Middle School Journalism I

Semester 1 :

• Learning what journalism is
• Learning about the varied careers in journalism
• Exploring how journalism has changed over time
• Exploring the laws and ethical obligations in journalism
• Learning about the First Amendment
• Exploring the media’s role in the world
• Exploring tools journalists to impact their audience
• Reviewing types of sources
• Determining source credibility and bias
• Exploring word etymology
• Using context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases
• Engaging in discussions while using active listening skills
• Comparing and contrasting different authors’ perspectives on the same topic
• Identifying the central ideas of texts
• Using text features and sections to help with understanding
• Integrating digital media to enhance audience engagement
• Paraphrasing
• Identifying the role tone plays in a text

Semester 2 :

• Utilizing learned management tools to be an effective journalist
• Writing a quality article
• Identifying how text features and sections can enhance an article
• Identifying what hard news and soft news is
• Understanding how audience impacts a journalistic approach
• Conducting responsible research
• Revising and editing
• Interviewing skills
• Writing newscasts for radio and television
• Incorporating digital media into work
• Writing narratives
• Incorporating figurative language into written work
• Identifying and using narrative techniques
• Understanding proper oral presentation techniques
• Developing and supporting a claim
• Identifying author’s purpose
• Identifying logical fallacies
• Using logical reasoning in writing
• Writing an op-ed based on research
• Identifying and employing rhetorical appeals
• Engaging in discussions while using active listening skills