Journalism
Get it right, write it tight
Respect Responsibility Prepared
Journalism is a full year elective class that teaches the most basic elements of news media. It is a class that can be taken all four years of high school and your responsibility and accolades grow as the years pass, (i.e. editor, editor in chief, etc.). Consider Journalism four classes in one: Journalism 1-4. It is rigorous and should serve as ample preparation for college journalism programs.
We are known mostly for the monthly newspaper, The Norse Code (formally Ericson’s Leif), which is funded, written and designed by students in the journalism class. But we are (or should be) much more than just a monthly reminder of a dying medium. To catch up with the times Journalism students are and will be required to learn the basics of website design, podcasts, Facebook, Twitter, photography, magazine writing and layout, video journalism and other multimedia projects as time allows. There will be frustrating moments when you spend a period uploading documents only to see them vanish, or when a paper comes back and it is more red ink than it is written word. These are the perils; hopefully the pride of product and the awesome skills you will learn will outweigh those hardships.
Writing
Beware. You’ve stumbled into a writer’s world. My bucket list contains the words “write the next great American novel.” Until I do, I will focus my time and energy on making every student a better writer. We will write news stories, opinion pieces, editorials, columns, reviews, features and much more. We will study the art of news media and emulate it to the best of our abilities. We will write and rewrite, we will interview and research and fight to get it right. I have very specific expectations and a lot to teach you, from the lowliest freshman (J) to our honor’s seniors.
Homework
Journalism is often a wide-open class, meaning that you might have 30-55 minutes in each class each day to work on what you need to get done. Many times, though, in order to get the story, you will have to take time out of your busy schedule or work at home. A story might require a phone call at a certain time of day, not during class, you might need to go to a soccer practice to get a picture or a quote from a coach or player. You might need to go to a football game, or a movie or read a book or try a recipe or research a blog, and some of those things just don’t happen during sixth period.
Podcasts/videos/Facebook/Twitter/Weebly
We will, in fact, have assignments from as many mediums as we can through the eyes of journalists. This means while updating these sites or creating these projects you must think as a journalist and at times think of yourself as an extension of The Norse Code. You are not you when you Tweet from the Norse Code account, you are The Norse Code, a high school newspaper. Any inappropriate comments, material, or posts will be dealt with severely.
1st Semester Final
While we will not have a comprehensive test, you will complete a final project for the first semester. The project will be one of your choosing (okayed by me) and will be journalistic in nature.
Use of Technology
I am a huge proponent of the school’s cell phone use policy. I have witnessed the good that can come from the ability to access information, or to communicate with parents. If I believe that you are abusing the use of the cell phone I will take it and you can retrieve it at the end of the period. If it happens twice you can retrieve it at the end of the day, the third time the phone goes to the office, and you will have to deal with them to retrieve it. Abuse includes playing games or texting, or viewing inappropriate sites or pictures at anytime. The phones are to be used for Norse Code business.
Assignments
September and October tend to be our busiest months, we:
· Learn how to write for newspapers
· Sell ads to allow us to print our paper
· Make those ads
· Learn photography and photo editing
· Learn how to use Photoshop and InDesign to set ads and news stories
· Learn how to use Weebly to build and update our website
· Write produce and print our first paper…
What else?
· We produce 7-10 more newspapers or news magazines
· Update or website weekly with:
o Photos
o Sports scores
o New Links (with stories)
o Contests
o Surveys
o Videos
Weekly newscast (NC Squared)
o Podcasts
· Daily updates to our Facebook page
· Daily Tweets (getting new followers each week)
· Photo contest
· Weekly newspaper reading assignment
· Video Journalism assignment
· Podcast assignment
· “The Week” weekly assignment
· Editing…editing…editing
· Learning about Libel, copyright law and the first amendment
· AP style
· Interviewing styles
· The Senior Paper
But don’t worry we have all year, and while it might seem overwhelming at first, it will be whelming soon and then maybe even a little underwhelming in the end. I promise you will be whelmed the right amount.
We are known mostly for the monthly newspaper, The Norse Code (formally Ericson’s Leif), which is funded, written and designed by students in the journalism class. But we are (or should be) much more than just a monthly reminder of a dying medium. To catch up with the times Journalism students are and will be required to learn the basics of website design, podcasts, Facebook, Twitter, photography, magazine writing and layout, video journalism and other multimedia projects as time allows. There will be frustrating moments when you spend a period uploading documents only to see them vanish, or when a paper comes back and it is more red ink than it is written word. These are the perils; hopefully the pride of product and the awesome skills you will learn will outweigh those hardships.
Writing
Beware. You’ve stumbled into a writer’s world. My bucket list contains the words “write the next great American novel.” Until I do, I will focus my time and energy on making every student a better writer. We will write news stories, opinion pieces, editorials, columns, reviews, features and much more. We will study the art of news media and emulate it to the best of our abilities. We will write and rewrite, we will interview and research and fight to get it right. I have very specific expectations and a lot to teach you, from the lowliest freshman (J) to our honor’s seniors.
Homework
Journalism is often a wide-open class, meaning that you might have 30-55 minutes in each class each day to work on what you need to get done. Many times, though, in order to get the story, you will have to take time out of your busy schedule or work at home. A story might require a phone call at a certain time of day, not during class, you might need to go to a soccer practice to get a picture or a quote from a coach or player. You might need to go to a football game, or a movie or read a book or try a recipe or research a blog, and some of those things just don’t happen during sixth period.
Podcasts/videos/Facebook/Twitter/Weebly
We will, in fact, have assignments from as many mediums as we can through the eyes of journalists. This means while updating these sites or creating these projects you must think as a journalist and at times think of yourself as an extension of The Norse Code. You are not you when you Tweet from the Norse Code account, you are The Norse Code, a high school newspaper. Any inappropriate comments, material, or posts will be dealt with severely.
1st Semester Final
While we will not have a comprehensive test, you will complete a final project for the first semester. The project will be one of your choosing (okayed by me) and will be journalistic in nature.
Use of Technology
I am a huge proponent of the school’s cell phone use policy. I have witnessed the good that can come from the ability to access information, or to communicate with parents. If I believe that you are abusing the use of the cell phone I will take it and you can retrieve it at the end of the period. If it happens twice you can retrieve it at the end of the day, the third time the phone goes to the office, and you will have to deal with them to retrieve it. Abuse includes playing games or texting, or viewing inappropriate sites or pictures at anytime. The phones are to be used for Norse Code business.
Assignments
September and October tend to be our busiest months, we:
· Learn how to write for newspapers
· Sell ads to allow us to print our paper
· Make those ads
· Learn photography and photo editing
· Learn how to use Photoshop and InDesign to set ads and news stories
· Learn how to use Weebly to build and update our website
· Write produce and print our first paper…
What else?
· We produce 7-10 more newspapers or news magazines
· Update or website weekly with:
o Photos
o Sports scores
o New Links (with stories)
o Contests
o Surveys
o Videos
Weekly newscast (NC Squared)
o Podcasts
· Daily updates to our Facebook page
· Daily Tweets (getting new followers each week)
· Photo contest
· Weekly newspaper reading assignment
· Video Journalism assignment
· Podcast assignment
· “The Week” weekly assignment
· Editing…editing…editing
· Learning about Libel, copyright law and the first amendment
· AP style
· Interviewing styles
· The Senior Paper
But don’t worry we have all year, and while it might seem overwhelming at first, it will be whelming soon and then maybe even a little underwhelming in the end. I promise you will be whelmed the right amount.