Assignments for Journalism 2003
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Factual Information:
The assignments are divided into four categories. They are the newspaper and the news, feature writing, editorial and sports writing.
You may choose to complete all of the assignments, but you are required to complete 25 of them.
You must complete the assignments that have an asterisk in front of them.
Pass in the assignments as you complete them. Make sure that they are checked off on the chart.
If you find an area that you find interesting expand on this. This means you would design your own assignment in consultation with me.
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The Newspaper and the News
1. Read the information provided on headlines. Using your newspaper choose 10 headlines and comment on what you anticipated from the headline and what actually was contained in the story. Indicate why the headline captured your attention.
2. List twenty-five potential news stories that could be covered at KVHS for the week that you choose to do this assignment. When you have completed this list, prioritize the stories that would appear on the front page.
3. Using the list that you generated in #2, choose three and write the stories. We may use these in a school newspaper.
4. Follow a major story for three days. Cut out the stories and write about the difference in the coverage as time progresses.
5. Using two newspapers (
6. Using a tabloid, pick out ten headlines and write about what you expected from the article.
7. Using five of the articles that you used in assignment #6, explain how the truth is stretched in each of the articles. (Hint: remember sources)
8. Using three different newspapers, choose an obituary from each, cut each out and then write how coverage is different in each newspaper.
9. Create a fictional character and write an obituary of this character.
10. Read five reviews of movies, concerts or performances. Cut these out and present these. Using these as your guide, write a “how to” write a review. Indicate what must be included in a review.
11. Write a review of a movie or a live performance based on what you learned in assignment # 10.
12. Contact someone who works in the local media as a journalist or as a broadcaster. Create 20 open-ended questions and interview the person using the questions.
13. Using assignment # 12, write the story based on your interview.
14. Read the information on laying out the newspaper. Using assignment #2, create a dummy of a KVHS weekly newspaper.
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Feature Stories
1. Read the information on feature stories and write a summary of the information.
2. Write a feature story on someone at KVHS that is unique. You must interview this person Make sure you write the questions in advance.
3. Write a feature story on something that is unique to KVHS. Do your research and present it with your story.
4. Write a feature story on
something that is unique to the
5. Much information that is used as research is based on surveys and polls. Choose an issue that is interesting to you and conduct a poll on the subject. For example, should athletes be held to a higher standard of behavior than other students in the school because more of the student fee money is spent on them? Ask the question; record the answer and the reasons for the answer. You must interview at least 20 people outside of this class. You must name them and present what each person said.
6. Do a survey on ten different questions about the yearbook. Create question that would have a yes or no response. For example, should yearbook write-ups be edited? Ask twenty people these questions and then record the percentage for each response.
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Editorial Assignments
1. Summarize the information that you have received on the writing of editorials. Write the summary so that it could be given to any student who had not taken journalism.
2. Choose five editorials from the newspaper, cut these out and indicate the position that the newspaper or editor has taken on the subject.
3. Write an editorial that deals with an issue at KVHS.
4. Write an editorial that deals with a local issue.
5. Write an editorial that deals with a national, international or personal belief that has wider implications.
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Sports Assignments
1. Read the information provided on writing a sports story. Write a summary of this material.
2. Write a pre-game story on some KVHS sporting event.
3. Write a post-game story on the same event. This story must contain an interview.
Male Female
4. Attend a game or watch a game on television and write the story as the game progresses.
5. Interview someone who is currently playing on a team and write the story on that athlete.
6. Interview someone who competes at a provincial level and write the story on that athlete.
7. Interview an athlete who has competed beyond a provincial level and write the story on that athlete.
Assignments 5-7 must contain the questions and the responses.