inverted pyramid


grades, progress checkpoints, and formal evaluation of the various articles. ________________________________________________________________________ History of Print 2 Weeks

Performance Outcomes: • Review various advances and inventions of the history of printing • Examine the spread of literacy in medieval Europe, England and in Colonial

America. • Examine various printing techniques and materials • Create a PowerPoint presentation on a topical concern

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Resources: • Textbook: Introduction to Journalism • Various course readings

Key Terms or Concepts: • Papyrus • Vellum • Moveable type • Linotype • Illuminated manuscripts • Codex • Dime novels • Pulp fiction • Printing press • Publishing houses


grades, PowerPoint presentations in groups and unit quiz. ________________________________________________________________________ History of Newspapers 2 Weeks

Performance Outcomes: • Review various newspapers and handbills from Julius Caesars’ Acta Diurna

to W.R. Hearsts’ New York Journal. • Examine the evolution of newspapers in America • Create a PowerPoint presentation on a topical concern • Formulate authentic questions based on group presentations


Key Terms or Concepts: • Partisan press • Penny papers • Wire services • Yellow journalism • Objective journalism • Sensationalism • Advocacy journalism

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• Beat system • Advertising • Newspaper chains


grades, a PowerPoint presentations in groups and unit quiz. ________________________________________________________________________ History of Radio & Broadcasting 2 Weeks

Performance Outcomes: • Examine the evolution of radio and broadcasting • Create a PowerPoint presentation on a topical concern • Formulate authentic questions based on group presentations


Key Terms or Concepts: • Telegraph • Morse code • Electromagnetic waves • Radio waves • Broadcasting • Narrowcasting • AM • FM • Network • Electromagnetic waves


grades, a PowerPoint presentations in groups and unit quiz. ________________________________________________________________________ History of Television and Cable 2 Weeks

Performance Outcomes: • Examine the invention and evolution of television in America • Create a PowerPoint presentation on a topical concern

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• Formulate authentic questions based on group presentations Resources: • Textbook: Introduction to Journalism • Various course readings

Key Terms or Concepts: • Kinescope • VHF • UHF • Cathode Ray Tube • F.C.C. • Analog • Digital • Cable industry • Satellite uplink / downlink • National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) • Neilson Ratings • Network era • Affiliate stations


grades, PowerPoint presentations in groups and unit quiz. ________________________________________________________________________ Magazines & Tabloids 2 Weeks

Performance Outcomes: • Examine the invention and evolution of magazines and tabloids in America • Create a PowerPoint presentation analyzing elements of a particular magazine

or tabloid • Formulate authentic questions based on group presentations


Key Terms or Concepts: • Muckraking • General-interest magazine • Photojournalism • Regional editions

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• Demographic editions • Newsletters • Supermarket tabloid • Webzines • Special interest magazine • Advertising revenues


grades, PowerPoint presentations in groups and unit quiz. ________________________________________________________________________ Future Media Sources 1 Week

Performance Outcomes: • Examine the future of news information outlets including the internet,

newspapers, radio and broadcast television


Key Terms or Concepts: • Newsgroups • Internet service providers • Fibre-optic cable • Spyware • Cookies • E-commerce • HTML • Spam • Blog • podcast

Assessment: 1. Assessment will take the form of a news article on the final exam.

Course Materials: Textbook: Introduction to Journalism. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Various texts, handouts, videos and websites will be provided as necessary.

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Assessment Students are assessed using a variety of performance and traditional methods. Progress will be measured through written articles, quizzes, tests, groups’ projects.

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Appendix

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Performance Task Assessment List Newspaper Article

Element Possible Points

Earned Assessment

Self Teacher

The headline of the article catches the attention of the reader and relates well to the topic.

The lead (or first sentence) captures the attention of the reader and sums up the focus of the story.

The introductory paragraph tells the most important facts and answers the questions: who, what, where, when, why, and how.

Details and elaboration are evident in the body of the news story and flow smoothly from the lead.

Quotes are used to add interest and support to the story.

The piece is a factual account of a news worthy event.

The writer is objective and shows all sides to an issue.

The subject chosen by the student is timely, important, and/or interesting.

The sources for this news story are identified and are reliable.

The vocabulary is correct., The student uses words carefully to show exact meaning and is careful not to show bias through his/her choice of words.

The article is mechanically correct.

The work is neat and presentable.

Total:

http://www.bcpl.net/~sullivan/modules/tips/rubrics_sec/news_article.html

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Sample Question from Journalism Ethics Quiz "Off the Record"

Scenario 1: "Off the Record" You're a new reporter covering local government for a newspaper in a small town. After attending numerous council meetings, you get your first interviews with several well-placed sources about a controversial new highway bypass around the town. Local businesses are against it because it will decrease traffic to their storefronts, and residents are for it because it will reduce congestion and provide more peace and quiet in many neighborhoods. In an interview with the mayor, he hints that he and two members of the city council have "strong-armed" a few of the larger businesses to keep quiet regarding their opposition

by offering some attractive zoning and tax incentives. Then, after he says that, he adds, "That's off the record."

What do you do?

A. You say nothing and let the comment pass.

B. You stop the mayor and tell him that "off the record" can't really be added to a statement after the fact.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/media/media_ethics/quiz1.php

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Sample News Writing Quiz Instructions: The quiz covers basic items related to news writing such as style, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling and word usage. MULTIPLE CHOICE Mark the letter representing the correct statement in the blank to the left of each item. Only one of the responses under each item is correct. _____1. News stories are generally written in A. third person, but sometimes in first person B. first person, but sometimes in second person C. third person, but sometimes in second person D. second person, but sometimes in third person _____2. Which is the correct way to mark a two-page story? A. write “more” at the bottom of the first page and -30- on the second B. write -1- on the bottom of the first page and -2- on the second C. write “page one” on the bottom of the first page and ### on the second D. write “more” on the bottom of the first page and “end” on the second. _____3. Objectivity refers to A. interviewing only one source for a story and writing in third person B. reporting details that are not important to the reader C. reporting facts by interviewing several sources and reporting in third person D. having a very narrow focus within the story _____4. Numerals should NOT be spelled out (instead of written as figures) if A. you are writing an exact measurement B. they are at the beginning of a sentence C. it is less than ten D. none of the above _____5. Which of the following is an INCORRECT abbreviation to stylebook guidelines? A. Miss. B. Fla. C. Ks. D. La. _____6. Commas should always be used A. before Jr. or Sr. in a name B. after every item in a series C. in numbers D. none of the above _____7. You should capitalize a title such as president or governor A. always

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B. when it precedes C. when it stands alone D. when it follows a name _____8. The “inverted pyramid arrangement” refers to the technique of A. putting the smallest details in the beginning of your story B. putting the facts first and adding your opinion to the end C. putting the most important facts first and the least important last D. putting the longest sentence first and the shortest sentence last TRUE OR FALSE If the statement is true, mark “T” in the blank to the left of the item. If it is false, mark “F” in the blank. _____9. The ABC’s of journalism stand for Accuracy, Brevity, and Clarity. _____10. Abbreviate “association” when it is part of a club or organization name. _____11. Quoting an authority helps make the information credible to your readers. _____12. The correct way to write the following address is 1200 South 10th St. _____13. When writing a news story you should try to use big words that will impress your readers. _____14. Asking someone else to read your story to check for errors is a good practice. _____15. On second reference in a news story you should use a person’s first name. _____16. You should always assume that your readers have basic knowledge of the subject about which you are writing. FILL IN THE BLANK Write the appropriate word or journalistic symbol in the blank. 17. The correct way to recognize Jane, the wife of Dr. John Doe, is _______________ 18. Please correct the misspelled words in the following sentence: _______________ Jane hopes to recieve a metal for her achievements in nucular physics. 19. What are the correct proofreading marks for the following? transpose omit space 20. List two errors from the following sentence: John Doe, Payne County Extension Specialist, says Okla. farmers grow the highest quality wheat, sorghum and sunflowers. agweb.okstate.edu/agedcm4h/cde/commquiz.pdf

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Final Exam Prototype Course Essential Questions: Answer in complete sentences, unless otherwise directed. 1. In your own words, what is Mass Media? 2. List five ways that people access news information: 3. What does “Freedom of the Press” mean to you? 4. List, and explain, three ethical concerns a journalist might face: 5. Provide, and explain, three ways that journalistic writing differs from other writing

styles: 6. List, and explain, five different types of journalistic writing: 7. What is the role of a newspaper in a democracy?

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Vocabulary: define the following terms to the best of your ability. 8. Alternative media: 9. Libel: 10. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): 11. Attribution: 12. Fourth estate: 13. Primary source: 14. Secondary source: 15. Hard news: 16. Soft news: 17. Illuminated manuscripts: 18. Linotype: 19. Pulp fiction: 20. Wire services: 21. Sensationalism: 22. Advocacy Journalism: 23. Morse Code: 24. Analog: 25. Digital: 26. Neilson Ratings: 27. Muckraking: 28. Blog: 29. PodcastL

30. Draw and label an inverted pyramid (i.e., explain what news goes where on the pyramid)

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40. Choose the best answer: A sports article is a _________________________.

a. Hard news article b. Editorial c. Soft news article d. None of the above

41. Fill in the blank The first two rules to writing a headline are to be: ________________________ and to

___________________________ the article first.

42. Describe what is meant by F.C.C. deregulation: 43. What’s the most important thing that a journalist should have? 44. True or false: editorials are subjective. 45. True of false: hard news stories are about unimportant news. 46. You are likely to get official news ______________. a. in a chat room b. in a one-on-one chart room c. in a press conference d. in a major city newspaper 47. In writing an interview story, it is permissible to_______________. a. make up a quote b. quote major material that was given to you off-the-record

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c. tape the subject without his or her knowledge d. rearrange the quotes in different order 48. In order to obtain factual information, you should ask what six questions? a. b. c. d. e. f. 49. Which of the following describes a lead?

a. the opening of a story b. a paragraph that explains the focus of the story c. the dramatic conclusion of the story d. a transition that follows the opening statement

50. True or false: All editorial should be persuasive. 51. What was the relationship between the media and the government during the Vietnam War ? 52. Who is Rupert Murdoch? Place the corresponding number from the timeline next to the communications event.

35. ~1450 36. 1660 37. 1827 38. 1844 39. 1880 40. 1897 41. 1910 42. 1927 43. 1935 44. 1938 45. 1941

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46. 1955 47. 1963 48. 1980 49. 1998

_______ CNN is launched. _______ The Jazz Singer premiers. _______ The Village Voice is published. _______ Guglielemo Marconi invents the wireless radio. _______ Orson Welles airs War of the Worlds. _______ Walter Cronkite reports of JFK’s death. _______ Sameul Morse invents his Morse Code. _______ FDR addresses the U.S. regarding the bombing of Pearl Harbor. _______ The Wireless Ship Act passes. _______ Napster allows free music downloads. _______ Thomas Edison invents the light bulb. _______ Philo T. Farnsworth broadcasts the television broadcast in Philadelphia, PA. _______ The first African-American newspaper, The Freedom Journal is published.

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_______ Gutenberg invents the printing press. 50. The U.S. Supreme Court has recognized that the First Amendment protects public school students while in school. Neither "students nor teachers," the Court said, "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate." From which famous Supreme Court case did that language first come?"

a. New York Times v. Sullivan b. Tinker v. Des Moines Indep. School District c. Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier d. Roe v. Wade

51. Late one night, you are walking home from the library. As you pass the school, you see a man get out his car and throw a rock through the principal's office window. The vandal then hurries back to his car and speeds away. As the car passes by, you are stunned to see one of your teachers, Mr. Jones (who actually gave you the only "D" grade you ever received) at the wheel. He is the only one in the car. Which of the following is an accurate statement?

a. Truth is an absolute defense to a charge of libel. Because you saw Mr. Jones commit the act with your own eyes, you are safe to publish the story about the vandalism. b. Truth is an absolute defense to a charge of libel. However, without anything other than your eyewitness account to go on, the story still poses substantial legal risks. c. Statements of opinion cannot be libelous. Therefore, because there are no other witnesses or evidence to the event, the safest way to handle the story is to publish it on the newspaper's "Opinion Page." As long as you carefully preface your charge with, "I believe Mr. Jones vandalized the school," you will be protected from a successful libel claim. d. None of the above

52. By the time a boy or girl graduates elementary school, how many murders will he or she have seen on television?

a. 1,000 b. 2,000 c. 5,000 d. 8,000

53. What were the first films with violence to do extremely well at the box office?

a. Westerns b. Comedies c. Dramas d. Cartoons

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54. How many violent acts will the average child have seen on television by the age of 11?

a. 10,000 b. 25,000 c. 50.000 d. 100,000

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Journalism I Curriculum - · PDF file · 2013-04-17Journalism I Curriculum . Gr. 11/12 . 2007 . ... • Create a PowerPoint presentation on a topical concern . 8 . ... The work is