Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Front Page News Activity -by Ms. Rocha -Ojeda Middles School
I had to modify this activity due to time and computer availability. When we looked at the newspaper that day (article on president-elect Obama--sorry don't have the issue date!), students were able to compare that article to other newspapers around the country. We used Newseum and saw the Atlanta, Georgia Newspaper, a newspaper from Alaska, and another one from Long Beach California. The students immediately noticed that the newspaper from Alaska had a smaller picture of Obama and a much shorter article. We discussed this and the students stated that Palin was from Alaska and Obama is probably not liked as much there as he is in Georgia or Austin. In the California newspaper, Obama wasn't even mentioned that day. However, one article was the same in all three papers...loan to auto companies GM/Chrysler.
Student Powerpoints about the Newspaper - 6th grade, Ojeda MS
My students created powerpoints for what they read about, but I am not able to post them to the blog. Sorry, folks. :(
(Sadly) Reading a Newspaper is Not So Cool, Apparently...
I modified the lesson for "Reading a Newspaper is Cool, and Here's How I Do It" for my students so that they had to create a visual image, collage, or drawing demonstrating what they do, think about, look for, or read when they get a newspaper in class. A few of the students did write their opinions on their projects, but no one wrote a report. Writing is not their strong point, after all! I am planning to bring the artwork to the culminating event this evening. The projects are a bit depressing.
-Jessica
-Jessica
Jessica Mitchell's Student and Teacher Lesson Plans
Student created assignments--9th Basic English--Austin High School--Special Education Dept.
1. Submitted by Cynthia Perez--Basic English I.
"I want students to read the obituaries t0 see what information makes up the obits and to determine the purpose of having obits in the newspaper. Students will have to name one thing each obit has in common and also determine why people would write obits and put them in the paper."
2. Submitted by Junior Esco--Basic English I.
Students will read the comic strips and find all comics that make a reference to a cultural topic. What comment is that comic strip making?
3. Submitted by Destiny Marin--Basic English I.
Students read their horoscope and complete the following tasks:
a. summarize your horoscope in your own words.
b. do you agree with your horoscope for today? why or why not?
c. Find a sign of your best friend and read their horoscope.
d. summarize your friend's horoscope in your own words.
e. will you share your friend's horoscope with them? Why or why not?
f. Create your own horoscope by writing like the author of the horoscopes in the paper.
Jessica Mitchell
Special Education English Teacher
Austin High School
Follow a Lead
Objective: Students will collect information published over a set amount of time about a particular topic and will interpret the development of that information throughout the given timeframe.
Lesson: Students will either be assigned a particular topic or will choose a topic of interest to them that they can read about in the paper daily for a set amount of days, weeks, months, etc… Students might want to follow a story about a court case that receives national attention or about a particular sports team that they are interested in following for example. At the beginning of class daily, students will be responsible for finding information about their chosen topic and for updating a log with the new information learned from the newspaper on that day. If there is not a reference to their chosen topic in the paper they have in class on a given day, students must research other papers (online or in the library) in order to find something that has been written on the subject for that day to add to their logs. If newspapers stop reporting on the selected topic, students can write an opinion statement indicating why the topic is no longer being written about. As students read about their chosen topic day to day, they should take note of new information included in the write-up, the varying opinions that are surfacing in the paper about the topic, and the location of the information within the paper from day to day (lead story, blurb in a different article, etc…).
I See, You See
Objective: Students will compare and contrast two or three articles written about a topic that have been printed in different newspapers.
Lesson: Students will choose an article of interest to them within the Austin-American Statesman. They will then search for articles written about the same topic in other newspapers around the state, country, or world (depending on the topic chosen). Students will compare and contrast the articles, taking note of similarities and differences in style, placement, point-of-view, opinion, word choice, headline, etc…Students then write opinion pieces explaining why they believe the coverage of that topic differs from one paper to another.
1. Submitted by Cynthia Perez--Basic English I.
"I want students to read the obituaries t0 see what information makes up the obits and to determine the purpose of having obits in the newspaper. Students will have to name one thing each obit has in common and also determine why people would write obits and put them in the paper."
2. Submitted by Junior Esco--Basic English I.
Students will read the comic strips and find all comics that make a reference to a cultural topic. What comment is that comic strip making?
3. Submitted by Destiny Marin--Basic English I.
Students read their horoscope and complete the following tasks:
a. summarize your horoscope in your own words.
b. do you agree with your horoscope for today? why or why not?
c. Find a sign of your best friend and read their horoscope.
d. summarize your friend's horoscope in your own words.
e. will you share your friend's horoscope with them? Why or why not?
f. Create your own horoscope by writing like the author of the horoscopes in the paper.
Jessica Mitchell
Special Education English Teacher
Austin High School
Follow a Lead
Objective: Students will collect information published over a set amount of time about a particular topic and will interpret the development of that information throughout the given timeframe.
Lesson: Students will either be assigned a particular topic or will choose a topic of interest to them that they can read about in the paper daily for a set amount of days, weeks, months, etc… Students might want to follow a story about a court case that receives national attention or about a particular sports team that they are interested in following for example. At the beginning of class daily, students will be responsible for finding information about their chosen topic and for updating a log with the new information learned from the newspaper on that day. If there is not a reference to their chosen topic in the paper they have in class on a given day, students must research other papers (online or in the library) in order to find something that has been written on the subject for that day to add to their logs. If newspapers stop reporting on the selected topic, students can write an opinion statement indicating why the topic is no longer being written about. As students read about their chosen topic day to day, they should take note of new information included in the write-up, the varying opinions that are surfacing in the paper about the topic, and the location of the information within the paper from day to day (lead story, blurb in a different article, etc…).
I See, You See
Objective: Students will compare and contrast two or three articles written about a topic that have been printed in different newspapers.
Lesson: Students will choose an article of interest to them within the Austin-American Statesman. They will then search for articles written about the same topic in other newspapers around the state, country, or world (depending on the topic chosen). Students will compare and contrast the articles, taking note of similarities and differences in style, placement, point-of-view, opinion, word choice, headline, etc…Students then write opinion pieces explaining why they believe the coverage of that topic differs from one paper to another.
Vocabulary Builder - Ms. Cajigas, Ann Richards School
Objective:
1. Students will learn and practice vocabulary.
2. Generate examples of words to reinforce learning.
3. Promote independent learning as they read the newspaper.
Procedures:
1. Give students 5 minutes to read the paper and underline any unfamiliar words.
2. On a large index card, have each student write down one unfamiliar word and its meaning, using a dictionary. If you see a duplicate word, have the student select another.
3. Have students create a word wall by posting their index card on a large board. Before posting, make sure spelling and grammar is correct.
4. Do a variety of activities to review words so that students automatically spell, read and understand the meaning.
Note: "Grammar Lesson Plan by Bryce Pub", and "Print Media Lesson Idea" are from Ann Richards students.
1. Students will learn and practice vocabulary.
2. Generate examples of words to reinforce learning.
3. Promote independent learning as they read the newspaper.
Procedures:
1. Give students 5 minutes to read the paper and underline any unfamiliar words.
2. On a large index card, have each student write down one unfamiliar word and its meaning, using a dictionary. If you see a duplicate word, have the student select another.
3. Have students create a word wall by posting their index card on a large board. Before posting, make sure spelling and grammar is correct.
4. Do a variety of activities to review words so that students automatically spell, read and understand the meaning.
Note: "Grammar Lesson Plan by Bryce Pub", and "Print Media Lesson Idea" are from Ann Richards students.
Kate Weidaw-West Visits Ms. Rocha's 6th Grade Pre-AP Class
Kate Weidaw-West, KXAN reporter, Visits Ojeda Middle School
Students planned ahead for her visit. They worked in groups. Each group came up with a name (name of their newspaper) and a set of questions to ask Mrs. Kate Weidaw-West. Students would hold up a sign that read "QUESTION" so that our guest would know which group had a question. The students were nervous and shy, but overall did awesome. The groups then gathered the information from their interview and wrote an article for their newspaper. Here is the one I selected out of the 5:
The Green Machines
11-14-08
"A Reporter’s True Face"
By: Team Three
In an interview with a KXAN T.V news reporter, Kate Weidaw-West, we asked her some questions and made some comments every now and then. She said to one of the questions, that she loves being a reporter and that she has been a reporter for about ten years now. “At first” she said, “I was a little nervous, but now I think I’ve gotten over that and I don’t get nervous anymore when I’m in front of the camera.” To get her doctorate (PHD) for being a journalist she has to attend college and take a class related to journalism or communications. She did an internship and recommends it a lot so you can get a job when you graduate from college.
11-14-08
"A Reporter’s True Face"
By: Team Three
In an interview with a KXAN T.V news reporter, Kate Weidaw-West, we asked her some questions and made some comments every now and then. She said to one of the questions, that she loves being a reporter and that she has been a reporter for about ten years now. “At first” she said, “I was a little nervous, but now I think I’ve gotten over that and I don’t get nervous anymore when I’m in front of the camera.” To get her doctorate (PHD) for being a journalist she has to attend college and take a class related to journalism or communications. She did an internship and recommends it a lot so you can get a job when you graduate from college.
Mrs. Weidaw-West said that her schedule is very tightly packed together because she is a very busy person. To turn in a story she has to hurry up because a news reporter like her has only two hours to do it and turn it in. When she is reporting live or has to tape her story from a place she has to gather the camera crew and gather all the information that she can possibly get. “When you report a news story on T.V you only have one minute and thirty seconds,” she said, “so you have to be very fast and accurate.” She gets home at about 11:30 A.M because she is in the morning turn, she has to wake up at 2 A.M so she can be ready at 5 A.M, when the news are on T.V. She said that she likes the time that she arrives at home because she has all the afternoon free.
Mrs. Weidaw-West said that her hobbies after she comes back from the news station are to go to college because she is a PHD student. She also said that this would take about four years to finish. Her favorite things to do include playing tennis, and relaxing by walking her dog. One of the most memorable things about school is her college professor that was a reporter in Chicago and he taught them how to shoot an edit picture. She also stated that, “In the news you have to do your own make up.”
Team Three
Adelina González, Karina Casas, Mario Gomes, and Bryan Sandoval
Author's Style - by Ms. Rocha (John P. Ojeda MS, 6th grade Reading)
Students learn to color code the parts of speech:
NOUNS- yellow
VERBS- orange
ADJECTIVES - blue
ADVERBS- purple
Prepositions- green
Using this color scheme students find a newspaper article and color code it. By looking at the color coding students are able to literally see the writer's style. Some writers use more adjectives and some use more prepositions/prepositional phrases. We attempt to use articles by the same reporter so that we can figure out that reporter's writing style.
We look at the sequencing of the story by filling out an outline using the story and write a 15 word summary.
NOUNS- yellow
VERBS- orange
ADJECTIVES - blue
ADVERBS- purple
Prepositions- green
Using this color scheme students find a newspaper article and color code it. By looking at the color coding students are able to literally see the writer's style. Some writers use more adjectives and some use more prepositions/prepositional phrases. We attempt to use articles by the same reporter so that we can figure out that reporter's writing style.
We look at the sequencing of the story by filling out an outline using the story and write a 15 word summary.
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