SCHOOL NEWS

School News

Author(s):


Pam Hensen Cleveland Elementary, UT

Grade Level:

3rd

Timeframe:
8 days- students will have one hour a day to work on their project
Lesson Description or Explanation

Students will be put into small groups where they will create a school newscast that will be shown the morning announcements. This newscast can include stories about the classroom, the school, or the community. All students will be involved in front of and behind the camera. They will write and revise a script for the broadcast and then videotape their final broadcast.

Indiana Curricular Standards


Language ArtsStandard 4: WRITING: ProcessThe writing process includes prewriting, drafting, editing, and revising. Students progress through these stages to write clear, coherent, and focused paragraphs and essays.Standard 7: LISTENING AND SPEAKING: Skills, Strategies, and ApplicationsResponse to oral communication includes careful listening and evaluation of content. Speaking skills, such as phrasing, pitch, and tone are developed in conjunction with such strategies as narration, exposition, description, and persuasion and are applied to students’ delivery of oral presentations.

ISTE Standards

English Language Arts Standards4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, and vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, and people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

Assessments
Formative/Summative

Formative: I will observe each student and take notes throughout the process as he or she works in the group. I will note how well the student uses the writing process and assist each child In the revision process. I will also ask each student to keep a journal of the experience. Each day they will write about what they did and what kind of accomplishments they feel they made. The majority of my assessment will be formative. I am more interested in he process than the final project.

Summative: I will look at each group’s final project and critique. I will be looking at whether or not they included enough details within their stories to clearly get their point across. I will also be looking at their final script to see what kind of final revision they had done as well as to assess their writing, grammar and spelling. Finally, I will asses each student on his or her presentation of the material. Did he speak clearly and effectively, was he effectively communicating with the chosen audience?

Prior Knowledge

Curricular Knowledge or Skills: I will lead a class conversation about television newscasts. We will talk about the local news and what kinds of things we see on the news (sports, weather, current events, etc.). Then I will have the class watch some clips from newscasts from different local news stations.Technology Knowledge: I will ask the students if they have ever watched a movie or TV show (hopefully they will all say yes). We will discuss how these shows are made using video cameras. Then I will ask the students if the have eve used a video camera and have them share with the class how it works. Then I will give them a tutorial of how to use the video cameras we will be using. All students will get a chance to experiment with the cameras while I help them.

Technology


Internet Resources: www.wthr.com www.wishtv.com www.fox59.trb.com www.theindychannel.com
Hardware: Video camera, VCR or DVD player

Procedure

Day 1 - We will discuss newscasts; what they are like, what they include, how they are made, etc. At this time we will also watch some online clips of local newscasts. The class will brainstorm a list of things we could include in our own news such as weather, sports, movie reviews, local news and many others. Then I would split them into groups of 4 or 5 students. Among themselves, they would have to decide who would do what in the newscast. Each student will be required to take a part in the show and each student will take part in video taping as well.Day 2 - Research. The students will be deciding what they want to report and begin researching their topic. Those doing weather will research weather, those doing sports will research sports, and so on.Day 3 and 4 – This is when the students will begin writing their scripts. I will be available to go over revisions with all the students. We will be revising for clarity and grammatical errors.Day 5-7 – Students will start video taping their news stories. Those who need more time to research or write their scripts will be given time. These days will be work time to accomplish as much as possible.Day 8 – Completion Celebration! The class will be allowed to bring in snacks and we will watch all the completed newscasts. If at all possible, I would like to have the newscast shown on the daily morning announcements.
Differentiated Instruction

ESL
These students will watch some additional newscasts in their language prior to writing their scripts. I would also have them write their script first in their own language to organize their thoughts. Then I would have them tell me what they would like to say and we would write their English script together. If this was going to be too much of a challenge, I would have them present their portion of the news in their language.

Challenge/Extend

Those students, who seem ready, will be asked to conduct interviews with people throughout the school. These interviews will go along with the story they are presenting. The interviews will be videotaped and included in their final presentation.

Special Needs

For those students who are unable to write their own script, I will have them verbally tell me what they would like to say and I will write it down for them. For those who are unable to memorize their part or read a script, I would assign them more of a production role. They would be in charge of getting people ready and in their places for each shot. This would give them more of a leadership role and still allow them to be part of the group. In order for these children to be in front of the screen as well, I would have them be the transitional speaker who would say things like, “Now to Bob with the sports!” They would still be on camera but would not have so many lines to memorize.