You know how in math there's that whole 'order of operations' thing. "Please excuse my dear Aunt Sally," to this day, helps me to remember: parentheticals, exponants, mulitply, divide, add, subtract.
For days now I've been thinking of how to organize my journalism class next year. I need an 'order of operations' for my presentation to students, and for their expected output.
I think I'm unique to this group (next year at least) in that I will be teaching most of twelfth grade, by quarters. For 9 weeks, I will have 30 kids (give or take) then they will rotate to another teacher, for another focus. Last year, I had a year-long elective journalism class, and, frankly, I felt I had run out of material for direct instruction by February or so. Next year, I will have so much to tell them, so much that I expect of them, and so little time.
So what do you think should go first? What must I have 'taught' them before the first assignment? I want them to know some technical information, some AP style (it's not MLA), some first amendment, some law, some news writing and some photograpy, as well as social media applications and history of journalism before they produce their first 'news' article. But I also want them to produce at least two, (three) pieces before the end of their time with me - and I want one to be multi-media.
I hate math, and all that it implies, but I need a left brain now, more than ever. Order of Operations!
Bridget Parker
Seton - La Salle High School
Pittsburgh, PA
I really don't have a great formula for you, but I think you have to teach news values and basic story structure first before going into the other details. While AP Style is important, I usually don't teach that until much later, because you can still have an engaging, coherent news story with minor AP Style errors. But what good is it to know AP Style if you don't know how to write a proper lead?
ReplyDeleteHello Bridget,
ReplyDeleteI'm not the best-organized instructor so I'm the LAST person whose advice you should take about "order of operations." I will offer this. You might want to take your newspaper students out of the building into the community to connect the school with the neighborhood and ask them to generate story ideas once they leave the hallowed halls of Seton -- La Salle High School. You might also take them on a tour of the local newspaper. As a high school student, I toured the Chicago Sun-Times, met with a reporter, an was hooked.
Stan West
Hales Franciscan High School
Chicago
This is a difficult dilemma to only have the students for 9 weeks. Your curriculum must stay focused. If it were me, I think I would model after Elliott's example and teach the First Amendment. At the end of the school year last year I asked the students, "Why are we here? Why does this class exist?". It took awhile for us to get to what I was looking for: free speech, student voice, first amendment rights, etc.
ReplyDeleteI will definitely begin with this next year so it will help set the tone for the year.
Good Luck!
Linda Hopson
Bellaire High School
Bellaire, Texas