Breaking News: ELLs Involved in School Newspapers May Improve Language

Presenter:David Bacherman, PhD

e-mail: dbacherman@gmail.com

Goals of Presentation

2 Primary Goals

1. Describe steps to carry out newspaper project

2. Discuss the benefits of implementation.

Goals of PresentationPresentation Outline

PART 1 HOW DID THE NEWSPAPER PROJECT START?

PART 2 WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE ADVISOR?

PART 3 WHAT ARE THE BASIC NEWS STORY TYPES?

PART 4 HOW IS THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER PRODUCED?

PART 5 HOW DO STUDENTS BENEFIT FROM A NEWSPAPER PROJECT?

PART 6 WHAT CONCEPTS ARE BEHNID THE NEWSPAPER PROJECT?

SUMMARY & QUESTIONS

PART 1:

HOW DID THE NEWSPAPER

PROJCT START ?

Background to Newspaper Project

Interest in Curriculum Development

•expand curriculum in a novel way

•student-centered

•visible product

Solution = student newspaper

Background to Newspaper Project

Student papers: longstanding & widespread tradition in many countries:•USA: Yale News, Yale Uni, 1878•Canada: The Dalhousie Gazette, Dalhousie Uni., 1868.•UK: The Student, Uni. of Edinburgh1887

But: Student Paper not universal (e.g. Saudi); Students-ltd prior knowledge.

The Rocket was Inaugurated

Fall, 2007 Fall, 2008

Background to Newspaper Project

Background to Newspaper ProjectThe Rocket was Inaugurated

Spring, 2009 Spring, 2010

PART 2:

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF

THE ADVISOR?

Role of the Advisor•ultimate responsibility for creation and production of paper; •achieved via 4 Tasks:1.

Define newspaper’s purpose

2. Professional and Technical Tasks

3. Newspaper Management Tasks

4. Environment Tasks

1. Defining Newspaper’s PurposeFocus on improving writing?

More time devoted to writing process

Focus on issuing paper?

More time to developing stories & creative layouts.

Role of the Advisor

Utilization of Time & Funds

2. Professional & Technical Tasks

•Journalism Style

•Design and Layout

•Publishing Software

•Digital Photography and Photography

Editing software.

Role of the Advisor

3. Newspaper Management Tasks

•Assigning jobs: writers, editors non-story (layout, graphics, advertising).

•Provide instruction, feedback and motivation for staff.

•Newspaper Beats?

Role of the Advisor

Traditional Alternative

news, sports, features, opinion, business

English levels (beginner, inter, etc.)

Role of the Advisor4. Environmental Tasks

Legal Environment •Hazelwood vs Kuhlmeier, Sup Ct., 1988•“The Spectrum” -- student pregnancy/divorce• student newspapers – lower level of 1st amendment.• Schools – reasons to censor: “ungrammatical, poorly written, inadequately

researched, biased or prejudice, vulgar or profane, or unsuitable for immature audiences” and “inconsistent with basic educational mission” (Osborn, 1998, p 54)

•dependent vs independent (public forum) – clear this with your school

Role of the Advisor

4. Environmental Tasks (cont.)

Ethical Environment• controversial topics & community; differences between staff & community values; guide students who want to write controversial issues.

PART 3:

WHAT ARE THE BASIC

NEWS STORY TYPES?

  News Feature

interesting or important events happening now or just concluded.

interesting, enjoyable or helpful to know, but lacking immediacy or significance of straight news

Writing strategy

5W+H Story-Mapping

Two Basic Story Types: News & Feature

5W + H: coincides with Wh- questions in beginning curriculum.

5W + H

5W + H Definitions

Who: Who are the important people in the story?

What What happened?

When: When did the event(s) happen?

Where: Where did the event(s) happen?

Why: Why did the event(s) happen?

How: How did the event happen?

5W + H – Teaching with a Model

5W + H: Scaffolded Practice

Students Create Outline

Students Create Final Sentences

Student-Produced Story through 5W + H

1. WHO I am a student

S + V + PN

2. WHAT I study at the military college.

S+V + Prep P.

3. WHEN I joined the military in 2007.

S + V + DO + Prep Ph.

4. WHERE The military college is in Riyadh.

S + V + Prep Ph.

5. WHY I joined the military because my father is in the military.

S + V + O (subordinatomg conj.) S + V + Prep Ph.

5W + H Inverted Pyramid

Lower-level Students

Higher-Level Students

Students Create Draft & Final

Inverted pyramid - traditional

5W + H (1st para)

details

details

details

Students Create Draft &

Final

*details: expansions of 5W + H

details

*level: greatest-least importance

Students Create Draft & Final

5 W + H

Who?

What?

How?

•spontaneous, development; good for groups

Story-Mapping

Story Mapping Example

Story Mapping In Action

Lower Level LearnersCulturally-relevant photos: people, places, animals, music, food, sports, tradition & history.

Story Ideas

Stories Written from Photo PromptsStory Ideas

Grading

Task Value

Outline / Story Map 20%

1st draft 30%

Final 50%

Total 100%

Error Correction & GradingError Correction – Reflect Level of Student

Obstructions to message

Native-speaker prose

PART 4:

HOW IS THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER PRODUCED?

Headlines Headline Rules

a serif & non-serif(same/unrelated)

overly stylized and ELLs?

News and feature stories

News and Feature

News and Feature

Headlines Exception: Headline Rule

Unusual fonts for one-off stories

Headlines

Headline Stretch & Shrink Function for fine adjustments

Headlines

Create headline variety within serif / non-serif:

1st letter cap + smalls vs. all caps

Students Prepare for Exams

STUDENTS PREPARE FOR EXAMS

bold vs. not bold School Undergoes Expansion

School Undergoes Expansion

italicize vs. non-italics.

ANTI-SMOKING CAMPAIGN BEGINS

ANTI-SMOKING CAMPAIGN BEGINS

no underline vs. underline

Commencement Speaker Chosen

Commencement Speaker Chosen

Headlines

Story LayoutModular Layout: Rectangles with 4 Elements

1. headline2. story text font size: 9 or 11

3. byline - use smaller or different font than story text (also applies for picture captions)

4. graphic detail

graphic , pull quote, story box, sidebar; resize when required.

GENERAL GOAL – DRAW READER INTO STORY

Avoid Gray Blocks

Story Layout

modular: no carry-over,prevents gray blocks

4 elements modular layout

Story Layout

text

graphic

headline

byline

Modular Story Layout with Creative Photo Editing

•headline•byline•text•graphic

Story Layout

Modular Story Layout + Pull Quote

a pull-quote

Story Layout

Front Page:

good lead,photo or graphic,appropriate headline

PAGE LAYOUT

Page Layout• important stories above fold line, 1 central story

left-right movement

Story Layout

Page Layout

avoid top-bottom movement!

Page Layout

rule adjacentheadlines

Page Layoutdouble truck; off-center alignment; magazine look

Page Layoutdouble truck close-up; impromptu photo shoot

Page Layoutdouble-truck, off-center, easier reading

banner (logo, nameplate) at top

• reflects character of newspaper and organization• largest font size (72+)• runs width of page• volume, issue and date• consistency to issues

Page Layout

vary column widths across rows

Page Layout

Page Layout

group unrelated stories:

“short stories”

“fiction”

“best essays”

masthead essential:

• volume, issue #• location of

school• editorial page

optional:• logo• founding date• editor(s)• complete

address

space is adjustable

Page Layout

folio line – continuity among issues

essential:newspaper namevolume & issuepage number

optional:date, section, logo

Page Layout

advertisements – bottom, side or both

Page Layout

uniform spacing (1/4 cm between stories; ½ cm – 1 cm from text border-paper edge); white space important

Page Layout

Layout

templates,allows creativity,learning curve

simpler, more work for complicated layouts.

Photographs & Images

allows creativity, learning curve

simple but limited

software recommendations

GIMP

free, allows creativity

Page Layout

find best printer / budget; consider outcome

Production

end of semester, school year so students can show most advanced abilities.

When to Publish?

SE OC NO DE JAN

FE MA AP

MA JUN

JU AU

PUBLISH PUBLISH

PART 5:

HOW DO STUDENTS

BENEFIT FROM THE

NEWSPAPER PROJECT ?

Benefits to Students

*

Value of Understanding Benefits

justification :• yourself• administration• student and others

1. English Language Skills 2. Personal Skills

necessary, convince decision-makers

Benefits – English Languagestudy author1982 Blinn (unpublished PhD dissertation,

Ohio Uni. )1987 JEA study1988 ACT study1992 Olson. Journalism Educator1995 Olson, Dickson. Journalism Educator1998 Dvorak. Journalism & Mass

Communication Educator2008 ACT-NAAF

English Language Skills Measured by ACT(Example Test Questions Located in Appendices)Punctuation: correct usage of: commas, colons, semicolons, dashes, parentheses, apostrophes and quotation, question, and exclamation marks.

Organization: Order, coherence and unity

Grammar: correct usage of adjectives and adverbs; conjunctions; agreement of subject and verb; and pronouns and antecedents.

Strategy: correct tone for audience & purpose; and strengthening of writing with appropriate supporting material.

Sentence Structure: Relationships between/among clauses, placement of modifiers, and shifts in construction.

Style: Precision and appro. choice of words & images; avoidance of ambiguous pronoun refs; and economy in writing.

Benefits – English Language

Benefits – English Language

ACT – NAAF (News Assoc. America Foun)

Study of 2008

•random selection 31,175 ACT test-takers, 2003-2007

•20% (6,137) involved in student newspaper/yearbook.

ACT ENGLISH SCORE

ACT READING505254565860626466

PERCENTILE SCORES, JOURNALISM & NON-JOURNALISM STUDENTS FOR ACT

JOURNALISMNO JOURNALISM

59TH 59TH

Benefits – English Language

J – better than 64 %

J – better than 58 %

65TH

56TH

HS ENG: SR YR HS FL: SR YR3.15

3.2

3.25

3.3

3.35

3.4

3.45

3.5

3.55 JOURNALISM

NO JOURNALISM

3.37

Benefits – English Language HIGH SCHOOL GPAs, SR YEAR

3.52

3.42

3.29

1ST YEAR ENGLISH2.88

2.9

2.92

2.94

2.96

2.98

3

3.02

3.04

3.06JOURNALISM

NO JOURNALISM

2.94

Benefits – English Language GPA, FRESHMAN ENGLISH CLASS

3.05

Personal Skills

Benefits – Personal SkillsPersonal Skills

(likely applicable for younger learners)

•Learn about the power of writing for the public.

•Spark interest in a career path.

•Learning how to work on deadlines.

•Learning to work with adults.

•Learn leadership roles w/in newspaper.

•Learn to make ethical decisions, giving both sides a hearing.

•Learn about relevant technologies.

•Become more deeply involved in school.

PART 6:

WHAT CONCEPTS ARE

RELEVANT TO THE

NEWSPAPER PROJECT?

Relevant Concepts Newspaper Project Utilizes the

Following:

1. Structured Approach to Writing

2. Use of Advance/Graphic Organizer

3. Authentic Audience

4. Authentic Assessment

; .

Relevant Concepts1. Structured Approach to Writing (Guided

Writing) for 5W + H

Definition: learner gets specific format/structure to express idea; related to audio-lingual method. Teacher - gives sentence models of each of the 5W + H; indicates similarities

Students - practice creating similar sentences.Benefit: students receive specific structures to express appropriate ideas.

2. Advance/Graphic Organizer

Definition: Pre-formatted diagram (paper or software program); central, large space for main idea +smaller surrounding spaces for 2nd level ideas; forces learner to think and organize information according to the set-up of the organizer. (other organizer types: cause/effect; problem/solution)

Benefits: easier for ELL to complete outline vs. traditional phrase/sentence type on linear, lined paper because extensive lang not needed – just 1 or 2 words; differences in ideas are sharper, clearer as 2nd-level ideas are indicated in -2 words; promotes spontaneous generation of ideas because student can perceive all categories at simultaneously –harder with a text-heavy outline = greater cognitive load.

Relevant Concepts

3. Authentic Audience

Definition: real people, not teacher; not looking for language errors; text read for message – not assessment of language skills.

Benefit: task motivation increases = *quality of writing increases (i.e. clearer message, more grammatically correct) *rate of learning increases.

Relevant Concepts

4. Authentic Assessment

Definition: a real-world challenge; procedural knowledge - student shows “how”; procedural knowledge NOT declarative knowledge.

Benefit: more explicit way to show learning occurred.

Relevant Concepts

SummaryPresentation Outline

PART 1 HOW DID THE NEWSPAPER PROJECT START?

PART 2 WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE ADVISOR?

PART 3 WHAT ARE THE BASIC NEWS STORY TYPES?

PART 4 HOW IS THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER PRODUCED?

PART 5 HOW DO STUDENTS BENEFIT FROM A NEWSPAPER PROJECT?

PART 6 WHAT CONCEPTS ARE BEHNID THE NEWSPAPER PROJECT?

ANY QUESTIONS ?

The Audience

Capt. Hadi Al-Otaibi

Mr. Philip Darby Mr. John L’Ecuyer

Mr. Greg DeWitt

Thank You !

Dunaway, M., Mersmann, M. & R. Steel (1999). A guide for teaching. Middle/junior high school journalism curriculum. Journalism Education Association: Manhattan, KS.

Dvorak, J. & Choi, C. (n.d.). High school journalism, academic performance correlate, downloaded July 12, 2009 from www.aejmc.org/topics/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Dvorak.pdf.

Egbert, J. & Hanson-Smith, E. (1999). CALL environments. Research, practice and critical issues. Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages: Alexandria, VA.

Feden, D. P. & Vogel, R. M. (2003). Methods of teaching. Applying cognitive science to promote student learning. McGraw-Hill: Boston.

Ferris, D. R. (2002). Treatment of error in second language student writing. University of Michigan Press: Ann Arbor.

References

Harrower, T. (2008). The newspaper designer’s handbook. McGraw-Hill: Boston.

Levin, M. (2004). Kids in print. Publishing a school newspaper. Morris Publishing: Kearney, NE.

Osborn, P. (1998). School newspaper adviser’s survival guide. John Wiley & Sons: San Francisco.

Roblyer, M. D. (2003). Integrating educational technology into teaching. Pearson Education: Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Swales, J. M. & Feak, C. B. (1994). Academic writing for graduate students. A course for nonnative speakers of English. University of Michigan Press: Ann Arbor.

The ACT (n.d.). Downloaded February 2, 2010 from www.actstudent.org.

Todd, L. (1987). An introduction to linguistics. Pearson: Essex, England.

References

1. Punctuation: Use and placement of commas, colons, semicolons, dashes, parentheses, apostrophes, and quotation, question, and exclamation marks.

The girl was very smart, Her grades in school were excellent.

The girl was very smart. Her grades in school were excellent.

Appendix A: ACT-Type Punctuation Question with Correction

2. Grammar: Adjectives and adverbs, conjunctions, and agreement between subject and verb and between pronouns and their antecedents.

The owner of the bicycles are going to sell them.

The owner of the bicycles is going to sell them.

Appendix B: ACT-Type Grammar Question with Correction

3. Sentence Structure: Relationships between/among clauses, placement of modifiers, and shifts in construction.

Appendix C: ACT-Type Sentence Structure Question with Correction

Screaming and shouting, the policeman attempted to control the angry man.

The policeman attempted to control the angry man who was screaming and shouting.

Appendix D: ACT-Type Organization Question with Correction

Edward is interested in travel. He has visited every continent. For example, he went to Europe in 2007 and he went to Asia in 2008. Asian countries have fast-growing economies. Also, in 2009, he went to South America.

Edward is interested in travel. He has visited every continent. For example, he went to Europe in 2007 and he went to Asia in 2008. Also, in 2009, he went to South America.

4. Organization: Order, coherence and unity

Appendix E: ACT-Type Strategy Question with Correction

High school dropouts have more difficulties in finding employment in comparison to high school graduates. For example, in a New York City survey, unemployment of dropouts was much higher than it was for graduates. In Chicago where a similar survey was done, the difference was even greater.

High school dropouts have more difficulties in finding employment in comparison to high school graduates. For example, in New York City survey, unemployment of dropouts was 11% but was only 5% for graduates. In Chicago where a similar survey was done, unemployment of dropouts was 14% but only 3% for graduates.

5. Strategy: Appropriateness of tone in relation to audience and purpose; and strengthening of writing with appropriate supporting material.

Benefits – English Language

Currently, the US Treasury estimates that there are $70 million counterfeit bills in circulation right now.

Currently, the US Treasury estimates that there are $70 million counterfeit bills in circulation right now.

6. Style: Precision and appropriateness in the choice of words and images, rhetorically effective management of sentence elements, avoidance of ambiguous pronoun references, and economy in writing.