While the Teacher Is Away...

No, you may not play! Sorry, we must make more progress!

Paper will go to print on Friday. We will bind on Monday and then distribute. Okay?

Please do not make any changes to the newspaper pages as I have the final layouts with me. Need to make a change? Please email me the information or leave me a comment here.

In the meantime...

1. Work on your stories. Be a pest...bug your interviewees!
2. Finalize both of your journalist presentations. You will present both of them next week in the order of age, with the oldest journalist being presented first.
3. Let's create a printable Public Service Announcement/advertisement (PSA). Each of you should choose a different topic. Check here for a list of topics. Might peruse the Batesville Guard or other newspaper for such advertisements for layout and content suggestions.

Thanks for all you do!

Challenge after Challenge!

Despite the server being down and little computer access the past two weeks, we will publish!

To-Do List:

1. Continue interviewing.
2. Begin writing the stories.
3. Plan your layouts.
4. Print and pubish.
5. Celebrate!

Thankful for Deadlines?

One more class and then Thanksgiving Break!

May we complete this newspaper and send to print while we take a break and enjoy turkey?

Remember to print your page today!

Please read here where I blogged about you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Layout Tips

Our goal this week is to layout our first newspaper. Good news! We have more stories than we need in some areas!

Reminder: Write those sports stories!

Tips to Consider:

• Make sure your headline has a strong, active verb.
• Byline is the first line of each story.
• Remember to justify your stories.
• Proof!
• Proof one more time!

Photo Questions:

• Which story will have the dominant photo?
• Has the picture been taken?
• No? Let's make plans!

Advertisements:

• Study ad layouts in other newspapers.
• Create your assigned advertisements.
• Check the contracts to ensure you include all that was requested.

New stories?

• Yes, it is time to begin work on the next batch of stories!
• I will make assignments on Monday.

I hope you have a grand week!

National Newspaper Week

Uh, oh! We have almost missed this week-long event! That's right...this week is National Newspaper Week (October 5-11).

So, who's to say we can't celebrate National Newspaper Week next week? Talk amongst yourselves and develop a plan to promote The Spirit of the Pioneer. A poster? A banner? An announcement? A jingle? A dance of eight (yes, that's how many reporters we have!) in the Commons?

Click here to access some resources. Then leave me a comment here as to what you decide.

Now read the next post to see what else I left for you to do!

Just Your Opinion Please!

Okay, I want your opinion...based on the facts, of course!

As you know, I am not here today (Friday, Oct. 10)....I am at a meeting in Little Rock.

Please accomplish this today:

1. Write an editorial (yes, give me your opinion!) on the candidate of your choice for President of the United States using facts, statistics, and research to back your opinion. If you research the candidate, plan to hyperlink to your source(s) or directly refer to the source within your editorial.
2. Complete the corrections on your "main news" and "sports" stories. Place those final stories within your "Final Stories" file.
3. Sports story drafts are due today.
4. When all this is completed, you may "play" with your Indesign hard-copy newspaper page.
5. Lilly, your story is to interview all the senior Homecoming maids and write a feature on them. Please read the next blog entry on writing interview questions. When you have your interview questions ready, ask one of the other reporters to go with you to Mrs. Diane's office to find out where these girls are and deliver your questions.

Please view the online newspaper. Halli is now a published author!

Keep up the good work! We will publish the rest of you next week!

Asking the Right Questions

The BHS reporters have their first assigned story: a feature story.

Note to a non-class reader of this blog: Have a suggestion for a feature? Please hit the comment button so that we might discuss your recommendation or stop by room 16.

I decided to start with this type of story for two reasons:

1. Increases comfort levels in this class to be able to talk with someone you know. Just a good place to start the journalistic learning process.
2. Having a database of features makes good filler also! Sorry...just a touch of realilty there for those of us who understand the dreaded "d" word...yes, that's it...DEADLINE! (That will definitely be another blog topic later on!)

Now to the interviews...please remember these tips:

1. Ask open-ended questions. "Yes" or "no" answers do not make for a very long story!
2. Should you ask a "yes" or "no" question, tag on a "Why? or "Why not?"
3. Compose six-to-eight questions. Do not ask so many questions that the interviewee has to spend a grand amount of time on this but enough, of course, that you have adequate information for your story to have some depth.
4. Leave ample space for answering these questions. (Due to time-constraints, many of our "interviews" are conducted by leaving questions in teachers' mailboxes or by asking the student to return the interviews within a day or two).
5. Note to teachers: Please return interviews as quickly as possible...remember these reporters' grades depend on the information they receive!
6. Complete the list of questions by giving the interviewee a chance to add any other comments or thoughts.

Again...thanks for your energy and your sincere dedication that I can already see shining brightly within this class! You are all definite keepers!