Journalism
John McIlvain
Course Overview | Textbook Schedule | Publication Schedule | Goals & Objectives
This course has been designed to educate each student in several different areas of study.
1. The use of the computer and the PageMaker software program.
2. The production of a school newspaper using the computer.
3. The study of the elements of secondary school level Journalism with the use of a textbook.
4. Learning quality design and journalistic writing skills while assisting in producing the Portledge Press.
5. Reading and analyzing articles from Newsday and the New York Times; comparing newspaper articles with magazine articles on the same topics (this will involve keeping a notebook of articles).
6. Employing a variety of newsgathering skills while garnering information for articles.
7. Learning the different techniques involved in journalistic writing.
This course is designed to involve its students actively in news gathering and reporting. Guests will be invited to be interviewed, students will be encouraged to visit traditional newsbeats and at least one trip to a newspaper or a newsmagazine will be scheduled. In addition to a text students will be expected to read All the President's Men and a selection of newspapers and magazines. Different versions of the same event will be studied when appropriate. Two films, Citizen Kane and Broadcast News, will also be part of the curriculum.
1st Quarter
- C 2 The Rights and Responsibilities of Journalists.
- C 3 Style and Editing.
- C 4, 5, 9 News, Sports and Editorial Writing.
2nd Quarter
- C 13 Caption Writing
- C 6, 7, 9 Features, Headline, and Column Writing
3rd Quarter
- C 11, 13, 15, 16 Newspaper Design, Photography, Broadcast Journalism.
4th Quarter
- C 17 Careers in Journalism.
- All the President's Men - the novel
We will also view a film each quarter that portrays journalists.
Publication Schedule for the Newspaper
1st Quarter
- Use tutorial to learn PageMaker software program.
- Create uncomplicated pages while increasing skill level.
- Write and edit copy for appropriate issues of Portledge Press.
2nd-4th quarter
- Assist Senior Editors in creating a consistent and interesting school newspaper in a timely fashion. This will involve copy writing, editing, headline and caption writing and layout.
Goals and Objectives
By the end of the year a student is expected to:
1. Demonstrate proficiency in gathering information from a variety of sources.
2. Learn to discriminate between fact and opinion.
3. Learn the characteristics of good journalistic writing.
4. Be able to conduct a focused and probing interview.*
5. Write a news story based on data.
6. Write a news story based on interviewing.*
7. Write an investigative report using both data and interviewing.
8. Be able to determine the newsworthiness of a story (drama, scope, timing, locale, consequences, human interest).*
9. Be able to write strong lead paragraphs that signal the relevance of a story (who, what, why, where, when and how).
10. Write stories in two of the following categories: sports, fashion, culture, business.* 11. Develop a knowledge of photojournalism and take photographs to accompany an article.
12. Write reviews of a book, a movie or a play and an art exhibit.
13. Write a profile of an individual which demonstrates the ability to condense a lifetime into five paragraphs.*
14. Write an editorial that demonstrates logic as well as passion.*
15. Write and mail a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine.*
16. Edit copy of other members of the course.
17. Write headlines for copy of other members of the course.
18. Be able to design a poll and evaluate its results.*
19. Submit the year's work in a loose-leaf notebook.