JOURNALISM
for
PEN ARGYL AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT 501 West Laurel Avenue
Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania 18072
Prepared by
Spring Shank Spring 2018
Journalism Curriculum Page 2
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION/COURSE BACKGROUND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
ESSENTIAL OUTCOME AND RELATED STANDARDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
CONTENT AND INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES
Unit 1 History of American Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Unit 2 Meeting Ethical and Legal Responsibilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Unit 3 Organizing the Staff to Capture News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Unit 4 Production. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Unit 5 Making the Interview Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Unit 6 Writing News Story Leads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Unit 7 Writing News Stories and Headlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Unit 8 Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Unit 9 In-depth Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Unit 10 Design and Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Unit 11 Media Literacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
SPECIAL EDUCATION ADAPTATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Journalism Curriculum Page 3
INTRODUCTION General Statement:
The primary goal of the beginning journalism course is to provide students with the necessary writing, computer, and interpersonal skills required to produce a school newspaper. The journalism elective is geared primarily toward publishing the school newspaper, The Green Echo. The class offers beginning journalism students an overview of the basic types of news writing
Beginning journalism students learn the basic types of news writing: news, feature, opinion, and sports. After practicing interviewing skills, they establish a news “beat” and help to decide each issue’s content. Students also learn layout and design skills, write headlines and photo captions, and are introduced to desktop publishing through the InDesign program.
As this course is offered to students to take multiple times throughout the course of their academic careers, assignments are scaffolded for those with the background knowledge to become advanced or expert learners.
In addition to developing skills in writing and computer design, students will learn social and verbal skills through interviewing; personal and social ethics and good citizenship through the formulation and practice of publication and reporter standards; skills of synthesis and analytical thinking through the research and writing of news stories and editorials; and organizational and management skills through the production of a publication.
Since the class is also a production course, design editing, and desktop publishing skills are emphasized. Students must be reliable, self-motivated, deadline-oriented, and able to work well with others in a laboratory setting.
Students use their journalism skills to work in teams to plan and produce The Green Echo. Along with the required courses in Pen Argyl’s high school English program, the journalism sequence revisits the standards students meet in eighth and eleventh-grade.
Journalism Curriculum Page 4
ESSENTIAL OUTCOME AND RELATED STANDARDS
I. Objectives
a. Students will write various articles, include reviews, features, hard news,
opinion pieces, profiles, international and national news pieces, and sports.
b. Students will proofread, edit and organize articles for newsworthiness,
timeliness, and quality of writing for creation of The Green Echo.
c. Editorial staff members will create layouts, combine pictures and graphics,
and complete the issue for publication each month.
d. Students will learn effective practices in photography, specifically for news
outlets including headshots, profiles, action shots, and sports shots.
e. Students will discussion current events, news outlets, fake news, and issues
relevant to media, student journalism, and free speech.
f. Students will discuss and investigate the importance of media in politics,
expression, reputation, justice, election cycles, and social movements.
II. Standards
a. 1.1.11D Identify, describe, evaluate and synthesize the essential ideas in text.
Assess those reading strategies that were most effective in learning from a
variety of texts.
b. 1.1.11F Understand the meaning of and apply key vocabulary across the
various subject areas
c. 1.2.11A Read and understand essential content of informational texts and
documents in all academic areas.
d. 1.4.11 B. Write complex informational pieces.
e. 1.4.11 C. Write persuasive pieces.
f. 1.5.11 A. Write with a sharp, distinct focus.
g. 1.5.11 B. Write using well-developed content appropriate for the topic.
h. 1.5.11 C. Write with controlled and/or subtle organization.
i. 1.5.11 D. Write with a command of the stylistic aspects of composition.
j. 1.5.11 E. Revise writing to improve style, word choice, sentence variety and
subtlety of meaning after rethinking how questions of purpose, audience and
genre have been addressed.
k. 1.5.11 F. Edit writing using the conventions of language.
l. 1.5.11 G. Present and/or defend written work for publication when
appropriate.
m. 1.6.11A Listen to others.
n. 1.6.11C Speak using skills appropriate to formal speech situations.
o. 1.8.11 A. Select and refine a topic for research.
p. 1.8.11 B. Locate information using appropriate sources and strategies.
q. 1.8.11 C. Organize, summarize and present the main ideas from research
Journalism Curriculum Page 5
Resources and Equipment
Programs (Industry Standard): Adobe Indesign, Adobe Photoshop
Textbook: Journalism Today
Resources: The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law 2015,
newspapers, online media
Equipment: Digital Cameras, SD cards, Card Readers, laptops
Journalism Curriculum Page 6
CONTENT AND INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES Unit 1 The History of American Media
I. Objectives
a. Students will recognize the influence of the media on American life and
discuss the importance of truth and accuracy in media reporting.
b. Students will discuss and investigate the importance of media in politics,
expression, reputation, justice, election cycles, and social movements.
c. Students will discussion current events, news outlets, fake news, and
issues relevant to media, student journalism, and free speech.
II. Activities
a. Application of textbook chapter concepts to short original articles
b. Discussion
c. In-class debates
d. Various reflection activities
III. Remediation
a. Handouts
b. Visual Aids
c. Notes
IV. Enrichment
a. Debate and Discussion: Media Growth and Monopolization
V. Assessment
a. Tests and Quizzes
VI. Resources and Materials
a. Journalism Today textbook
b. Daily issues of newspapers
c. Handouts and Worksheets
d. Various online resources
Journalism Curriculum Page 7
Unit 2 Meeting Ethical and Legal Responsibilities
I. Objectives
a. Students will identify the qualities of a good reporter.
b. Students will describe the legal and ethical aspects of good journalism
and demonstrate an understanding of these aspects in their work.
c. Students will discuss the responsibilities that accompany press freedom
and understand student journalists’ rights and responsibilities under the
law.
d. Students will define and discuss principles of fairness, accuracy,
objectivity, decency, balance.
e. Students will demonstrate accuracy and objectivity through interviewing
and writing.
II. Activities
a. Application of textbook chapter concepts to short original articles
b. Brainstorming for story ideas
c. Interviews with sources
III. Remediation a. Visual Aids
b. Extended Time
c. Co-Writing with Other Students
IV. Enrichment
a. Debate and Discussion
b. Editorial Staff Responsibilities
c. Internship Opportunities
V. Assessment
a. Written assignment and Articles
VI. Resources and Materials
a. Journalism Today textbook
b. AP Style Guide
c. Daily issues of newspapers
d. Exchange papers from other schools
e. Handouts and Worksheets
Journalism Curriculum Page 8
Unit 3 Organizing the Staff to Capture the News
I. Objectives
a. Students will identify the elements of successful staff organization.
b. Students will apply principles of management and organization to assign
and carry out the various tasks necessary to publish a school newspaper.
c. Students will define editorial structure and staff responsibilities,
demonstrating competence in carrying out their own roles.
d. Students will demonstrate respectful communication between staff
members, as well as other parties.
e. Students will organize calendars, events, communication, and coverage
with staff members, other students, and interested parties to ensure
coverage of events.
II. Activities
a. Staff Discussion
b. Role Assignment
c. Staff Duties and Expectations
d. Staff Listing
III. Remediation a. Co-Writing with Other Students
IV. Enrichment
a. Editorial Staff Responsibilities
b. Internship Opportunities
V. Assessment
a. Written assignment and Articles
VI. Resources and Materials
a. Journalism Today textbook
b. AP Style Guide
c. Daily issues of newspapers
d. Exchange papers from other schools
e. Handouts and Worksheets
Journalism Curriculum Page 9
Unit 4 Production
I. Objectives
a. Students will cooperatively create a workable production schedule.
b. Students will develop methods for tracking copy flow.
c. Students will develop attractive page layouts using basic principles of
design
d. Students will master information-gathering techniques necessary to
incorporate and attribute in a story information from various sources.
e. Students will demonstrate skills of analysis and synthesis in preparing
interview questions.
f. Students will plan and participate in a “beat” system that covers all areas
of school life.
I. Activities
a. Application of textbook chapter concepts to short original articles
b. Weekly Beat Sheet - update on an assigned school activity
c. Brainstorming for story ideas
d. Interviews with sources
e. Copyediting and revision practice, peer editing sessions
f. Drawing layouts - graphic design
g. Writing and typesetting headlines and cutlines
h. Word processing of articles, introduction of desktop publishing program
i. Cropping, editing, and resizing photos and art
j. Creation of layouts using InDesign
II. Remediation a. Visual Aids
b. Extended Time
c. Co-Writing with Other Students
III. Enrichment
a. Photoshop editing, layering, etc.
b. Editorial Staff Responsibilities
c. Internship Opportunities
IV. Assessment
a. Written assignment and Articles
V. Resources and Materials
a. Journalism Today textbook
b. AP Style Guide
c. Daily issues of newspapers
d. Exchange papers from other schools
Journalism Curriculum Page 10
Unit 5 Making the Interview Work
I. Objectives
a. Students will identify the elements of successful interviews in terms of
product including questioning, communication, nonverbal
communication, and methods of interviewing.
b. Students will apply principles of interviewing to partners and practice
interviews.
c. Students will recognize and use the verbal and social skills necessary to
conduct interviews.
d. Students will demonstrate specialized listening and writing techniques in
note-taking.
e. Students will identify strategies to incorporating quotes within articles
through specific quoting, question and answer, and summary quoting.
II. Activities
a. Read and discuss textbook chapters
b. Interview Questions
c. Practice Interviews
d. Interviews with sources
III. Remediation
a. Outlines
b. Visual Aids
c. Extended Time
d. Co-Writing with Other Students
IV. Enrichment
a. Interviews with administration, other community leaders
b. Internship
V. Assessment
a. Interview Questions
b. Written assignment and Articles
VI. Resources and Materials
a. Journalism Today textbook
b. AP Style Guide
c. Daily issues of newspapers
d. Exchange papers from other schools
e. Handouts and Worksheets
Journalism Curriculum Page 11
Unit 6 Writing News Leads
I. Objectives
a. Students will learn and master the “news values” that define a story’s
newsworthiness.
b. Students will construct effective leads by experimenting with a
grammatical variety of leads for news stories.
c. Students will identify the 5 W’s of news writing and use them
appropriately in their own stories.
d. Students will write various types of leads and stories mimicking various
possible stories.
II. Activities
a. Read and discuss textbook chapters
b. Textbook practice and discussion exercises for each chapter
c. Application of textbook chapter concepts to short original articles
d. Copyediting and revision practice, peer editing sessions
e. Writing and typesetting headlines and cutlines
f. Word processing of articles, introduction of desktop publishing program
g. Mark-up and critique sessions
III. Remediation a. Outlines
b. Co-Writing
c. Extended Time
IV. Enrichment
a. Varied Article Topics
V. Assessment
a. Tests and Quizzes
b. Written assignment and Articles
VI. Resources and Materials
a. Journalism Today textbook
b. AP Style Guide
c. Daily issues of newspapers
d. Exchange papers from other schools
e. Handouts and Worksheets
Journalism Curriculum Page 12
Unit 7 Writing News Stories and Headlines
I. Objectives
a. Students will use knowledgeable writing skills and principles of
newsworthiness to develop the body of a story, including types of articles.
b. Students will write a news story that adheres to facts and avoids
editorializing.
c. Students will follow the inverted pyramid form, presenting facts and
quotations in descending order of importance.
d. Students will identify and incorporate facts and opinions from sources
(people and print) in a news article.
e. Students will demonstrate correct usage of direct and indirect attribution
in news writing.
f. Students will identify and use standard copy editing symbols in editing
copy.
g. Students will familiarize themselves with and follow the AP Stylebook in
preparing copy for submission.
h. Students will become proficient in correcting structural, grammatical, and
style errors in their own work and that of others.
II. Activities
a. Textbook practice and discussion exercises for each chapter
b. Brainstorming for story ideas
c. Interviews with sources
d. Copyediting and revision practice, peer editing sessions
e. Writing and typesetting headlines and cutlines
f. Word processing of articles, introduction of desktop publishing program
g. Distribution
h. Mark-up and critique sessions
III. Remediation a. Outlines
b. Visual Aids
c. Extended Time
IV. Enrichment
a. Varied Story Types
V. Assessment
a. Tests and Quizzes
b. Written assignment and Articles
VI. Resources and Materials
a. Journalism Today textbook
b. AP Style Guide
Journalism Curriculum Page 13
c. Daily issues of newspapers
d. Exchange papers from other schools
e. Handouts and Worksheets
Journalism Curriculum Page 14
Unit 8 Photography
I. Objectives
a. Photography practice- angles, lighting, types of shots, etc.
b. Cropping and resizing photos and art
c. Creation of final layouts using InDesign
d. Photoshop design, layering and image manipulation
e. Identify and explain which elements of composition are in a given photo.
• Shoot photos or video using the elements of composition to create a
more effective end product
f. Make sure a photo accurately reflects the content of the story it is paired
with.
II. Activities
a. Students will discuss basic principles of effective photography and
artwork.
b. Students will master photo-editing skills such as placement, cropping and
sizing.
c. The student will use compositional techniques to capture effective and
attractive photos and videos.
d. Students will evaluate the effectiveness, appropriateness and aesthetic
value of photographs found in varying media.
e. Students will identify and explain how a photograph will have an impact
on a particular audience
f. Mark-up and critique sessions
III. Remediation a. Outlines
b. Visual Aids
c. Extended Time
IV. Enrichment
a. Photoshop layering
b. Guest Speaker
V. Assessment
a. Photographs
VI. Resources and Materials
a. Daily issues of newspapers: The Morning Call, The Express Times
b. Exchange papers from other schools
c. Handouts and Worksheets
Journalism Curriculum Page 15
Unit 9 In-depth Reporting
I. Objectives
a. Students will define and discuss the various types of feature stories.
b. Students will list the purposes of features and their place in different
types of publications.
c. Students will recognize the differences between features and straight
news, being able to identify and write both.
d. Students will recognize the different types of editorials.
e. Students will identify material in the school and local environment that
appropriately demonstrates the purposes of editorials.
f. Students will identify and demonstrate the differences between writing
news/features/editorials.
g. Students will recognize the specialized language of various sports and
effectively translate it for the casual sports fan.
h. Students will cover a sports beat, including recording of scores and
records.
i. Students will organize sports stories in reverse chronological order,
emphasizing upcoming events and recent contests
j. Students will practice writing music, film, videogame, or performance
reviews, clearly distinguishing fact from opinion.
k. Students will develop criteria for analyzing arts and the humanities, as a
basis for writing fair and responsible reviews.
I. Activities
a. Read and discuss textbook chapters
b. Textbook practice and discussion exercises for each chapter
c. Application of textbook chapter concepts to short original articles
d. Brainstorming for story ideas
e. Interviews with sources
f. Copyediting and revision practice, peer editing sessions
g. Writing and typesetting headlines and cutlines
h. Word processing of articles, introduction of desktop publishing program
i. Mark-up and critique sessions
II. Remediation a. Outlines
b. Visual Aids
c. Extended Time
d. Cowriting
III. Enrichment
a. Debate and Discussion
Journalism Curriculum Page 16
b. Editorial Staff Positions
c. Editor
IV. Assessment
a. Tests and Quizzes
b. Written assignment and Articles
V. Resources and Materials
a. Journalism Today textbook
b. AP Style Guide
c. Daily issues of newspapers
d. Exchange papers from other schools
e. Handouts and Worksheets
Journalism Curriculum Page 17
Unit 10 Design and Layout
I. Objectives
a. Students will explore page formats and basic rules of design.
b. Students will recognize the importance of formatting a page or spread
logically so important elements are dominant.
c. Students will demonstrate consistency in designing page layouts, creating
order and organization through the placement of headlines, copy, and art
d. Students will demonstrate understanding of type fonts and sizes in
typesetting body copy and headlines.
e. Students will apply basic rules of headline composition.
f. Students will illustrate the relationship of type size and style to content.
g. Students will identify content and structural requirements of caption
writing
h. Students will practice and master using a word processing program for
writing, editing, and typesetting.
i. Students will practice and master using a desktop publishing system to
design and typeset a publication for camera-ready submission to the
printer.
j. Students will apply design and typesetting principles to page production.
k. Students will print, copy edit, and double-check pages.
II. Activities
a. Read and discuss textbook chapters
b. Textbook practice and discussion exercises for each chapter
c. Drawing dummy layouts - graphic design
d. Writing and typesetting headlines and cutlines
e. Word processing of articles, introduction of desktop publishing program
f. Cropping and resizing photos and art
g. Creation of final layouts using InDesign
h. Mark-up and critique sessions
III. Remediation a. Outlines b. Visual Aids
IV. Enrichment
a. Tiered editing processes
V. Assessment
a. Tests and Quizzes
b. Written assignment and Articles
c. Pages
VI. Resources and Materials
Journalism Curriculum Page 18
a. Journalism Today textbook
b. AP Style Guide
c. Daily issues of newspapers
d. Exchange papers from other schools
e. Handouts and Worksheets
Journalism Curriculum Page 19
Unit 11 Media Literacy
I. Objectives
a. Students will identify the goal of media outlets and analyze message
based on impact, audience, and purpose.
b. Students will examine where people in the U.S. get their news, how news
selection amplifies one’s political views, and how media organizations
decide to cover stories.
c. Students will discover and then discuss media biases and the impact such
biases have on coverage, discussion, viewers, education, and politics.
d. Students will identify the purposes of fake news, as well as decipher fake
news stories from bipartisan, factual pieces.
e. Students will discuss strategies for ending the perpetuation of fake news.
II. Activities
a. Read and discuss textbook chapters
b. Textbook practice and discussion exercises for each chapter
c. Application of textbook chapter concepts to short original articles
d. Discussion
e. Media Biases activities
f. Fake News activities
III. Remediation
a. Visual Aids
b. Extended Time
c. Video Lessons
IV. Enrichment
a. Debate and Discussion
V. Assessment
a. Tests and Quizzes
b. Written assignment and Articles
VI. Resources and Materials
a. Various online media resources
b. Daily issues of newspapers
Journalism Curriculum Page 20
SPECIAL EDUCATION ADAPTATIONS Modifications incorporating specially designed instruction are appropriate for
students identified as exceptional and included in regular education classes. A student’s grade placement does not necessarily reflect his/her instructional levels. Therefore, adaptations are required as determined by the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) Team and written in the IEP. Adaptations may include modifications in curriculum/instruction, including: Supplemental material (educational materials in addition to the regular materials), Replacement material (educational materials in place of the regular materials), Graphic organizers (study guides, skeletal outlines, charts, and/or similar devices), Individual/small group instruction (alternate grouping patterns), Adapted assignments (assignments individualized at student’s level), and Instructional approaches (specific approaches for a variety of learning styles). Adaptations may include modifications in assessment, including: Format (changes to the traditional paper-pencil model of evaluation), Adapted Content (evaluation at the student’s level of instruction), and Performance-based (assessment of a product or a demonstration of skills).