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Thursday, August 27, 2015


CAP Journalism                                                                                              2015-2016

Ms. Cullen                                                                                                       Room 158

 

COURSE OVERVIEW

 

Welcome to CAP Journalism! This year we will learn basic journalism skills in the

following areas: opinion/editorial, news and feature writing, grammar/spelling/punctuation,

gathering and reporting news, interviewing techniques, analysis and critical thinking,

and copy editing. We will also incorporate social media into our reporting whenever possible.

Students will also be introduced to rights and responsibilities of the press, including how to avoid libel and censorship. We will also address the First Amendment, the impact of the political blogosphere in presidential campaigns and the ethics of reporting, and discuss at length the Watergate and Valerie Plame scandals, including the inherent dangers of using anonymous sources.

 

On a lighter note, we will learn methods of photojournalism, page layout and design, and

learn why cartoons are an important part of journalism. Various guest speakers and a field trip to the Newseum and/or The Washington Post are planned.

 

Assignments

 

All work is to be typed, double-spaced with one-inch margins using 12 point Times New Roman. To ensure anonymity and the highest degree of objectivity in grading, only your student ID number and class period should be single spaced in the upper right corner.   Assignments should be free of spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors, particularly final drafts. Careless mistakes are costly and WILL affect your grade. Specific criteria will be outlined on each assignment’s rubric.

 

Grading

 

All assignments are important and should be taken seriously, regardless of their point value.

Expectations for individual assignments will be explained in class, and all points issued

are final.  Learning how to handle constructive criticism from me and your peers is an important step in becoming a good writer.

Grading key:

A=publishable quality
B=publishable with editing
C=substantial editing needed
D=marginal quality
E=unacceptable

 

 

Rules and Guidelines

 

Students must meet ALL deadlines. Students are welcome to turn in work early, but if a deadline is missed, it cannot be accepted for credit. You are responsible for your success in this class.

 

Come to class ready to submit work. Computer or printer/ink problems are NOT valid excuses for late work. Passes to the Media Center will not be issued to print out assignments, nor will the classroom computer be available to print work.  Late is late.

 

Extensions will not be granted except for extreme emergencies (e.g. death in the family, hospitalization), and extra credit is not an option.

 

 

Attendance

 

The most successful students have exemplary attendance records.  You should make every effort to be in class every day.  I also expect students to arrive on time and ready to learn.

 

You are responsible for meeting deadlines regardless of absences. If you know you will be absent on a due date or deadline, you should email me an electronic copy. Emailed work is only acceptable when you are absent, not when you forget to bring your work to school.

 

Tests or quizzes are to be made up the day you return, not the next class period.

When you are absent for a test or major deadline, it does not go unnoticed by your CAP teachers. 

 

Academic Support

 

My email is Anne_W_Cullen@mcpsmd.org. I can also meet with you before/after school in the English department (141), or during lunch by appointment only.

 

If at any time you don’t understand or need help, please ask. Make every effort to hand work in to me personally, but please do not interrupt another class to do so. If I am absent, you should submit work to another CAP 10 teacher or to the substitute teacher for that day.  Journalism is a profession that engenders passion, debate, criticism.  Bring your opinions to class and share them openly.  Feel free to suggest topics for discussion and to voice your opinions and ask questions.

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

e-Replica

HERE'S THE LINK to the Washington Post electronic version of the print edition.  Use this link whenever you wish to access the print edition. Remember, you have one free login per day.  Username is my email:  Anne_W_Cullen@mcpsmd.org.  Your password is:  welcome1

Enjoy!
Ms. Cullen

Syndicated Columnists



Here is a list of some of the most famous syndicated columnists.  Familiarize yourself with each one over the course of the Editorial unit, paying particular attention to subject, voice, and organization.  You will be using some of these techniques to write your own Op-Ed.


Maureen Dowd, NYTimes
 

How to Use This Blog

How to use this blog:

This is home base for all assignments in CAP Journalism.  Forgot a due date?  Check the blog. Point value of an assignment?  Check the blog.  Re-read an article or get handouts and study guides?  Check the blog!  You can also use this as one-stop shopping for all your online news sources: simply click on a link to some of the most popular news sites.  If you use Facebook, you should also "Like" your favorite news sites so that interesting articles appear in your news feed.  If you find an article of particular interest, then write about it on your own blog.

Thursday, August 2, 2012