Aug. 26 - Journalism

For Ira Glass on Storytelling Part 1, click here.

Making Local stories global click here

Click here for pitching a story (from the Associated Press)

Joanna Greer
Silver Spring, Md.

May 7 - Assignment (20 pts.)

Look over the breaking news. Check out The New York Times or The Washington Post today.

Write up at least three ideas of national news stories that could have local news applicability.

For example:

Cricket "My First Gun" story about the five-year-old shooting his two-year-old sibling. What are the attitudes of your peers at JFK about teaching children about guns? Is it in their training? Do they have rural cousins who have guns? Is it a good thing or bad thing to learn about guns? Clearly, the example of the five-year-old is extreme, but it does give you a beginning to ask around and develop a story.

So that is what I mean. Look for three national stories and think of what story angle you could do with it.

Write these three things up for me in well-developed paragraphs (one for each story). Defend your choices.

Reminder: Tomorrow, PBS will be here.

Ms. Greer
Silver Spring, Md.

April 22 -- New projects due

Near Richwood, West Virginia, on Saturday while collecting audio for a story on ramps, a wild leek.

You have a news package due on Friday, April 26. Remember, the original two-week project was April 12th. That means that the two-week deadline is this Friday, the 26th.

TIP: IT IS REALLY EASY TO DO THESE STORIES IF YOU ACTUALLY GO AND TALK TO PEOPLE. TRULY.

Yodit and Lucy: Get the poll ready. Know all the facts so that you are ready to interview Ms. Mader this week. We will be videotaping her. Unfortunately, I locked up the list on Friday. Sorry, guys.

Jeffrey: You need to do a story on JFK's rankings. Why did this happen to us? What is differnt than last year? Ask Ms. Starita and Ms. Wahrman for starters.Also, explain how these rankings work. Are they valid or is it a measure of poverty? If poverty is measure, then how did Wheaton do so much better than we did? Aren't we the same FARM rate? These are intriguing questions that you brought up last week. Follow-up on them.

Michael Cruz: Volleyball and men's lacrosse? Do you have other suggestions? We have been heavy with girls' lacrosse.

B. Tesfaye: Prom from a guy's point of view? How it is like a wedding, perhaps, in that the girls take over and organize the limo crews, etc. Do you have another suggestion?

Adam: So a round-up of clubs. Find out the sponsors. I think it is posted in the faculty mailroom (get one of the aides in the office to help you figure out the list. This story will be an update on what they have done and plan to do.

Everyone else: You need to pitch a story to me. Have a good plan and get started. Friday coming up fast.

Expect a written quiz on all things Boston marathon bombing story on Tuesday. Check out this link about coverage.

Ms. Greer

Silver Spring, Md.

April 12 -- Your news packages are due today (50 pts.)

Look over your work. Do you have photos or art? Do you have any media?

Are your articles approximately 300 words and have interviews with 3-5 people who say things that no one else can (because they are close to the story)?

For example, Mr. Cudd would be an important quote on any rule changes in sports division because he is the athletic director of our school. You would not want some random student answering those kinds of questions or making comments as who cares what that student thinks or why should we trust their opinion. They are not essential to the story. Mr. Cudd would be.

When it is finished, submit to both me at joanna_g_greer@mcpsmd.org (for your grade) and to Lucy at lucyers@gmail.com (for your editing and posting).

You have another story due in two weeks. If you did not turn this in on time, you will get a grade deduction.

Ms. Greer
Silver Spring, Md.

April 4 - Assignments (Which way is the wind blowing?) Go find the facts . . .

Lucy and Yodit -- Learn everyething you can about sleep deprivation in teens. Startschoollater.net is a great place to start. We will interview principal character next week. We need to poll classes. The thrust of the story should be what people think about starting later BEFORE they hear what the issues are. Then polled AFTER they have been told. This will be an article, a graph AND a video. The video needs to go to PBS. Erin Rutter will also work on this. SHe is in LTI and in period three TV Production.

Jessica C., Michael C., Jeffrey G., Asmara H., B. Tesafaye: YOU ARE ALL TO COVER SPORTS. There are tons of games going on. Interview the players. Cover an actual game. Make sure you get pictures. Run your plan through Lucy.

Rohan D., Jessica G. -- you are to cover something about the art department. Start interviewing people and get great tape like you did when you interviewed the bus drivers. Maybe ask questions like "what makes someone an artist?" "Do you consider yourself an artist?" "Why or why not?" See what a lot of different people say. Talk to the art teachers, too. Get photos. Remember, we have video coverage of the art show that can go with your piece.

Rod A. -- what is going on with Anime Club? Interview those guys for the latest trends and what they are thinking about. Talk to sponsor, too.

Arianna R. and Adam M (welcome back) -- You guys are going to cover West Side Story. Talk to the tech crew and see how they are preparing. Also sound and lights. Ms. Girley is running that. Get photos of them. Also talk to the actors. Are the getting it all ready? Take photos of them rehearsing.

Melanie L. -- Day of Silence is coming. But what if you combined that with coverage of National Poetry Month? Is anyone doing anything with poems to talk about the issues at hand? Start exploring what is going to happen and talk to the organizers. Lucy mentioned this yesterday but I don't know if she is doing anything about it. Talk to each other.

Parnell B-K -- You tell me what you would like to cover. I need a big feature piece or some kind of hard news story. Lots of kids have heard about colleges. Don't know if you care about that. You could talk about the year winding down with shows and tests and prom and graduation, etc. Non-fiction reporting piece.

My expectation is that ALL of you will talk to a ton of people and they should be able to check your notes and sign off on them if need be. Accuracy, accuracy, accuracy. You are the objective observer. Do not tip your hand about your own feelings. Do not lead the witness. Be Fair and accurate. No cheerleading. Find something interesting in this school. There is so much that is.

Due: End of next week April 12.

50 Summative points

Ms. Greer
Silver Spring, Md.

March 20 - Work

Turn in outstanding stories to Lucy today. Lucy, email me a list of those reporters who turned in something.

I am out on the field trip.

For story ideas, here goes.

Games need to be covered. Tonight is the winter sports banquet. There are tons of stories that need coverage. Tomorrow the spring sports schedule starts. Open mic and art show. Where are people going on break?

When I get back and we meet tomorrow, have a concrete plan of something you are covering (and have begun) in the next two days that will be up on the site before the end of day on Friday. Email it to me to make sure you turned it in. Go Cavs. No fooling.

Ms. Greer
Silver Spring, Md.

Feb 25 _Assignment: Where are the brave journalists?

So look at this on Fair Use. It is the Nascar wreck that Nascar tried to get off of YouTube.

Click here for bravery. This professor is worried that student are sheep, especially journalism students when they get to college. Look at what he says.

For anyone who is afraid to approach a source for an interview, here is some valuable information. I am going to ask for demonstrations of this. Click here What is your reluctance to get your stories? Are you worried about approaching or cold calling people you don't know? What is your role as a journalist? What are we doing when we write stories? Why do it at all?

20 pts. on the paper -- Due Tuesday Ms. Greer Silver Spring, Md.