Publish a School Newspaper and Meet TAKS Writing Objectives

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Publish a School Newspaper and Meet TAKS Writing
Objectives

• Michael Connolly
• West University Elementary School
• Houston ISD
• httpes.houstonisd.org/westuniversity

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What are the TAKS Writing Objectives?

• TAKS Writing Rubric from the TEA website
• http//www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/taks
  /rubrics/

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Parallels between good journalism and TAKS
writing requirements

• Focus and Coherence
• Organization
• Development of Ideas
• Voice
• Conventions

• Five Ws
• Inverted pyramid style
• Smart Research
• Open interview questions
• Follow-up questions
• Editorial Writing
• Proofreading, rewriting, spell check, grammar
  check

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Getting Started

• Hardware and Software Needed
• Organizing time, students and files
• Find other teachers that will support your work

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Software/Hardware

• Writing
• Editing images
• Photos
• Scanning
• Publishing

Microsoft Word
Adobe PhotoDeluxe
Digital camera
Epson Perfection 124OU
Microsoft Publisher
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First Steps Decide when to meet

• After school Club time
• Advantages
• High Interest
• Same group of students overtime
• Disadvantages
• Work late
• Have to worry about students getting picked up

• Class time
• Advantages
• Dont have to work late
• Dont have to worry about students getting picked
  up
• Partner with other teachers
• Disadvantages
• Less enthusiasm

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After School Club

• Get approval from principal.
• Decide time and place.
• Announce to teachers, students and parents.
• Copy and distribute applications.
• E-mail teachers guidelines for recommendations.
• Review applications and recommendations.
• Select 12-18 students.
• Begin weekly meetings.

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Meet with all applicants.

• Explain role of free-lance reporters to those
  not selected to be staff reporters.
• Pass out guidelines
• Parent permission letters
• Snack and parent volunteer sign-up.

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First Staff meeting

• Choose Newspaper name
• What's New At West U
• Monthly Mustang
• West U Times
• West U. News
• Determine columns solicit story ideas
• Record roles and assignments.

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Sections of the Paper

• Front page
• Whats Happening?
• Teachers and Students
• Sports
• Editorials, Advice
• Comics and puzzles

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Roles

• Editors
• Reporters
• Photographers
• Comic artists

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Story Ideas

• Keep a Future book by month of upcoming events at
  your school.
• Use a beat system to assign students to a grade
  level or teacher.
• Use a story tip sheet where anyone can submit
  story ideas.

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Incentives

• Extra points for Language Arts
• Snacks
• Picture in the paper
• Use the digital camera
• See your name in print

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Record Assignments
For each issue
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Track Assignments
For the year to prevent duplication interviews
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File Management

• Save student files to a server note exactly
  where it is saved and name of file create a
  signoff sheet for students to use when finished
• Check off on assignment sheet when complete
• Write picture file on assignment sheet
• Students type picture on article

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2nd Meeting

• Combine instruction with work.
• Help students create good interview questions.
• What would our readers like to know?
• Whats interesting?
• Open vs. closed questions.
• Personal background.
• Review assignments each meeting.

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3rd Meeting

• Instruction Covering Events
• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?
• Why?
• Review assignments.

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Student checklist

• Use default fonts on Microsoft Word
• Title
• Byline
• Did you answer the 5 Ws
• What interesting details could be added?
• Any follow-up questions needed?
• Spellcheck check spelling of names and places
• Peer edited have one of your friends read the
  article.
• Photo taken?
• Photo written on article?

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4th Meeting

• Editors use chart paper to layout their section
  of the paper.
• Save to network folder.
• Hand everything in for publication.

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5th Meeting

• Final review of paper before distribution.
• Start process over again.
• Brainstorm ideas for next issue.
• Make assignments

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6th Meeting

• Review paper.
• Any articles left out?
• Acknowledge everyones effort.
• Critical review s and - s
• Record changes for next time.

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Press Conference
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Sample Issues

• January 2003
• December 2002
• November 2002

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Optional Field trip

• Field trip to the local newspaper
• Check with safety policy of newspaper before
  visit to find out what age restrictions are in
  place for public tours.

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Additional Instructional units

• Techniques for taking good digital pictures.
• Inserting/editing pictures into MS Word.
• Peer editing.
• Guest speakers Reporters or Comic writers such
  as Bill Hinds - Tank McNamara Sports
  Illustrated for Kids

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Resources

• Kids In Print by Mark Levin, Good Apple, 1997
• The Reporters Notebook by mark Levin, Mind
  Stretch, 2000. http//www.mindsretch.com
• http//www.nespa.org/The National Elementary
  Schools Press Association, an organization that
  helps elementary and middle schools start and
  improve school and class newspapers as a means of
  teaching real-world writing skills

• Houston Chronicle Instructional materials -
  Chronicle in Education http//www.chron.com/cie/to
  ols.html
• Childrens Express http//www.cenews.org/
• Scholastic News Zone http//teacher.scholastic.com
  /newszone/index.asp
• Online Newspaper seminar
• www.newswriting.com

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Text Boxes/Text Tool Bar

• Allows you to place text anywhere on page.
• Can link boxes to continue columns from one
  column to another or from one page to another
  page

Choose the Text Box Tool from the Drawing
Toolbar After creating a text box link it to
another (empty) text box by right clicking the
first text box or going to the Text Box Toolbar
and choosing Text box Link Tool
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Text box link tool
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Comics

• After scanning comics and inserting into the
  document
• Add text to Comics with Text boxes

This is tasty ice cream!
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Picture Toolbar

• Insert Pictures
• Crop Pictures
• Adjust brightness contrast
• Rotate
• Invert

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Adobe PhotoDeluxe

• For improving the quality of pictures
• Scanning Comics
• Other editing

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Choose Send to from the file menu to pick
format

• Picture formats
• Bitmap - .bmp-photos
• Gif for cartoons
• JPEG Maximum resolution

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Microsoft Publisher Help

• Tutorial website http//www.bcschools.net/staff/Pu
  blisherHelp.htm
• http//desktoppub.about.com/library/howto/bl_htpub
  l.htm
• Microsoft Publisher website
• http//www.microsoft.com/office/publisher/using/de
  fault.asp