ESMS 12 Week, 6th Grade Journalism Class <<back>>

ESMS Journalism Curriculum Objectives
Students will create a theme-based school newspaper while learning various computer skills. Students will fill staff positions on a companion to The Bulldog Breeze newspaper as editors, reporters, business managers, photographers, cartoonists and production personnel.

Students will serve as editors or writers in these areas: news, editorial, sports, features, business, or production. Students are expected to cover beats, write assigned articles, and assist in staff management and newspaper production. Students will use computers to word process articles and various layout and design software to design documents.

All students will experience the practical areas of newspaper writing, business management and operations. They will have an opportunity to participate in journalism competitions and other special writing and design contests. Throughout the course, computer skills will be integrated as part of the content. Word processing, spreadsheets, databases, search techniques, web page design, basic graphics and design will be covered throughout the course.

Units of Study/Skills
Touch Typing/Keyboarding
Students demonstrate typing mastery of all letter keys, spacebar, return key, and shift key at a minimum of 35 wpm with 95% accuracy. Students also demonstrate knowledge of numeric keys and special characters. Tests will be given weekly after all alphabetic keys have been learned, with grades based on a 35 wpm sliding scale and improvement.

Etiquette, Ethics and Copyright
Students learn proper computer and Internet etiquette, ethics, and how copyright laws apply to journalism and the new digital media environment.

Writing For Publication
Students will learn how to write a variety of different types of articles for publication including news, sports, opinion, review, and features.

Additional Topics/Skills
In addition, students will be introduced to: Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Databases, Drawing, Painting, and Desktop Publishing, Multimedia Skills, the Internet, and Electronic Research techniques.

CLASS NOTES AND REQUIREMENTS

GRADING. Students are evaluated on a point system. Each assignment is given a point value and assigned a category. Additional categories may be added/deleted as necessary.

HWPRACTICE= Homework(Monday - Thursday)
CWPractice = Classwork
EVL = Tests (written and performance) and Quizzes
PRO= Projects or Presentations including stories
KYB= Keyboarding
SKL= Skill Lesson (word processing, database, journalism skills, etc.)
PAR = Participation in class discussion, etc.

Students will also be evaluated for specific skills (i.e. Word processing, keyboarding, etc) throughout the school year. Students will be observed both formally and informally throughout the year for these required skills. Students will complete a variety of skill-based lessons and projects requiring the skills learned.

You will receive a progress report after approximately six weeks of instruction and a report card that is cumulative at the end of approximately twelve weeks of instruction.

A = 90-100 B = 80-89 C = 70-79
D = 60-69 F = 69 and below

All work must be quality work or points will be deducted.

ONLINE ACCESS/GRADES
ESUSD attendance and grades are now available online. To access PowerSchool enter http://education.esusd.k12.ca.us/parents/pw.html. Grades will continue to be posted every week in class on the Grades Bulletin Board. PowerSchool will allow you to look at individual assignments, read teacher comments regarding behavior and homework completion, and to print out a progress report from ALL of your child's teachers from one location.

COMMUNICATION
Send an email to: bmaye@esusd.k12.ca.us or leave messages for me at 310-615-2690 ext. 3101 . Please include your name, your child's name and class period they attend.

LATE WORK ­ Students who do not have the required assignments on the date due will be sent to the library as per school policy. Students will lose points and may still receive credit if completed and turned into my box in the office prior to 4 pm. Students who are absent have as many days as they are absent plus one to turn in assignments. Work not turned in according to this guideline will NOT be accepted.

Upon return from an absence, students must sign the homework log to indicate that the assignment has been completed. Assignments not logged in will become zeros after the agreed upon due date and will NOT be changed.

If students will be out for an extended period of time (more than 3 days) please request homework assignments through the office. If you are going on trips at times other than school holidays, please ask for homework and other assignments in advance.

HOMEWORK NOTICES. Homework and class work information is online at www.schoolnotes.com/90245/esmsjrn.html OR Type in 90245 and look for my name, Ms. Maye. This site also contains a link for sending email. Students must use their Binder Reminders to write down the homework. Schoolnotes is a backup and provided as a service only.

BEHAVIOR. Students are expected to be respectful of self, respectful of others, and responsible for all aspects of their conduct. Should a student choose to not follow these rules:
1. Student will be warned.
2. Student will be asked to step outside the classroom to compose themselves and complete a form regarding the incident.
3. Student will be sent to the office.

A communication (phone, note, or email) will be sent to you after the second offense and any subsequent offenses. A student is considered tardy if not seated, with materials prepared, ready to begin instruction when the bell rings. A toe in the door is not considered "on-time".

ASSIGNMENTS. Students will complete a number of skill-related exercises. On average, each student will be completing at least one evaluation per week. Evaluations may be a test (written or performance), a quiz, or a quick write, a rough or final draft for a story, etc.

NO PROJECTS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE DUE DATE, no matter the reason. Project due dates are announced at the beginning of the grading period. Students may turn projects in early.

NOTEBOOKS. Notebooks will be collected at least once per grading period. Students are responsible for keeping their notebooks up-to-date. A list of all assignments is linked to the www.schoolnotes.com website. If a student is absent, he or she may copy the notes from another student, print from the website, or get the information from the box in the front of the room labeled "Class Handouts". Additional information is available at www.mayebteach.org including handouts for students who have lost the copy handed out in class.

Students are required to keep a table of contents up-to-date. All assignments that are printed will be kept in the notebook, including grade printouts and other correspondence between home and teacher.

ASSISTANCE. I am available by appointment only. I also check my email up until the time I leave for student/parent messages.

MAJOR PROGRAMS USED.
MS Office 2001 (Ms. Word, Excel, Powerpoint), Appleworks (for drawing and database functions), Hyperstudio, Inspiration, Internet Explorer, All the Right Type (keyboarding), Crossword Creator, and various scanning, desktop publishing, and video editing software.

WEBSITES TO BOOKMARK