Publishing a Student Newspaper

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Publishing a Student Newspaper

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

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Software
Microsoft Word

• Writing
• Publishing
• Editing images
• Drawing

MS Publisher
Adobe PhotoDeluxe
Kid Pix
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Getting Started

• 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 18 students.
• Begin weekly meetings.

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Meet with all applicants.

• Explain role of "free-lance reporters" and staff
  reporters.
• Pass out guidelines and 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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Positions

• Editors - organize stories for their section of
  the paper
• Front page
• Whats happening
• Teachers and Students
• Sports
• Comics

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Roles

• Reporters
• Editors
• Photographers
• Comic artists

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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?

Inverted Pyramid
Most important Fact
Supporting details
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4th Meeting Peer editing

• Reading each others work
• Assessment form
• Rewriting
• Go back and get more details
• Make sure there are photos with articles
• Write captions for photos

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(No Transcript)
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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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Sample Issues
January 2004 Monthly Mustang--our web site
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Optional Field trip

• Field trip to the Houston Chronicle.
• Highly recommended
• Check restrictions

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Additional ideas Press Conference
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Additional ideas

• News Conference
• Techniques for taking Taking Great Pictures
• Guest speakers Reporters or Comic writers such
  as Bill Hinds - Tank McNamara
• SPORTS ILLUSTRATED FOR KIDS

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Resources

• Creating A Classroom Newspaper Houston
  Chronicle Instructional materials
  http//www.chron.com/cie/flash4.html
• Online Newspaper seminar www.newswriting.com

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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

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Text Boxes/Text Tool Bar
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

• 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

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Text box link tool
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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//office.microsoft.com/home/office.aspx?asset
  idFX01085794