Mgres Unit Overview

Jesse McLean & Jeremy Whiting TE 408 Spring 09 ▼ Jeremy & Jesse’s Jaw-Dropping Journalism Multigenre Research Unit Unit Overview – a. Context This is a basic introductory course to journalism (Journalism 101) intended for any district that has the access to technology (whether through regular funding or grants). Students will range in ages and grades and will have little to no experience with journalism prior to this year-long course. It is assumed that there is roughly 24 students in the class. b. Unit “Exploring the History and Evolution of Journalism through Historical Events” This unit will:  Use inquiry-based research to examine the world of journalism and the trends and methods used within that to see how and why journalism has evolved. It will give students the option of using multiple genres of journalism in an effort to play into multiple intelligences that journalists must have.  Allow students to synthesize their knowledge by applying techniques that were learned earlier in the semester to online delivery methods.  Occur at the end of the course and act as a way for students to recursively explore and practice knowledge, techniques and methods they’ve learned over the year-long course c. Themes  Historical events  Journalistic coverage and angles  Looking at news and coverage through a critical lens  Evolution of the field of journalism as a whole  Putting journalistic skills into practice  Adapting content for online delivery Concepts:  How have newsworthy events been covered in the past and how have they shaped the current role of journalism today? Essential Questions  What events in history have shaped journalistic practices?  How has journalism changed/remained the same since its inception?  How can looking at historical events and their coverage prepare us for future events and their coverage?  How can we stay on top of a constantly evolving field (in journalism)?  How do these historical events apply to the stories we cover and the methods we use? d. Rationale Throughout this year-long course of an introduction to journalism students will be introduced

Jesse McLean & Jeremy Whiting TE 408 Spring 09 to the idea of journalism and news. They will also explore the ways and methods in which we receive and give news, and the importance of journalism. As a culminating activity we think it is only fitting for students to reflect on what they’ve learned thus far and apply it to a specific situation in history. By having students look at a historical event students are engaging in history while also looking through a journalistic lens in seeing how that particular event was covered. It is important for shaping future journalists (whether for a future publications class - one of the goals for the course - or just for the future) because they are learning how to properly find background information for stories. By looking at a historical event and having to research it and present it in a journalistic fashion they are essentially modeling an authentic journalistic process of researching, planning and writing a story. The critical inquiry skills practiced are not just important for journalists, but also for the United States population as a whole when analyzing their media consumption. Therefore, this doesn’t limit the benefits of the unit to just future journalists. Students are given the freedom to pick their own line of inquiry and topic in hopes they will feel a sense of ownership of their research and the trends and ideas they explore. As an introductory course to journalism it is important for students to leave having a better knowledge of journalism from the past in order to understand journalism of today and the future. Journalists face an era where just being a writer, photographer, camera person, etc. is not good enough. Journalists need to keep up with the ever-changing world of journalism and need to be able to approach and perform using multiple approaches (or genres) at all times. Lastly, students must apply what they’ve learned about the event and its coverage. They will discuss how that specific event changed journalism (whether in trends, methods of presentation, consumers’ attention, etc.) and created an example (whether it is a good or bad one) of how to cover an important topic. This is crucial for the future as student journalists to note trends, but also to be able to understand how tragedies or other high-impacting events are covered in case it is ever something they need to do themselves. Overall, we hope this unit will act as a way for students to actively engage in learning while also having to apply their knowledge to the always-evolving field of journalism. e. Goals: SWBAT:  Learn about a historical event in history  Explore the ways in which journalism covers newsworthy events Including multiple modes and genres in the coverage Applying what they learn to their own journalistic skill set at a student journalist level  Analyze the evolution of journalism and journalistic tendencies  Engage in multiple modes and intelligences in formatting what they learn in their research  Practice sound journalistic skills when presenting their research to their teacher and peers  Choose appropriate delivery methods and implement them for a variety of situations f. Standards (ELA Objectives met by MIPA-based standards) 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2.2, 2.3, 3.2, 3.4, 4.1, 4.2

Jesse McLean & Jeremy Whiting TE 408 Spring 09 g. Summative Assessment (Please see attached handout for full description of summative assessment) Students will be assessed by their final project which will ask them to engage in multiple modes to present what they’ve found in their research. Below is a list of possible genres of journalism that they may choose as a method of expressing their findings. Mode/Platform

Affordances

News article

Traditional journalistic writing

Photo package/story

Visual, hands-on

Podcast

Activity, writing script

Television broadcast

Activity, writing script

Infographic

Artistic, attention to detail

Social network

Writing, new media focus

Pedagogical Possibilities - expressing what they learned in a succinct and easily understood fashion - expressing a portion of their learning in a creative and expressive nature - expressing what they learned in a succinct and easy-to-understand fashion for the audience - expressing what they learned in a succinct and easily understood fashion for the audience - expressing what they learned in a boiled down fashion where much attention is paid to detail - expressing what they learned in an interesting and appealing fashion, while still being succinct

ELA Objectives

Software/Tools

1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.2, 2.3, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2

Paper or office software

1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.2, 2.3, 3.4

Camera, photo editing application

1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2.2, 2.3, 3.4, 4.1, 4.2

Microphone, audio editing software

1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2.2, 2.3, 3.4, 4.1, 4.2

Video camera, microphone, video editing software

1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.2, 3.4

Art creation software

1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.2, 2.3, 4.1, 4.2

Web development software

h. References  Ford, Jennifer. “Make the Most of Your Story with Research.” Highschooljournalism.org. American Society of News Editors. 28 April 2009 .  Hagemeister, Margaret. “How Does the Medium Affect the Message: Comparing print to electronic media.” Highschooljournalism.org. American Society of News Editors. 28 April 2009 .  Harrington, Janet. “Check It Out on the Web.” Highschooljournalism.org. American Society of News Editors. 28 April 2009 .  Journalism State Standards. Michigan Interscholastic Press Association. 28 April 2009 .  Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English by Design. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008.