Assignments

You have 4 articles due by June 4th:

• an opinion piece
• another review different then the review you've already written
• another news article
• and a product comparison article

Please refer to the comments I wrote on your previous papers and the resources provided on this site to immprove your article. Make sure you write articles directed at middle school student.

Opinion Article

Guidelines to help you get your op-ed published:

Be concise. Your piece should be clear, succinct, and to the point. State a strong argument both in the introduction and in the conclusion to keep the reader focused on the issue you are discussing.

Be specific. Write about one specific policy issue at a time. Make sure to explain why your argument is relevant to a recent issue or event raised.

Provide a recommendation. Your opinion should also consist of suggestions of possible solutions to the problem at hand.

Use facts. Support your opinion with well-documented and well-researched facts, statistics, and examples related to the issue.

Get local. When writing about global issues think about how your local community is tied to and affected by the issue you are raising.

Format. Consider mixing long and short sentences to maintain the reader’s attention. At the end of your piece, mark –End- and provide a word count to present the editor with an accurate length of your piece; try not to exceed 750 words.

Proofread. Make sure your piece is organized in a logical manner. Check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. The terms used should be familiar to the average reader. Avoid personal attacks or clichéd language.

News Article with a Featured Interview

Class Exercise

With a partner, find five examples of each of the following techniques in your newspaper. Circle and label each with a marker.

1. Lead -- Usually one sentence that tells who, what where, when, why and how. It is found at the beginning of the story.
2. Headline -- The title of the story
3. Byline -- The author of the story
4. Quote -- Exactly what someone said and is in quotation marks

Find and identify two of each of the following:

1. News story -- A story that is timely and describes an event of interest
2. Editorial -- A writer tells his or her opinion about a subject
3. Advertisement -- An article or ad that is paid for by the company

Your job as a reporter is to report facts and the opinions of others and to leave your own opinions out of the story. The term for introducing your own opinion into a story is called editorializing – try not to do this!

Multiple Sources: The more people you talk to, the better the article. You can use direct quotes or paraphrase what someone says, but always remember to identify who says what.

Homework Tuesday 31st

1. Choose a news-worthy topic. Example topics: school lunches, sports, clubs, after school activities, new course offerings, teachers, Purim, Sukkot, recycling programs, Passover,etc.
2. Choose two to three people to interview to find out information about the topic. Here some interview tips.
3. Write questions for these people to make the interview organized and efficient. Ask the following type questions: WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY AND HOW.

On Tuesday we will go over the topics and questions you selected

Homework for Thursday 2nd

1. Schedule and conduct interviews.
2. Take notes on what each person says. If the person has a strong opinion about a topic, ask him or her if you can include a quote in your story. Make sure your write down exactly what he or she says when it is opinion or an unusual fact.
3. Have an outline for your story

Homework for Tuesday 7th

1. Organize this information into a story. The most important information goes at the top of the story. The least important information goes at the end. This is called the inverted pyramid. Here's some tips for organizing your article.
2. The first line of your story is called the lead. The lead should include as much of the following: who, what, where, when, why and how information. The lead should not be more than 30 words. It should grab the reader’s attention and make a reader want to finish reading your story.
3. Do not put your opinion in this story. You must only give facts about the topic. If you want opinion in your story, it must be from a quote (something that someone said.) The information should be in quotation marks with the student’s name after the quote.
4. Paragraphs must be short in length. Remember to put the most important information first and the least important last. Look at the newspaper for examples of this.

Your grade will be based on how well your article meets the following points:

• clearly states the topic or question
• demonstrate a clear understanding of topic covered
• summarizes what you’ve learned
• progresses well from one point to another
• uses technology appropriately
• uses and cites a variety of sources

Product Comparison

Being able to compare and contrast information can help you in many areas of your life.

Have you ever done comparison shopping? Why do people comparison shop?

Usually, people comparison shop because they need to make a decision about which product is the best buy. This same process can also be used while reading to compare and contrast two or more sources. Mastering these skills will also help you with questions about information on tests like the SATs and the ACTS that you will take in the future. Let's compare and contrast two similar products.

Class Activity

1. Select a product
2. Focus on the price, quality, durability, and user-friendliness
3. Develop a basic spreadsheet that allows for comparing the different qualities of the products.
4. In groups, discuss the positive and negatives of each other.

Homework Assignment

Analyze the data and write a conclusion based on your assessment of which brand you would recommend. This assignmet builds off of your previous assignments. You are basically selecting features that decide what makes an item worth buying, and then you apply them to similar products to see which one meets most of those qualities, and is therefore the recommended product.

There are two resource links provided for this assignment to help you get started: Compare and Contrast Form and Tips for product comparison.

Your grade will be based on how well your article meets the following points:

1. clearly states the topic or question
2. demonstrate a clear understanding of topic covered
3. summarizes what you’ve learned
4. progresses well from one point to another
5. uses technology appropriately
6. uses and cites a variety of sources

Review

Each student has been assigned a topic to review. Develop a spreadsheet that organizes themes, people, conflicts, author, genre, plot, title and other important details of interest concerning the selected music, book, food, or movie.

1. After each student has determined which details should be used for the reviews this information can be used in your article to support your opinion.
2. Look at a sample book review from scholastic, a sample music review from NYTimes, or a sample movie review form NYTimes. Here is a fun sample food review done by a dynamic duo at York News Times, and here's a pretty standard one from Bonappetit. Most reviews name the title and author, include a brief summary without "spoiling" it for the consumer, comment on strengths and weaknesses, and include a personal response.
3. Reviewers express their opinions. It is not enough, however, to say that it is good or bad. They have to support their opinion with explanations and specific references, including quotations, rather than just give a synopsis.
4. Remember that reviewers comment on the important parts but do not give away too much. Here is a link to a great resource for writing reviews.
5. When we meet next, the drafts will be peer reviewed, and final versions will be turned in on Thursday.

Your grade will be based on how well your article meets the following points:

1. clearly states the topic or question
2. demonstrate a clear understanding of topic covered
3. summarizes what you’ve learned
4. progresses well from one point to another
5. uses technology appropriately
6. uses and cites a variety of sources

Homework Tips

Why is it important to evaluate the source and validity of information?
The overflow of information in today's world has made the ability to evaluate resources an essential skill. Most new ideas and inventions develop from the foundations of previously compiled information. New developments wouldn't be possible if research was tainted with false information or based on poor resources. When communicating information for career or educational purposes it is important to ensure that what you convey is accurate.

What features do you think you should be looking at when evaluating a resource?

How would you go about verifying information?

Class Assignment:
1. Navigate to the the website Coalition to Ban DHMO and read the article there, list any characteristics you think would make this website a good or a bad resource.
2. What features did you determine would be criteria for evaluating the web site?
Be prepare to discuss your answers in class.

Homework:
Based on the criteria for resource evaluation discussed in class, type an instructional article on evaluating resources. Direct your article towards middle school students. Try to communicate the evaluation techniques in an easy to follow method, process, or step by step instructions. Include any tips you may have, such as how to verify information, things to look for, resourceful tips, or how to cite sources. Please post to google docs and email me @ shanin@yavneydayschool.com
Questions can be posted to the blog or emailed to me.

Grading Criteria:
Your article needs to:
clearly state the topic or question
reflect your thinking on the topic covered
summarize what you’ve learned
progress well from one point to another
use and cite a variety of sources