ELA 10: Journalism

 In Journalism students will learn the craft of informative writing through writing for publication using long-form journalism. Similar to other courses at Wahtonka, all language arts courses are content driven and standards based. Content driven means that it will incorporate things you learn in your other classes (math, science, social studies) because in life we do not separate subjects, they are all blended together in everything you do! Standards based means it will follow the national common core standards (this means we are following learning goals of our nation). Career ready skills will be practiced during your time in language arts in order to prepare you for life and finding your way along a career path. In 10th grade students will learn how to do informational writing, conduct interviews and research, and identify audiences, perspective and bias by writing for publication.  Students will collaborate with each other in the class to publish a monthly magazine including feature, opinion, and critical review writing.  Students will learn how to create a story from beginning with a raw idea, establishing a research question, identifying audiences and perspectives and conducting research and interviews. The class follows a writer’s workshop model, students will learn writing through practicing writing.

Course FAQs

What are my technology needs?

You will login to Google Classroom and utilize this platform for work submission. You will also need to be proficient in the use of Google Drive and GoogleDocs. Other programs we use include WeVideo, and our website platform for final publishing. 

What are the prerequisites I need in order to take this class?

ELA 9: Narrative and Creative Writing

Why should I take this course/What are the benefits?

There are 6 specific reasons you should have a class in journalism:

1. Writers learn by writing: In this course you will learn to become a writer through practicing the art of writing.  You will learn how to write for an audience and how to tell stories with multiple perspectives. You will have the opportunity to create feature stories, opinion articles and critical reviews. We will create a safe environment for you to practice creativity and curiosity within your writing. 

2. Writers engage in feedback: You will learn to engage in the same process that all of our great writers use to grow and improve in their craft.  Through creating, revising, getting feedback, editing, and publishing, your writing will grow at each step of the process and through each published piece.  Feedback will be tailored to where you are in your writing and delivered with care and compassion. 

3. Engaging in Critical Thinking: In this course you will learn how to consider different perspectives on an issue and how to create a story that offers a balance of those perspectives.  You will also learn how to identify bias in both your own writing and others and account for that bias by naming it as such and offering a well-reasoned balance to your bias.  We are at a time in our world where misinformation is common and more difficult to identify, in this course we’ll explore how misinformation is spread and how to identify it.

4. Building resilience: Great writers don’t publish their first drafts. It is only through trying, struggling, trying again, and again that a piece of writing becomes great.  This can and will happen with your writing.  In ELA we will create a safe space for you to go through this process with care and support to guide you along the way. In doing so you will learn to become more resilient in all areas of your life when you face challenges.

5. Encourages Teamwork: Humans learn through experimentation and collaboration. In ELA you will learn how to give supportive and constructive feedback to your peers, how to receive feedback and how to collaborate on ideas together. In every line of work teamwork is what makes us most successful. 

Sharing your work: We all learn through sharing our work.  Sharing your work with others encourages you to define an audience, take in feedback and practice the craft of improvement. It is also a way to celebrate your work and accomplishments within the real world. For that reason, all of our writing in journalism is geared towards publication.

What standards does this course cover?

Here is the Common Core Standards that apply to English Language Arts http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RI/9-10/

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RI/11-12/

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/9-10/

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/11-12/

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.A Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.B Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level and concerns.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.C Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.D Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.E Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.A Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.B Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.C Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.D Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.E Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.F Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grades 9-10 here.)

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology's capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.9.A Apply grades 9-10 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work [e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare]").

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.9.B Apply grades 9-10 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., "Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning").

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grades 11-12 here.)

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.7 Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person's life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.8 Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning.

• Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.10 By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

How do you grade my work in this class?

Wahtonka Community School uses a proficiency based grading system. Your grade is based upon rubrics with specific standards and requirements. In order to gain credit for this class you must meet these standards at the proficient or mastery level. 

Course grades are usually broken down as follows: