Letter to the Editor

As I stated in class, this letter is due on Monday, November 1st by the beginning of class. It must be a letter to the editor of The Blazer and it must be submitted to me and the school newspaper. Since there seems to be problems with Google docs, I will accept letters written in Microsoft Word. Below is one link that will help your write your letter and another link that contains two examples of well written letters to the editor. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me over the weekend.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4525199_write-opinion-letter-editor.html

http://www.snapnetwork.org/letters_editor/sample_letters.htm

For Wednesday's Class (10/27)

Tomorrow we will get back to working on our broadcast projects. Remember that we meet in Room 360 so please be on time.

Tomorrow's class will be spent working in your broadcast groups. I want you to brainstorm ideas for your project. Some things you should be thinking about are:

1. The angle of your story as well as the 5W's and H.

2. Your visual locations. Where are you going to shoot your interviews and settings? Start making a list of possible locations.

3. Who are you going to interview? When interviewing remember that you need to ask questions that will allow your subject to illuminate the angle of your story. Choose people who have an emotional and intellectual stake in your project.

4. Your script. A broadcast news script is different than a newspaper article. You must understand that you will be speaking into a camera. You have to get your point across quickly and clearly.

5. Research and data. Your video will have to include data and facts that support your angle. You are going to want to present this data in a way that does not bore the viewer but draws them in. Start by thinking about what facts will not only support, but enhance your presentation.

OK, that's all for now. check out the websites below for some advice on how to make great news videos.

http://newsvideographer.com/

http://makeinternettv.org/

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5524382n

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/school_report/resources_for_teachers/8472052.stm

Town Hall Assignment

Hi Everyone:

Please write a brief, two to three paragraph, article on today's Town Halls. You should write a complete review on the High School Town Hall, and write about what occurred at the Middle School Town Hall until you were dismissed for lunch. Your articles should include a headline, byline, lead paragraph, and explanation paragraphs. All articles must cover the 5W's and H and include an angle. These articles are due at the start of tomorrow's class and must be Google doc'd to me. They then will be forwarded to Ms. Schneider. Remember to check and edit for spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation.

Tomorrow's classroom work will include working in your groups to make a presentation about our Roadtrip Nation experience at Jamaica High School. Therefore, you might want to write some notes for yourself about this experience. Did you enjoy it? Was is worthwhile? What were the 5W's and H about this trip? You will be working in your broadcast groups to put together an in-class visual and written presentation. I will explain more about this tomorrow.

See you tomorrow and have a good night!

Broadcast Journalism Assignment

Greetings Everyone,

As you all know by now, I will not be in class tomorrow due to the Safe School Ambassador training that is taking place in the I.S. 25 Library. However, as I stated in class, I want you to begin work on your broadcast journalism assignment. I will give you a more detailed set up of the assignment on Monday, but for now you are to follow these directions:

1. You will work in groups of 3 and at least 1 group member must be someone with whom you have never worked previously. Groups will only be allowed to work together subject to my approval.

2. You must choose 3 topics that that are related to WJPS. They can be academic, social, cultural, or a combination of all of the above, but they must be directly connected to school.

3. At this point you are just brainstorming your ideas, but your brainstorming should include the following:

a) A script that includes a narrative (where your story starts, its middle, and it end), locations you might want to use for camera shots, people you will want to interview, and research you will want to include (as well as visuals that will accompany that research such as graphs, charts, photos, etc.). You may also wish to include a musical soundtrack that will enhance the visual and audio aspects of your narrative.

These issues and more will be discussed during class next week. For now, form your groups and work together to put your ideas into action. I am really looking forward to what all of you will bring to the table. If you are struggling with this please e-mail me tomorrow or over the weekend so we can iron out any doubts or concerns that you may have.

Enjoy tomorrow's class and enjoy your weekend!

Two Reflections due Tuesday

Greetings Everyone:

First of all my congratulations to everyone who came and participated in sports night. It was an awesome finish to Spirit Week. Secondly, my congratulations to the students who played in the basketball game. You were all amazing and deserved your win!! However, the teachers are hungry for revenge and we are going to try to get another game, hopefully in December, so be ready!!

Now, for your assignment. Please write two reflections each about a page in length. The first should be about what you have learned so far regarding print journalism. What have you learned about writing articles? How does it differ from essay writing or fiction writing. How is it similar? What have you enjoyed about the two articles you have written and what have you disliked or struggled with?

The second reflection is to discuss the 60 Minutes episode we watched in class on Bill and Melinda Gates. I will post the link to the episode on the blog if you wish to see it again. What are some of the differences between print journalism and broadcast journalism? Which style do you prefer and why? Which style allows you to gain more information and insight into a news story? Did you think that the 60 Minutes episode was well done? Why or why not and what could have been done differently?

As you write these reflections try to keep in mind that they should be a way for you to learn from your current assignments and improve your writing for future assignments. You may hand write these reflections, but do not discard them as they will become part of your portfolios. As I stated in class, both reflections are due at the start of class on Tuesday. Enjoy your Monday off!!

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6923498n&tag=cbsnewsMainColumnArea.4

Bring Your Drafts Tomorrow!!

Everyone must bring their drafts to tomorrow's class. I do not want to have a repeat of Tuesday's class, so please bring your draft with you. At this point you should be nearing completion of this assignment and I should see a draft which incorporates a headline, byline, lead paragraph, explanation paragraphs, quotes and research. Remember that your final drafts are due by the start of class on Friday and must be Google doc'd to Ms. Sackstein and myself.