JOURNALISM APPRENTICESHIP

Project Description:
Students write and publish their own newspaper. This is an opportunity for students to practice writing skills while learning about various careers (journalism, design, layout etc.). In addition, students will have a chance to develop leadership and teamwork skills while creating a product of which they can be proud.

Objectives:
Heighten enthusiasm for writing and boost confidence in writing ability. Compliment the essay-writing formula students are learning in school by introducing the elements of journalistic writing (pegs, leads, objectivity etc.). Improve writing and editing skills. Encourage students to view journalism as a vehicle for expressing their individual voices. Increase understanding of civic importance of newspapers. Familiarize students with the production process for newspaper. Develop leadership, public speaking and teamwork skills. Provide a resource for the community (the WOW must address a community need).

Tips for Success:

Get Help This apprenticeship works best with two or more Citizen Teacher volunteers. Youll need extra people to supervise students as they conduct interviews, and it is easier assist students with their writing if you have the resources to give them individual attention. In addition, guest speakers who have expertise in journalism can contribute to the quality of this apprenticeship. In addition to getting help in the classroom, youll need to find allies who will help with layout, printing and distributing the newspaper. These can be huge jobs, so you should start your search for volunteers early. Use Your Contacts Use your networking skills to recruit guest speakers, book interviews, find a printer, secure advertisers etc. Youll need to start utilizing your contacts as
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soon as the semester beginsdont wait until the final weeks to contact potential advertisers or find a printer. Plan Ahead We have provided this lesson plan as a guide, but you may want to adjust it to meet your needs and time restrictions (each lesson plan here is approximately 100 min). Decide on the Type of Newspaper in Advance Before you begin to plan your newspaper, you must decide if youre going to work on a community newspaper, a school newspaper or a newspaper that concentrates on Citizen Schools events. Some of the most successful newspaper have included a combination of community news, school news and Citizen Schools news (See Appendix A: Newspaper). Give Students Ownership Remember, the final product may not be perfect, but the students will feel most proud if it is completely their work.

Week by Week Overview

Session One: Wow Em Show examples of newspapers. Let students know that they have been hired as reporters and photojournalists, and that you have high expectations of them. Display schedule for semester. Discuss the history of newspapers and the importance of press in US society. Hold a mock press conference to find out about apprenticeship. Introduce students to elements of journalistic writing (i.e. 5 Ws, leads etc). Get started on production! Students write articles based on the press conference. Session Two: Pitching Stories Discuss types of articles (i.e. news, editorial, advice, reviews etc.). Brainstorm ideas for the sections of the newspaper. Pitch story ideas. Finish writing newspaper staff bios and start writing interview questions for articles. Session Three: The Elements of Interviewing/ Article Assignments Solidify article assignments. Create tracking sheet for article assignments. Practice interviewing.
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Some students conduct interviews for assignments and take photos. Session Four: Tour a Newspaper Tour a local newspaper to build excitement about journalism. Practice interviewing skills by interviewing people in a variety of positions at the newspaper. Start to write articles about their trip to the newspaper. Session Five: Interviewing/Writing Students conduct interviews, write articles and take photos. Session Six: Writing/Editing Continue writing and interviewing. Introduce editing marks. Conduct peer editing. Session Seven: Editing/Selling Ads Rewrite according to editing marks. Sell ads. Session Eight: Finish Writing and Selling Ads

Continue to rewrite and edit until articles are complete. Students who have finished articles will work on selling ads. Session Nine: Prepare For WOW Make final edits. Prepare for WOW. Session Ten: WOW Distribute newspaper. Celebrate success. WOW: Producing and Distributing a Newspaper

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Hint: You may want to create a WOW event that provides a public venue for the students to talk about their work. Examples include: Presenting a How To guide to a school newspaper committee Presenting a How To guide to other Citizen Schools campuses Hold an unveiling party or a networking party with other Citizen Schools journalism apprenticeships so that students have an opportunity to present their work to others. Though these ideas may contribute to students pride in their work, they are not necessaryproducing a newspaper in a ten-week class is challenging enough!

WEB RESOURCES: Journalism Lesson Plans: http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/ http://www.highschooljournalism.org/ http://highschooljournalism.org//teachers/lessonplan_index.cfm (a great resource for lessons on newspaper advertising, reporting, photojournalism etc.) Lesson Plans About Selling Ads: http://highschooljournalism.org//teachers/LessonPlan_Display.cfm?Type=L&&Le ssonplanId=84&&AuthorId=46 http://highschooljournalism.org//teachers/LessonPlan_Display.cfm?Type=L&&Le ssonplanId=172&&AuthorId=83 http://highschooljournalism.org//teachers/LessonPlan_Display.cfm?Type=L&&Le ssonplanId=131&&AuthorId=67

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Journalism Apprenticeship
Project Description Students will improve their writing and interviewing skills and develop an understanding of the civic importance journalism by publishing their own newspaper. This is an opportunity for students to practice writing skills while learning about various careers (journalism, design, layout etc.). In addition, students will have a chance to develop leadership and teamwork skills while creating a product of which they can be proud. Objectives Heighten enthusiasm for writing and boost confidence in writing ability. Compliment the essay-writing formula students are learning in school by introducing the elements of journalistic writing (pegs, leads, objectivity etc.). Improve writing and editing skills. Encourage students to view journalism as a vehicle for expressing their individual voices. Increase understanding of civic importance of newspapers. Familiarize students with the production process for newspaper. Develop leadership, public speaking and teamwork skills. Provide a resource for the community (the WOW must address a community need). Tips for Success: Get Help This apprenticeship works best with two or more Citizen Teacher volunteers. Youll need extra people to supervise students as they conduct interviews, and it is easier assist students with their writing if you have the resources to give them individual attention. In addition, guest speakers who have expertise in journalism can contribute to the quality of this apprenticeship. In addition to getting help in the classroom, youll need to find allies who will help with layout, printing and distributing the newspaper. These can be huge jobs, so you should start your search for volunteers early. Use Your Contacts Use your networking skills to recruit guest speakers, book interviews, find a printer, secure advertisers etc. Youll need to start utilizing your contacts as soon as the semester beginsdont wait until the final weeks to contact potential advertisers or find a printer. Plan Ahead We have provided this lesson plan as a guide, but you may want to adjust
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it to meet your needs and time restrictions (each lesson plan here is approximately 100 minutes). Decide on the Type of Newspaper in Advance Before you begin to plan your newspaper, you must decide if youre going to work on a community newspaper, a school newspaper or a newspaper that concentrates on Citizen Schools events. Some of the most successful newspaper have included a combination of community news, school news and Citizen Schools news (See Appendix A: Newspaper). Give Kids Ownership Remember, the final product may not be perfect, but the students will feel most proud if it is completely their work.

Week by Week Overview Session One: Wow Em Show examples of newspapers. Let students know that they have been hired as reporters and photojournalists, and that you have high expectations of them. Display schedule for semester. Discuss the history of newspapers and the importance of press in US society. Hold a mock press conference to find out about apprenticeship. Introduce students to elements of journalistic writing (i.e. 5 Ws, leads etc). Get started on production! Students write articles based on the press conference. Session Two: Pitching Stories Discuss types of articles (i.e. news, editorial, advice, reviews etc.). Brainstorm ideas for the sections of the newspaper Pitch story ideas. Finish writing newspaper staff bios and start writing interview questions for articles. Session Three: The Elements of Interviewing/ Article Assignments Solidify article assignments. Create tracking sheet for article assignments. Practice interviewing. Some students conduct interviews for assignments and take photos. Session Four: Tour a Newspaper Tour a local newspaper to build excitement about journalism.
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Practice interviewing skills by interviewing people in a variety of positions at the newspaper. Start to write articles about their trip to the newspaper.

Session Five: Interviewing/Writing Students conduct interviews, write articles and take photos. Session Six: Writing/Editing Continue writing and interviewing. Introduce editing marks. Conduct peer editing. Session Seven: Editing/Selling Ads Rewrite according to editing marks Sell ads Session Eight: Finish Writing and Selling Ads Continue to rewrite and edit until articles are complete Students who have finished articles will work on selling ads. Session Nine: Prepare For WOW Make final edits Prepare for WOW Session Ten: WOW Distribute newspaper Celebrate success WOW: Producing and Distributing a Newspaper Hint: You may want to create a WOW event that provides a public venue for the students to talk about their work. Examples include: o Presenting a How To guide to a school newspaper committee o Presenting a How To guide to other Citizen Schools campuses o Hold an unveiling party or a networking party with other Citizen Schools journalism apprenticeships so that students have an opportunity to present their work to others. Though these ideas may contribute to students pride in their work, they are not necessaryproducing a newspaper in a ten-week class is challenging enough!

WEB RESOURCES:
Journalism Lesson Plans: http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/ http://www.highschooljournalism.org/ http://highschooljournalism.org//teachers/lessonplan_index.cfm (a great resource
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for lessons on newspaper advertising, reporting, photojournalism etc.) Lesson Plans About Selling Ads: http://highschooljournalism.org//teachers/LessonPlan_Display.cfm?Type=L&&Le ssonplanId=84&&AuthorId=46 http://highschooljournalism.org//teachers/LessonPlan_Display.cfm?Type=L&&Le ssonplanId=172&&AuthorId=83 http://highschooljournalism.org//teachers/LessonPlan_Display.cfm?Type=L&&Le ssonplanId=131&&AuthorId=67

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Lesson One: WOW em!

Overview This is your chance to WOW your students with your enthusiasm and your experience and to introduce them to the concepts you will be covering in the next 10 weeks.
Objectives Spark excitement about producing a newspaper. Familiarize with content and sections of local newspapers. Increase understanding of the civic role of newspapers. Introduce different roles in newspaper production. Create a professional environment in the classroom. Get started with real WORK! Length: 90-120 minutes Materials and Equipment Flip chart paper Newspapers (one for every two students) Scissors (one for every two students) Camera Writers notebooks

Preparation 1) Review lesson plan. 2) Create agenda for day and for semester on flipchart paper for students. 3) Decide if youre going to create a school newspaper or a community newspaper or a combination of both ideas (recommended). See Appendix A: Newspaper. 4) Find a press conference clip from a movie or a TV show to show before you conduct a mock press conference (optional). Vocabulary/ Journalism Jargon editor photojournalism press conference quote masthead byline 5 Ws lead Roles for Students (if applicable) Photographer (one student)
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Clean-Up Supervisor (one studenttakes a mental picture of the room at the beginning of the session and is responsible for making sure that the room look exactly the same at the end of the session. Journalists (all students)

Lesson Plan A. Introduction and Expectations 10 minutes Introduce yourself, discuss your background and experience and share why youre excited about this apprenticeship. You may also want to play a name game or an icebreaker game to get to know your students. Make sure that youre clear about your expectations of your young journalists. You might want to list your expectations on a piece of flipchart paper or hand out an employee guide that outlines how journalists are expected to behave. Make it clear that your students have been hired to do a job that will serve an important role in their community and they must live up to these high expectations (See Appendix B: Sample List of Expectations). Hand out the writers notebooks ceremoniously. B. Activity #1 News Hunters 20 minutes Before you can hire the students as reporters, you must make sure that they understand the different sections and types of content in newspapers. To familiarize them with the content of newspapers, break the class into pairs and give each pair one newspaper, one pair of scissors and one News Hunters worksheet. In order to complete this activity in the allotted time, you may want to include only five or six of the following items on the News Hunters worksheet: 1. Find the score from a sporting event. 2. Find a comic strip with an animal. 3. Find an editorial cartoonthats a cartoon that makes a political statement. Hint: you probably wont find it in the comics section! 4. Find out where and when [insert popular movie] is playing. 5. Find a byline and the masthead. Hint: if you dont know these words, look in a dictionary! 6. Find a column that gives advice. 7. Find an interesting lead. Hint: A lead is an exciting way to start a story. 8. Find a description of a cultural event. 9. Find the name of the editor of the newspaper.
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10. Find an article that addresses a conflict in your community. 11. Find an article about a country other than the United States. 12. Find an article about a hero. 13. Find an article that reports good news. 14. Find an article about schools or education. 15. Find an article about violence. When the first group is finished, ask the students take their seats and allow the winners to present their findings to the class. Ask them what types of articles they found most interesting and what types of articles they came across most often. Ask why newspapers are important in communities and what information we might miss if we didnt have newspapers. Use this to spark a conversation about the civic importance of newspapers. Lesson Variation: The News Hunters lesson can easily be adapted into a bingo game. To do this, create bingo cards with each of the items you want the students to find in a box. The first team to get a row across or to fill in the entire card wins. Hint: This might be a good time to show the students other newspapers that have been produced at Citizen Schools. This will give them an idea of what they are striving for, and it will reassure them that it is possible to for students to create a high-quality paper. 20 minutes C. Activity #2 Press Conference Tell the students that before they decide what types of news they are going to put in their newspaper, they need to know more about the journalism apprenticeship and how newspapers are made. Explain that one way reporters get information is through press conferences. Youre going to hold a press conference about the exciting new journalism apprenticeship at Citizen Schools, and its their job to write a short article about it. Explain how a press conference works (reporters raise their hands to ask questions etc). Remind the students that they will need to ask questions that will allow them to write about the who, what, where, when and why of this apprenticeship. Let the students know that they might want to go beyond the 5 Ws to ask more pressing and interesting questions. Give a few examples to get them started, and them ask them each to write down a few questions that they will ask during the press conference.

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Hint: You may want to show a short movie or TV clip of a press conference to get the students excited about being journalists. Lesson Variation: If possible, book a guest speaker for this press conference. Examples include state representatives, local politicians, school officials or journalists. If you get a guest speaker, use the first few moments of class to discuss important info about the journalism apprenticeship. Note: Remember to have one student take a photo of the press conference to use in the newspaper. D. Activity #3 Getting to Work 30 minutes Its time to get started on the first article for your newspaper! Though students will write most articles individually or in pairs, it might be helpful to write this one as a group. First, hang up a piece of flip chart paper that says Who? What? Where? When? Why? and work with the students to fill in the blanks together. Next, brainstorm ideas for an exciting way to start the article (a lead), and create an outline. Finally, write the article together on flip chart paper and then have each student print his/her name on the sheet for the byline. Congratulate your students on completing their first article! E. Activity #4 Staff Bios 15 minutes If you have extra time, get the students started on writing bios on each other. This is an opportunity to debrief the press conference activity and discuss best practices in interviewing and writing. Continue to reinforce the 5 Ws as well as other elements of journalism such as the lead. Have the students take notes in their writers notebooks and then write short articles on their partner. You might want to show examples from other Citizen Schools newspapers to get them started. Depending on the abilities of your students, you may want to provide a worksheet for this first interview exercise (See Appendix C: Interviewing Worksheet).

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F. Activity #5 Foreshadow Next Week 5 minutes Review why youre excited about this apprenticeship and give the students some hints about what youll be doing next week. You might want to spend a moment quizzing the students on some of the takeaways from todays lesson (i.e. 5 Ws, interviewing techniques, the focus of your newspaper etc). Also, spend a few moments brainstorming titles for your newspaper. Create a feeling of suspense by telling the students that youll have a secret ballot vote next week to determine the title. G. Activity #6 Clean Room and Provide Closure 5 minutes Ask the student you assigned to take a mental photo of the room to facilitate the cleanup. Make sure that the students return all the desks to their proper places, remove any trash from the floor and leave the room neater than when they arrived. Teach Back Opportunities The students will have opportunities to teach back during the News Hunter activity and during the Getting to Work activity (if they finish early).

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Lesson Two: Pitching Stories Overview In this lesson, you will familiarize your young journalists with the process of pitching ideas. This will encourage the students to feel ownership over the project while getting them excited to begin writing their articles.
Objectives Continue to build excitement around producing a newspaper. Increase understanding of structure of an article. Add the peg and the lead to the Who? What? When? Why? Where? structure. Pitch story ideas for final product. Prepare for interviews. Length: 90-120 minutes Materials and Equipment Flip chart paper Camera Articles from last weeks press conference. Bios from last week. Preparation 1) Review lesson plan 2) Read bios from last week Vocabulary/ Journalism Jargon Pitching story ideas Roles for Students (if applicable) Photographer (one student) List of expectations Clean-Up Supervisor (one studenttakes a mental picture of the room at the beginning of the session and is responsible for making sure that the room look exactly the same at the end of the session. Journalists (all students) Lesson Plan 5 minutes A. Review Expectations Take a few moments to remind the students that you are excited to work with them and teach them about journalism. Ask them if they remember the expectation of journalists from last week. Hint: You may want to show them
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the list of expectations again. B. Activity #1 Choose A Title 10 minutes Reengage the students in the newspaper project by asking them to vote on a title (use the list they generated last week). A secret ballot often generates excitement while preventing arguments between students with different ideas. C. Activity #2 Newspaper Brainstorm 20 minutes Now that your students understand the importance of newspapers (from the News Hunters activity), the theme of their newspaper (from the Press Conference activity) and some of the elements of journalism (from writing the bios and the press conference article), its time to talk specifically about what will be included your classes newspaper. Hang up a piece of flipchart paper titled Types of Articles We Want in Our Newspaper, and have students brainstorm what types of articles would be useful for their newspaper (you should have already told them a bit about they type of newspaper they will create during last weeks press conference). Use this brainstorm to identify the sections of your newspaper (i.e. community news, world news, movie reviews, music reviews, fashion, advice etc.), and the types of information you will need to gather. Discuss the different types of articles that could go in each section (i.e. news features, editorials, etc.). Let the students know that in addition to the story ideas that they pitch, you will arrange some exciting interviews for them. [Use your connections to arrange these interview. Some successful past interviews include: local EMTs, police chiefs, athletes, activists and business owners]. 20 minutes D. Activity #3 Pitching Ideas Explain the process of pitching ideas. Brainstorm article assignments ideas on a piece of flipchart paper with your students, and ask the students to pitch the ideas to you (i.e. tell you why people in their community need to know more about their story idea). Let the students know that as the Editor-in-Chief, you reserve the right to reject story idea. Reassure them that editors reject journalists ideas all the time, and that they each need to come up with a few ideas to make sure that at least one is accepted.

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Hint: You may need to set clear guidelines with the students so that they understand what types of story ideas are realistic (i.e. interviewing a local college athlete may be possible, but interviewing a professional athlete is unlikely). If you have any ideas or connections that would lead to good stories, let the students know. Have students write down their best story idea and an explanation of why it is important to have in the newspaper. Remind them that they need to work hard on this if they want to be able to choose their own topics. They need to sell or pitch this idea to you the same way writers at real newspapers often pitch story ideas. They should include five potential interview questions in their pitch. E . Activity #4 Write, Write, Write 20 minutes Have the students complete the bios from last week. Students who are finished can work on editing each others work. 20 minutes F. Activity #5 Foreshadow Next Week Review the day and foreshadow next weeks activities. Remind the students of what theyre working towards by showing them some more examples of newspapers. G. Activity #6 Clean Room and Provide Closure 5 minutes Ask the student you assigned to take a mental photo of the room to facilitate the cleanup. Make sure that the students return all the desks to their proper places, remove any trash from the floor and leave the room neater than when they arrived. Teach Back Opportunities Teach back opportunities can be woven into each part of this curriculum. Whenever students volunteer to answer a question, push them to explain how they reached their conclusions. Hint: Never ask a student just one question; always probe until you are confident that they are thinking deeply about your questions.

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Lesson Three: Elements of Interviewing and Article Assignments Overview

Objectives Continue to build excitement around producing a newspaper. Introduce interviewing techniques. Solidify article assignments. Build organizational skills with the assignments calendar. Length: 90-120 minutes Materials and Equipment Flip chart paper Camera Articles from last weeks press conference. Preparation 1) Review lesson plan. 2) Review story pitches from last week and create an assignment calendar to track progress. Make enough copies of the calendar to distribute one to each student (See Appendix D: Sample Assignments Calendar). Vocabulary/ Journalism Jargon Assignment calendar objectivity Roles for Students (if applicable) Photographer (one student) List of expectations Clean-Up Supervisor (one studenttakes a mental picture of the room at the beginning of the session and is responsible for making sure that the room look exactly the same at the end of the session. Journalists (all students) Lesson Plan A. Review Last Week 5 minutes Review activities from the last two weeks. Make sure that all the students understand the 5 Ws, leads and other elements of journalism (objectivity etc.). Display a student newspaper or discuss an article to remind students of what theyre working towards.

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B. Activity #1 Editorial Meeting 15 minutes Let the students know that from now on, youll be starting each day with an editorial meeting so that everyone can share their progress and discuss challenges. Give each student an assignment calendar and explain how to use it to track progress (See Appendix D: Sample Assignments Calendar). Discuss how you assigned articles based on their pitches. If youve arranged interviews with other community members, you might want to ask for volunteers for those articles too. C. Activity #2 Interviewing Brainstorm 10 minutes On a piece of flipchart paper, brainstorm important elements of interviewing. Answers may include: preparedness, speaking clearly, finding out the 5 Ws, being polite, asking interesting questions, taking good notes etc. Discuss the challenges and the success of last weeks interviews (during the press conference and the bio activities). Brainstorm ways to improve interviewing techniques. 20 minutes. D. Activity #3 Two Truths and a Lie Interview Tell the students that you are going to tell them three stories about yourself. Two of the stories will be true and one story will be a lie. They should ask you interview questions about each story in an effort to find out which stories are true and which one was a lie. This is a great opportunity to let the students get to know you on a personal level and to incorporate humor into the class. For example, when I did this activity with my students, I told stories about the following subjects: 1. When I played womens ice hockey in college, I once scored three goals in one game. (true) 2. When I was the drummer in a band, I traveled all over the country (false) 3. I have an older brother who is an ER doctor. (true) After each student has had an opportunity to ask you an interview question, take a vote to find out which story the students thought was a lie. Take a few moments to give the students feedback on their interviewing techniques. Discuss taking notes, speaking clearly, writing quotes etc. E. Activity #4 Getting to Work 30 minutes Now that your students understand some of the elements of journalism (the 5 Ws, interviewing etc.), it is time for them to work independently. At this point the students may all begin working on different things. For example, some students may still need to finish the bios from the first week and others may start writing interview questions for their next
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assignment. Most students should be ready to start conducting interviews and taking notes. The Assignment Calendar should help remind the students about the article ideas they pitched and help them get started on their work. Youll need enough assistants in the class to help you get all of the students focused on different tasks. Hint: You may be wondering how you communicate the goals of a lesson to 10 students when they all may be doing different things. One way to do that is to give each student a Target Sheet (See Appendix E: Sample Target Sheet) with their individual goal written on it. When the student meets that target, you can sign the sheet it can serve as a ticket to a fun activity or a coupon for a treat. You should prepare the Target Sheets before the class begins. Lesson Variation: If your students move quickly through exercises, you may have time to introduce them to a few other elements of journalism such as leads, news pegs or nut graphs. See Appendix F: Leads and Pegs for activities that cover these topics. F. Activity #5 Foreshadow Next Week Review the day and foreshadow next weeks activities. 5 minutes

Let the students know that you will be taking them to a newspaper office next week, so that they can meet and interview other newspaper employees. Remind them that you expect them to behave professionally. If youve arranged for them to interview staff at the newspaper, provide some time for the students to write interview questions in their writers notebooks. G. Activity #6 Clean Room and Provide Closure 5 minutes Ask the student you assigned to take a mental photo of the room to facilitate the cleanup. Make sure that the students return all the desks to their proper places, remove any trash from the floor and leave the room neater than when they arrived. Teach Back Opportunities This is a great week to weave teach back opportunities into the curriculum. For example, during the Two Truths and a Lie game ask the students how they guess which story was a lie and how they think journalists tell the difference between truths and lies.

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Lesson Four: Tour Newspaper Overview

Objectives Get students jazzed about newspaper production. Ensure that students understand newspaper production process from beginning to end. Familiarize students with a variety or roles at a newspaper (business managers, interns, reporters, editors, photographers, designers etc.). Length: 90-120 minutes Materials and Equipment Transportation (buses, public transit tokens etc). Preparation 1) Arrange for students to interview newspaper staff with a variety of roles. 2) Think through how the day will flow. Where will you go when you first get there? How will you move the students from place to place etc. 3) Talk to Campus Director to arrange transportation. Vocabulary/ Journalism Jargon News room Beat Roles for Students (if applicable) Photographer (one student) List of expectations for travel

The lesson plan for this day will vary, depending on the newspaper you visit, time restrictions and the availability of employees of the newspaper. If possible, arrange for students to tour the facility and spend time interviewing people with a variety of jobs. Depending on the size of your class, you may want to divide up into smaller groups to shadow employees as they work. If it is impossible to tour a newspaper, this would be a good week for guest speakers. Lesson Variation: If you are unable to arrange a tour of a newspaper, consider bringing guest speakers to school or arranging a different fieldtrip.

Lesson Plan

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Lesson Five: Interviewing/Writing Overview This week, the students will continue conducting interviews and writing their articles.
Objectives Each student will understand what they need to finish by the end of the day and by the end of the semester Each student will be well on their way to completing at least one article. There should be an article assigned for each section of the newspaper. Length: 90-120 minutes Materials and Equipment Flip chart paper Camera Assignments Calendar Preparation 1) Review what each student has accomplished and make any necessary adjustments on the Assignment Calendar. 2) Create an action plan for each student so that you are confident that everyone will complete at least one article for the final product. 3) Use your community connections to arrange interviews for each of your students article assignments (these should match the ideas they pitched). 4) Begin to think about how you are going to organize the layout and find a printer. Vocabulary/ Journalism Jargon Roles for Students (if applicable) Photographer (one student) List of expectations Clean-Up Supervisor (one studenttakes a mental picture of the room at the beginning of the session and is responsible for making sure that the room look exactly the same at the end of the session. Journalists (all students) Lesson Plan A. Activity #1 Editorial Meeting 15 minutes Pass out an updated assignments calendar and review each students
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assignments. You may want to ask a few students to present their work and to discuss the challenges and success of the past weeks. This is also a good time to teach a brief lesson on a topic with which many of the students struggle. For example, if you notice that your students have problems with leads, the 5 Ws or a particular grammatical structure take a few moments to review. C. Activity # 2 Work, Work, Work! 60 minutes Like last week, the students will be at different points in the writing process this week. Use the assignment calendar and/or target sheets (See Appendices __ and __) to clarify the goal for each student. Students may be writing about interviews they conducted at the newspaper or they may be working on the stories they pitched. It will be helpful to recruit volunteers to help escort the students to interviews and help individual kids with their writing. 5 minutes D. Activity #3 Foreshadow Next Week Review the day and foreshadow next weeks activities. Remind the students know that the next few weeks will be intensive WORK weeks and that some of them may be traveling off campus to conduct interviews. E. Activity #4 Clean Room and Provide Closure 5 minutes Ask the student you assigned to take a mental photo of the room to facilitate the cleanup. Make sure that the students return all the desks to their proper places, remove any trash from the floor and leave the room neater than when they arrived. Teach Back Opportunities As students report about their progress, press them to think about the challenges and rewards of being a journalist. Have them share their challenges and successes with the other students.

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Lesson Six: Writing/Editing

Overview This week, the students will continue conducting interviews and writing their articles. Students who have completed at least one article will work the editors desk.

Objectives Each student will understand what they need to finish by the end of the day and by the end of the semester Each student will be well on their way to completing at least one article, and some students will be working on their second articles. Students will gain an understanding of editorial marks. Length: 90-120 minutes Materials and Equipment Flip chart paper Disposable camera Assignments Calendar Red pens Editors Decoder (See Appendix G: Editors Decoder) Preparation 1) Review what each student has accomplished and make any necessary adjustments on the Assignment Calendar. 2) Revise your action plan for each student so that it reflects last weeks work. 3) Use your community connections to arrange interviews for each of your students article assignments (these should match the ideas they pitched). 4) Begin to think about how you are going to organize the layout and find a printer. Vocabulary/ Journalism Jargon 1. Editorial marks 2. Editors desk Roles for Students (if applicable) Photographer (one student) List of expectations Clean-Up Supervisor (one studenttakes a mental picture of the room at the beginning of the session and is responsible for making sure that the room look exactly the same at the end of the session. Journalists (all students) Editors (students who have completed at least one article)
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Lesson Plan A. Activity #1 Editorial Meeting 15 minutes Pass out an updated assignments calendar and review each students assignments. You may want to ask a few students to present their work and to discuss the challenges and success of the past weeks. This is also a good time to teach a brief lesson on a topic with which many of the students struggle. For example, if you notice that your students have problems with leads, the 5 Ws or a particular grammatical structure take a few moments to review. B. Activity # 2 Editors Marks 10 minutes Review the role of an editor at a newspaper and then introduce editors marks by passing out the Editors Decoder sheet (See Appendix G: Editors Decoder). Explain that editors marks are a way for the writer and the editor to communicate and work together to create a perfect article. After the students have had a few moments to look over the decoder, ask them to turn over their sheets and then draw a few of the marks on the board. Quiz them to see if they remember what each mark represents. C. Activity #3 Work, Work, Work! 50 minutes Like last week, the students will be at different points in the writing process this week. Revisit the updated assignment calendar and allow each student to report on how their assignments are progressing. Students who have finished at least one article can be paired up to do some peer editing. Give each student a red pen and ask them to switch articles and proof read them carefully. You may want to provide a list of things they should watch out for (i.e. the 5 ws, spelling, grammar, punctuation etc.). As usual, it will be helpful to recruit volunteers to help escort the students to interviews and help individual kids with their writing. D. Activity #4 Foreshadow Next Week 5 minutes Review the day and foreshadow next weeks activities. Remind the students know that the next few weeks will be intensive WORK weeks and that some of them may be traveling off campus to conduct interviews. E. Activity #5 Clean Room and Provide Closure 5 minutes Ask the student you assigned to take a mental photo of the room to facilitate the cleanup. Make sure that the students return all the desks to their proper places, remove any trash from the floor and leave the room neater than when they arrived.

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Teach Back Opportunities As students report about their progress, press them to think about the challenges and rewards of being a journalist. Have them share their challenges and successes with the other students.

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Lesson Seven: Writing/Selling Ads Overview Some students this week will finish writing and editing articles, and others will work on the business side of newspaper production.
Objectives Each student will understand what they need to finish by the end of the day and by the end of the semester Most students will completely finish their articles this week. Some students will be introduced to the business of running a newspaper by drafting a letter to send to organizations that might buy ads. Length: 90-120 minutes Materials and Equipment Flip chart paper Disposable camera Assignments Calendar Preparation 1) Review what each student has accomplished and make any necessary adjustments on the Assignment Calendar. 2) Create an action plan for each student so that you are confident that everyone will complete at least one article for the final product. 3) Use your community connections to arrange interviews for each of your students article assignments (these should match the ideas they pitched). 4) Begin to think about how you are going to organize the layout and find a printer. 5) Figure out how much ad space youre going to have in your paper. Vocabulary/ Journalism Jargon The business of journalism Roles for Students (if applicable) Photographer (one student) List of expectations Clean-Up Supervisor (one studenttakes a mental picture of the room at the beginning of the session and is responsible for making sure that the room look exactly the same at the end of the session. Journalists (all students) Lesson Plan
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A. Activity #1 Editorial Meeting 15 minutes Pass out an updated assignments calendar and review each students tasks. Like in previous weeks, you may want to ask a few students to present their work and to discuss the challenges and success of the past weeks. This is also a good time to teach a brief lesson on a topic with which many of the students struggle. For example, if you notice that your students have problems with leads, the 5 Ws or a particular grammatical structure take a few moments to review. Use this time to discuss the business of running a newspaper. Ask the students how they think newspapers make money, and explain that the price of newspapers only covers a small portion of the costs. Introduce the concept of advertising, and ask for volunteers for the finance committee. These students will write letters and go door-to-door to solicit ads. 60 minutes B. Activity # 2 Work, Work, Work! Like last week, the students will be at different points in the writing process this week. Revisit the updated assignment calendar and allow each student to report on how their assignments are progressing. Students that are not busy writing or editing can work on selling ads for the newspaper. Students may want to draft a letter (See Appendix H: Sample Ad Letter) or visit local businesses. In addition to approaching businesses, students can solicit ads from parents, school administrators and community organizations. In order for students to be successful, youll probably have to do some behind the scenes work. For example, you might want to call area businesses to find interested managers before sending your students out to solicit ads. This may be a time when your community contacts come in handy again. C. Activity #3 Foreshadow Next Week 5 minutes Review the day and foreshadow next weeks activities. Remind the students that the next few weeks will be intensive WORK weeks and that some of them may be traveling off campus to conduct interviews. 5 minutes D. Activity #4 Clean Room and Provide Closure Ask the student you assigned to take a mental photo of the room to facilitate the cleanup. Make sure that the students return all the desks to their proper places, remove any trash from the floor and leave the room neater than when they arrived. Teach Back Opportunities As students report about their progress, press them to think about the challenges and rewards of being a journalist. Have them share their challenges and successes with the other students.
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Lesson Eight: Editing/Selling Ads Overview This week is critical in the final push to the WOW. Students should be busy working on articles or selling ads.
Objectives Increase understanding of the business of running a newspaper. Improve writing via peer editing. Length: 90-120 minutes Materials and Equipment Flip chart paper Camera Assignments Calendar Preparation 1) Review what each student has accomplished and make any necessary adjustments on the Assignment Calendar. 2) Generate list of contacts for selling ads. Vocabulary/ Journalism Jargon Roles for Students (if applicable) Photographer (one student) List of expectations Clean-Up Supervisor (one studenttakes a mental picture of the room at the beginning of the session and is responsible for making sure that the room look exactly the same at the end of the session. Journalists (all students) Lesson Plan 15 minutes A. Activity #1 Editorial Meeting Pass out an updated assignments calendar and review each students tasks. Like in previous weeks, you may want to ask a few students to present their work and to discuss the challenges and success of the past weeks. This is also a good time to teach a brief lesson on a topic with which many of the students struggle. B. Activity #2 Writing 45 minutes

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Students may need some time to finish up writing. You may need to work with individual students to wrap up by their deadline. C. Activity #3 Editing 45 minutes Students should continue with editing and rewriting this week. One way to structure this time is to break the class into pairs and have them exchange articles. D. Activity #4 Ad Campaign 45 minutes During this time, students who have completed their writing can continue to work on the ad campaign. This may include sending out letters, visiting area business and making phone calls. E. Activity #5 Guest Speaker 30 minutes This might be a good day to invite a guest speaker. Some suggestions include: o A newspaper reporter who can talk to your students about a career in journalism. o A magazine reporter who can discuss different types of journalism. o A financial manager at a newspaper. o Anyone else involved in the media

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Lesson Nine: Preparing for WOW Overview All writing should be completed by this week. The focus should now be on production (i.e. selling ads and finalizing the layout).
Objectives Increase understanding of the business of running a newspaper. Prepare for WOW Build excitement about final product. Length: 90-120 minutes Materials and Equipment Flip chart paper Camera Assignments Calendar Preparation 1) Review what each student has accomplished and make any necessary adjustments on the Assignment Calendar. All articles should be completed by now. Vocabulary/ Journalism Jargon Roles for Students (if applicable) Photographer (one student) List of expectations Clean-Up Supervisor (one studenttakes a mental picture of the room at the beginning of the session and is responsible for making sure that the room look exactly the same at the end of the session. Journalists (all students) Lesson Plan 15 minutes A. Activity #1 Editorial Meeting Pass out an updated assignments calendar and review each students tasks. Like in previous weeks, you may want to ask a few students to present their work and to discuss the challenges and success of the past weeks. This is a good time to debrief the entire semester and discuss what has impressed you about these particular students. B. Activity #2 Revisit the Civic Importance of Newspapers 20 minutes Discuss the importance of newspapers in your students community. How
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is your newspaper going to help people in their community? C. Activity #3 Taking Care of Details 30 minutes Have some students concentrate on taking care of any remaining details (calling places that might distribute your newspaper etc.) E. Activity #4 Guest Speaker 30 minutes This might be a good day to invite a guest speaker. Some suggestions include: o A newspaper reporter who can talk to your students about a career in journalism. o A magazine reporter who can discuss different types of journalism. o A financial manager at a newspaper. o Anyone else involved in the media 30 minutes F. Activity #5 Prepare for WOW Depending on how you structure your curriculum, the WOW for this apprenticeship may be more elaborate than distributing the newspaper. Other ideas include: o Presenting a How-To guide to other Citizen Schools campuses or faculty at the school. o Holding a newspaper release or a networking party with other Citizen Schools journalism apprenticeships where students have a chance to present their work. Use some time during the 9th session to prepare for this WOW and to review the semester with the students.

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Lesson Ten: WOW Overview Its time to celebrate youre success! Watch the WOW in your students eyes as they distribute their newspaper.
Objectives Celebrate success Build pride in a job well done. Debrief semester Length: 90-120 minutes Materials and Equipment Newspapers Preparation 1) Confirm distribution sites for newspaper. These may include community centers, schools, stores, religious institution etc. Vocabulary/ Journalism Jargon press Lesson Plan 15 minutes A. Activity #1 Debrief Give students an opportunity to discuss the challenges and successes of the semester. What would they have done differently? What did they learn? What do they think about journalism? Why do they think newspapers are important? B. Activity #2 Distribute Newspaper 60 minutes Travel with students to drop newspaper off at distribution sites. Illicit feedback from people on the streets. C. Activity #3 Party 20 minutes Today is a good day to celebrate. You may want to bring in an extra snack or treat for your students 10 minutes D. . Activity #4 Closure Make sure that you tell the students how much you appreciated their hardwork!

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Appendix A: Sample Newspapers

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Appendix B: Sample List of Expectations

1. Youve been hired as a journalist, and you will be expected to be professional in all that you do. 1. Youve been hired as a journalist, and you will be expected to be professionalone journalist may speak at a time. 2. Only in all that you do. 2. Only 3. Good journalistsspeak at of time. one journalist may ask lots a questions. 3. Good journalists to produce questions. 4. In order ask lots of a quality newspaper, journalists must work together as a team. 4. In order to produce a quality newspaper, journalists must work together as a 5. All journalists MUST have FUN team. 5. All journalists MUST have FUN

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Appendix C: Interviewing Worksheet Directions: Use this worksheet to gather information on the Who? What? When? Where? and Why? of your story. Dont forget to use follow up questions to get as much information as possible.

WHO Question: Answer:

Follow Up Question: Answer:

WHAT Question: Answer:

Follow Up Question: Answer: WHEN Question: Answer: Follow Up Question: Answer:

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WHERE Question: Answer: Follow Up Question: Answer: WHY Question: Answer: Follow Up Question: Answer: ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS Ask more questions to gather more interesting details. Remember, the best news articles include more than just the Who? What? Where? When? Why? To write a successful story, youll need to include an exciting introduction and provide lots of interesting details. Use this space to think of some more questions for your interview. 1.

2.

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Appendix D: Sample Assignments Calendar

NAME 2-Jan 9-Jan 16-Jan newspaper field trip newspaper field trip newspaper field trip newspaper field trip newspaper field trip interview new principal interview owner of new restaurant 23-Jan 30-Jan 6-Feb

13-F

Lisa

write bio with edit bio with partner partner write bio with edit bio with partner partner write bio with edit bio with partner partner write bio with edit bio with partner partner

write article on edit article on principal principal peer edit

Donte

Marcus

write restaurant edit restaurant review review rewrite article edit article from from write article from newspaper newspaper newspaper field trip fieldtrip field trip research fashion column (conduct interviews) write fashion column edit music column edit fashion column

interview lawyer

write lette for selling ads

Sarah

write adv column w partner

write bio with edit bio with Latasha partner partner

write music column

write artic interview local on local musician musician

Quang

write bio with edit bio with partner partner

newspaper field trip

finalize article edit article from from write article from newspaper newspaper newspaper field trip fieldtrip fieldtrip continue interview director of write article on writing article new community new community on community center center center conduct interviews for "What' New at s Citizen Schools" article

collect an create artwork fo the newspap

Joshua

write bio with edit bio with partner partner

newspaper field trip

edit articl on commun center

Adrian

write bio with edit bio with partner partner

newspaper field trip

write article

finalize article

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Appendix E: Sample Target Sheet

LATASHA: To hit your target, finish your first draft of your article on the new community center and use a red pen to make edit marks.

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Appendix F: Leads and Pegs Activities

Activity #1 Writing Leads and Pegging Your Story 15 minutes Hint: This is a lead-in to the next activity. If your students catch on quickly, you can move swiftly to the Great Peg Hunt. Discuss whats missing from the Who? What? When? Where? Why? sheets. If you just answer those questions will you tell an interesting story? Explain that excellent journalists go beyond the Who? What? When? Where? Why? to tell a unique story that contributes to our understanding of an event. For example, a journalist would not report on the war in Afghanistan simply by answering the Who? What? When? Where? Why? sheet. Instead, a good journalist would tell the story through the eyes of someone involveda civilian, a person in the military or an observer. Journalists hang their stories on these pegs and they use creative leads to introduce the peg. Read a few examples of articles with clear pegs and exciting leads and then ask the students to identify the leads and pegs. Mention how pegs are integrated into the article through quotes and storytelling, and explain that leads are exciting ways to introduce the peg. Encourage the students to teach back by asking them to explain to the rest of the class how they reached their conclusion. If any of the students incorporated the concept of pegging a story or using a lead into their article from last week press conference, read it aloud and ask the students to identify the peg and the lead. Let them know that you read all of their articles from the press conference and that you are impressed with their efforts. Depending on the type of newspaper you are producing (school or community), one of the articles from the press conference might make it into the newspaper. Hint: Depending on the abilities of your class, you may want to focus on pegs OR leads, but not both. 15 minutes Activity #2 Follow That Lead/Pegging the Story This activity can be structured in many ways, but it will work best if students have the opportunity to get out of their seats and move around the classroom. One way to organize this activity is to give each student and article and provide a few minutes for the students to read their articles. Next, give each student a piece of paper on a string which has a peg or a lead from one of the articles written on it. Make sure that students do not get the pegs or leads from their own articles. Have each student give a brief
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summary of their article to the rest of the class, and then ask the person who has the lead or peg that matches that article to get up and place the paper on the string around the students neck. Have the student explain why their peg or lead best fits the article the student described. This will help emphasize that newspaper stories hang on leads and pegs. Another way to structure this activity is to allow the students to wander around the classroom interviewing each other until they find the student with the article that matches their peg or lead. This allows the students to use their energy in a less structured environment. A final variation of this activity is to pin articles up around the classroom and have the students hang their pegs or leads underneath the matching articles. This would allow time for the students to move quietly around the classroom reading articles. Hint: This activity is an opportunity to review the importance of the 5 Ws while pushing the students to add leads and pegs to their journalistic writing. You must remember, however, that some students may need to simply concentrate on the Who? What? When? Where? Why? of stories. You may want to allot time in every lesson to review this concept.

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Appendix G: Editors Decoder

The following are more web sites that are useful in creating editing marks decoder sheets: http://www.jcsd.appstate.edu/submissions_ed.asp http://www.pnl.gov/ag/usage/editsyms.html

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Appendix H: Sample Ad Letter To Whom It May Concern: The Citizen Reporter is an 18-page community newspaper produced by Citizen Schools students at the McCormack Middle School in Dorchester. We have researched and reported on various topics are extremely proud of our accomplishments. We hope that you will support our efforts by purchasing an ad in our newspaper. The Citizen Reporter will be printed on Wednesday March 28th, and will be distributed to stores and community centers throughout Boston. If you are interested in placing an ad with our paper, please fill out the form below and fax it to Bob Smith c/o Citizen Schools 617-695-2367. Please call 617-695-2300 with any questions. Checks should be made payable to Citizen Schools and mailed to: Bob Smith Citizen Schools 308 Congress St. Boston, MA 02210 Prices of ads are as follows? Full page: Half page: page: 1/8 page 1/16 page: $250 $125 $65 $35 $20

Name: Name of Company: Address: Phone: Size of Ad: Please attach an advertisement if you already have one or would like to design it yourself. Otherwise we will create one for you with your information and approval.

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