GRADUATION PROJECT - Spring Grove Area School District...Graduation Project Responsibilities The...
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GRADUATION PROJECT Student Handbook SPRING GROVE AREA HIGH SCHOOL SPRING GROVE, PENNSYLVANIA 2012-2013
Transcript of GRADUATION PROJECT - Spring Grove Area School District...Graduation Project Responsibilities The...
GRADUATION PROJECT Student Handbook
SPRING GROVE AREA HIGH SCHOOL
SPRING GROVE, PENNSYLVANIA
2012-2013
SPRING GROVE AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT
MISSION STATEMENT
Quality education prepares students to assume adult roles as responsible citizens,
family members, workers and lifelong learners by attending to their intellectual and
developmental needs.
The mission of the Spring Grove Area School District, in partnership with
families, businesses, and community organizations, is to provide active learning
environments which will challenge and motivate all students to attain their full potential
and reach proficiency on state assessments while preparing them for the future.
The Spring Grove Area School District will provide all students the opportunity to
acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to become the following:
Self-directed lifelong learners and problem-solvers in a dynamic, global society; Adaptive users of advanced technologies; Responsible caretakers of the global environment; Collaborative, high-quality contributors to the economic and cultural life of their communities; Caring, supportive family and community members, emphasizing strong moral and ethical values and the belief in liberty, equality, and freedom.
DIVERSITY STATEMENT: We will treat all people with equality, dignity, and
respect; we will educate all students to understand, accept, and value all members of
the world community; and we invite the community at large to join with us in
support of this mission.
PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
CHAPTER 4 REGULATIONS
SECTION 4.24 (a)
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
In order to graduate from high school, a student shall complete a project in one or more
areas of concentrated study under the guidance and direction of the high school faculty.
The purpose of the project, which may include research, writing, or some other
appropriate form of demonstration, is to assure that the student is able to apply, analyze,
synthesize and evaluate information and communicate significant knowledge and
understanding.
Definition and Goals of the Graduation Project
The Graduation Project must be successfully completed as one of the
requirements to qualify for a Spring Grove Area High School diploma. Under the
direction of a high school faculty advisor, the student develops and completes a project
consisting of two components: a tangible product and an oral presentation. The project
will be completed during the junior year. One (1.00) credit will be awarded for the
successful completion of the Graduation Project.
A goal of the Graduation Project is to challenge the student to go beyond the
learning experiences that occur as the result of the prescribed educational program. It
challenges the student to demonstrate intellectual and creative abilities. By providing
opportunities for the student to expand personal knowledge, explore career paths, and
apply learning to real-life situations, the Graduation Project fosters personal growth and
promotes lifelong learning. Additionally, the completed project may be used to
demonstrate the student’s skills and abilities for prospective employers or admissions
personnel.
Graduation Project Responsibilities The student will….
Select an original topic, not used for another class project, in the area of personal interest.
Meet established deadlines on the Graduation Project Deadlines form that will be
checked by an advisor.
Submit a Graduation Project Proposal by the middle of the first marking period.
Meet with the advisor until all requirements have been fulfilled.
Submit, as applicable, a rough draft of a paper, digital draft of a project, an Academic
Project Journal, Tangible Product Log or a Community Service / Career Internship Log.
Complete and submit all work 10 school days before the end of the second marking
period.
Schedule an oral presentation.
All projects may be displayed at the Academic Exposition held in February 2013.
The project advisor will…
Approve the project proposal.
Guide the student throughout the Graduation Project process.
Approve the research methods.
Keep a file of student progress, including the required paperwork forms.
Notify the student, administrator(s), and parent(s) of satisfactory, unsatisfactory progress.
Participate in the evaluation process.
Submit the project grade to the Guidance Department.
The parent/guardian will…
Approve in writing the Graduation Project Proposal for the graduation project.
Sign the Graduation Project Proposal.
Monitor student progress in completing the steps of the Graduation Project process.
General Graduation Project Guidelines
1. Each student will be assigned a project advisor under whose direction he/she will
remain until the Graduation Project process is completed.
2. Advisory time will take place during homeroom period or as a special schedule.
3. The topic for the Graduation Project must be original and not one used to fulfill
a requirement for another class. It must be unique to this project.
4. After the Graduation Project Proposal is completed and signed, the student will not be
able to change the project topic, unless approved by the advisor for good
academic reason.
5. The student must adhere to the timeline for all project tasks. Failure to do so will
result in a grade of U on his/her report card and could result in loss of some
privileges.
6. A Graduation Project deadline sheet will be kept by the student until the completion
of the project.
7. All forms and parts of the project must be submitted in the sequence
specified in the Graduation Project deadline sheet. The Graduation Project
Student Handbook and all forms are available on Edline.
8. All students must schedule and present a 7 - 10 minute oral presentation of their
Graduation Projects. The oral presentation should demonstrate comprehension of
the topic and effective speaking skills with appropriate visuals. The student may
be asked to respond to questions as part of the evaluation. Expectations for the
oral presentation are available in the evaluation rubric.
9. Any student who fails to complete his/her project by the end of the second marking
period may receive an F, and may thereafter lose privileges of open study and
senior release. These students will be required to continue meeting with their
advisor until they have satisfactorily completed all work. The advisor will have 10
days to evaluate work turned in by the student.
10. Failure to complete the project will prevent graduating from the Spring Grove
Area Senior High School.
Research Paper Guidelines 1. Students must develop a graduation Project Proposal.
2. The written report must be presented in a word-processed format. The research paper
will follow the format recommended by the Modern Language Association
(MLA). See the sample research paper and forms in the Appendix.
3. A works cited page with a minimum of five (5) sources must accompany the research
paper. This must be completed using MLA format.
4. Parenthetical citations must be incorporated into the body of the research paper.
5. The body of the research paper must be eight to ten (8-10) double-spaced pages,
using one inch (1") margins, standard 12 point type, and Arial or Times New
Roman font.
6. The research paper must be submitted in final form and accepted by the end of the
second marking period for a passing grade.
Community Service, Career Internship and Academic
Presentation Guidelines
1. Students must develop a Graduation Project Proposal.
2. Students doing a community service or career internship must do a minimum of
twenty-four (24) hours of service, account for the time on the Volunteer Record
Sheet and have their mentor sign the sheet to verify their time.
3. Students involved in activities such as Envirothon, Robotics, and Science Olympiad
may use this experience for an academic presentation. Paid positions are not
eligible.
4. Students must produce a Tangible Product. A product may be a physical object like an
original piece of art, charts, displays, etc.; performance based as a scientific
experiment or culinary display; or a PowerPoint or digital movie. The
product must be student-created and documented using forms such as journal
entries, photographs, and logs. All digital images and data must be cited.
5. The Tangible Product must be submitted in final form and accepted by the end of the
second marking period for a passing grade.
Graduation Project
Junior Year
Project Type: choose one
A. Community B. Career C. Academic or
Service Internship Research Project
School improvement SPCA Develop Web Site
Volunteer: Business Life Skills Portfolio
Hospital Theater Develop a Magazine
Nursing Home Teacher or Ezine
Fire Dept. Day Care Center Science Olympiad
Community Center Veterinarian Robotics
Habitat for Humanity Envirothon
Oral History
D. Research Paper
Oral Presentation:
A. Technology PowerPoint
MovieMaker
Digital Pictures
Web Site
Photostory
Wiki
GRADUATION PROJECT PROPOSAL Student Name ________________________________ Date__________________________ Project Title _____________________________________________________________________ Project Type – circle one: A. Community Service B. Career Internship C. Research/Academic Brief Description – Look at specific project requirements to use as an outline for your proposal. Continue on back if needed. List 2-4 goals you wish to accomplish: Plan for oral & visual requirement: Student Signature ____________________________________________________Date: ____________ Parent or Guardian Signature __________________________________________ Date: ____________ Advisor Signature ____________________________________________________Date: ____________ This section is required for Career Internship & Community Service type projects: Mentor’s / Project Supervisor's name _______________________________________________________ Mentor’s / Project Supervisor's title and place of employment or reason for expertise ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Mentor’s / Project Supervisor's Address_______________________________________________________ City, State, Zip __________________________________________________________________________ Telephone Number ______________________________________________________________________ Mentor's / Project Supervisor’s Signature _______________________________ Date: __________
This form is due on or before _____________________________________
Graduation Project Deadlines
First Marking Period Completed___________
Meet with advisor
Review handbook
Return your signed Graduation Project Proposal by mid
marking period (date) ________________
Research paper
Present evidence of research progress
Evidence includes items such as sources of information,
project outline, note cards, etc.
OR
Service/internship/project
Have service/intern/tangible product log approved/checked or
Have academic project journal of (Olympiad)
approved/checked
Second Marking Period Completed___________
Review work to date
Submit rough draft of research paper with comment sheet attached
Submit rough digital draft or tangible product
Submit visuals
Submit completed journals and logs
Complete and submit all work 10 school days before the end of the
2nd marking period (date) _________________
Submit final copy of research paper
Submit digital product
Submit tangible product
Oral presentation
Present project orally during graduation project dates in 1st and
2nd
marking periods.
All projects may be displayed at the Academic Exposition held in
February 2013.
COMMUNITY SERVICE / CAREER INTERNSHIP LOG
Name____________________________
Project Title_______________________________________
Project Supervisor__________________________________
You need to record your activities and time spent in community service or
internship. Your project supervisor must sign off on the activities as you log
them. You must have a total of twenty-four (24) hours.
DATE
ACTIVITY HOURS SIGNATURE
OF SUPERVISOR
ACADEMIC PROJECT JOURNAL
Name____________________________
Project Title_______________________________________
Project Supervisor__________________________________
You need to record your activities and time spent on Envirothon, Science
Olympiad, Robotics, etc. Your project supervisor must sign off on the
activities as you log them in the journal.
DATE
ACTIVITY HOURS SIGNATURE
OF SUPERVISOR
TANGIBLE PRODUCT LOG
Name____________________________
Project Title_______________________________________
Project Supervisor__________________________________
You need to record your activities and time spent on gathering materials,
design, product construction, etc. Your project supervisor must sign off on
the activities as you log them in the journal.
DATE
ACTIVITY HOURS SIGNATURE
OF SUPERVISOR
Tangible Product Examples:
Physical, hands-on:
Original art
Charts developed through research
Cooked or baked products
Apparel
Construction of a building
Model, not from a kit
Automotive technology
Computer construction
Media based:
Movie
PowerPoint
Web site
Digital Photography
Evidence based:
Surveys
Science experiment
Lessons
Oral history
Performance:
Play
Music
TANGIBLE PRODUCT EVALUATION
Student: __________________________
Project Title: ___________________________________
Grade: _______ Satisfactory (16 points or better)
_______ Work in progress (0 - 15 points)
Criteria
3
Exceeds
Expectations
2
Meets
Expectations
1
Work in
Progress
Meets hours on task requirement.
Demonstrates effective use of
planning and development skills.
Product production demonstrates
critical thinking and analytical skills.
Demonstrates effective use of
technology. Digital images and data
are cited using MLA style as needed.
Student's efforts demonstrate a
relevant link to the project proposal.
The project was completed as
planned.
The student chose a challenging
product and acquired new skills or
learning.
Demonstrates connection to real
world situations.
Oral Presentation Evaluation
Community Service/Internship/Project
Student: __________________________
Project Title: ___________________________________
Grade: _______ Satisfactory (20 points or better)
_______ Work in progress (0 - 19 points)
Criteria
3
Exceeds
Expectations
2
Meets
Expectations
1
Work in
Progress
There is an introduction that engages the
listener and presents the goal.
The presentation is organized and presents
understanding of the project.
The presentation uses appropriate
technology, PowerPoint, digital
photography, etc., for a professional look.
The technology enhances the presentation. Transitions connect the flow of the
presentation.
Tone, volume and pace enhance the
presentation.
There is eye contact with the audience and
natural gestures that enhance the
presentation.
Vocabulary and enunciation are
appropriate for the audience.
Presentation meets the 7 - 10 minute
presentation frame.
The conclusion reviews the goal and there
is a reflection on the project process.
Research Paper Forms
The following forms are used only if you have chosen to
write a research paper.
A research paper is the required tangible product for this
option. The Tangible Product Evaluation form that
precedes this section does not apply to the research paper.
The research paper is evaluated using the Written Report
Evaluation form that follows.
Graduation Project Rough Draft of Research Paper
Comment/Cover Sheet
Student's Name:________________________________
The following is a checklist that must be completed before a final
copy of the written report will be accepted for grading.
_____ Graduation Project Proposal submitted and approved.
_____ Sources of information have been approved.
_____ Rough draft is typed and in MLA format.
_____ Research paper has an introductory paragraph that
includes:
the thesis (point you're making) of the
research
why you chose the topic
what you expect to learn from the research
_____ Works cited page uses MLA format and has a minimum
of 5 sources. Encyclopedias, and Wikipedia may not be
used.
_____ Report is 8 - 10 pages, double spaced with one inch
margins and standard 12-point type in Arial or
Times New Roman.
Comments/Suggestions:
Written Report Evaluation
Student: ______________________________
Project Title:_________________________________________
Grade: _______ Satisfactory (18 points or better)
_______ Work in Progress (0 - 17 points)
The grade for your report was determined according to the following
criteria:
Criteria
3
Exceeds
Expectations
2
Meets
Expectations
1
Work In
Progress
The first page of the research paper, and those
following it, are prepared according to the
MLA Handbook.
There is an introductory paragraph which
states the thesis (purpose).
The thesis is adequately supported by the
information presented.
There is quoted material in the paper, smoothly
integrated into the text, and correctly cited,
according to the MLA Handbook, with
parenthetical documentation.
The research paper has few spelling and
grammatical errors and used correct
mechanics.
The paper is well organized.
There is an effective use of available materials.
The conclusion restates the thesis and logically
ends the research paper.
The Works Cited page contains the required
minimum sources, and they are correctly cited
according to the MLA Handbook.
Oral Presentation Evaluation - Research Paper
Student: __________________________
Project Title: ___________________________________
Grade: _______ Satisfactory (20 points or better)
_______ Work in progress (0 - 19 points)
Criteria
3
Exceeds
Expectations
2
Meets
Expectations
1
Work in
Progress
There is an introduction that engages the
listener and presents the thesis (purpose).
The presentation is organized and is
focused around a central thesis.
The information presented is supported by
authoritative sources, statistics and/or
examples.
Supporting information is smoothly
integrated into the presentation.
Visual aids are appropriate to the
presentation and make good use of
technology.
Transitions connect the flow of the
presentation.
Tone, volume and pace enhance the
presentation.
There is eye contact with the audience and
natural gestures that enhance the
presentation.
Vocabulary and enunciation are
appropriate for the audience.
The conclusion reviews the thesis
(purpose) and there is a reflection on the
project process.
Appendix
Statement on Plagiarism
How to Cite Your Resources
MLA Works Cited Guide
Citing a Print Image
Citing an Online Image
Sample Research Paper
Sample PowerPoint Slide with Cited Image
Plagiarism
Definition:
According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to plagiarize
means
to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own :
use (another's production) without crediting the source intransitive
verb :
to commit literary theft :
present as new and original an idea or product derived from an
existing source.
Plagiarism refers to a form of cheating that has been defined as the "false
assumption of authorship; the wrongful act of taking the product of another
person's mind, and presenting it as one's own." (MLA 26).
In the United States original ideas are considered intellectual property and
are protected by copyright laws, just like inventions and logos. To prevent
plagiarizing you should do the following:
o If you are unsure about something check with your Graduation
Project advisor.
o Take good notes and thoroughly record the sources of those
notes.
o When in doubt cite the source.
o Know how to correctly paraphrase.
o Distinguish between primary and secondary sources.
o Try to establish a division between your ideas and those taken
from your sources. Preparing an outline may be useful.
How to Cite Your Resources
The List of Works Cited
As the heading Works Cited indicates, this list contains only the works and
resources you actually cite in your text. Any resources actually used in the
preparation of your written research paper should be included. If you looked
at seven books and interviewed three people, but only refer to the
information from four of those books and two of the interviews, only those
six sources would appear on the Works Cited page of your research paper.
Every item on the Works Cited page should appear in the parenthetical
documentation within your written report (see below).
NOTE:
Lines after the first line of each entry are indented.
The entire list is double spaced.
Entries are listed in alphabetical order using the author's last
name, title or first entry word.
Entries are not numbered.
Parenthetical Documentation
You must indicate to your readers exactly what information you used from
each source and exactly where in the work you found the material. The most
practical way to supply this information is to insert a brief parenthetical
reference in your paper wherever you incorporate another's words, facts or
ideas. Usually the author's last name and a page reference are enough to
identify the source and the specific location from which you borrowed the
material. Sources without page numbers would use the author's name only
and sources without authors would use the title or a shortened version of it.
Use these parenthetical references for all quoted material, as well as for all
other ideas that come from outside sources.
Example:
It is important to remember when preparing the written report that
"references in the text must clearly point to specific sources in the list of
works cited" (MLA Handbook 184).
To help you correctly cite your sources you may use the following:
www.citationmachine.net
Citation machine's website says:
C I T A T I O N M A C H I N E Citation Machine is an interactive web tool designed to assist high school, college,
and university students, their teachers, and independent researchers in their effort
to respect other people's intellectual properties. To use Citation Machine, simply...
1. Click the citation format you need and then the type of resource you wish to cite,
2. Complete the Web form that appears with information from your source, and
3. Click Make Citations to generate standard bibliographic and in-
text citations.
Our school website: www.sgasd.org
click on :
Our Schools
Middle School
Curriculum Links
MLA Format
MLA Works Cited Guide (2007-2008)
Modern Language Association Compiled by Mrs. Heiser using the rules from the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers – Sixth Edition
Print Materials (Not computers)
Book with One Author
Author (Last name, First name). Title of Book. Place of
Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
Example:
Davis, Lucille. Alabama. New York: Children’s Press, 1991.
Book with Two or Three Authors
Author (First author’s name listed is reversed; second is in
order). Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year
of Publication.
Example:
Ainsley, Frank W., Linda L. Greenow, and Gary S. Elbow.
World Geography. New Jersey: Silver Burdett Ginn, 1998.
Books with More Than Three Authors
Name of first author (reversed), et. al. Title of Book. Place of
Publication:
Publisher, Year of Publication.
Example:
Rogers, Kirsten, et. al. The Usborne Internet-Linked Science
Encyclopedia.
London, England: Usborne, 2000.
Books with an Editor
Name of the editor, ed. Title of the Book. Place of Publication:
Publisher, Year of
Publication.
Example:
Barish, Wendy, ed. Scholastic Atlas of the World. New York:
Scholastic, 2001.
Encyclopedia
Author (Last name, First name) [if given]. “Title of Article.”
Title of Encyclopedia. Edition.
Example:
Mitchell, Robert D. and Edward C. Paperfuse. “Maryland.” The
World Book
Encyclopedia. 2005 ed.
Magazine
Author (Last name, First name). “Title of Article.” Title of
Magazine Date (Day Month Year): Page Number(s).
Example:
Weed, William. “Astronomy’s Big Things.” Popular Science
May 2005: 72-81.
Newspaper
Author (Last name, First name) [if given]. “Title of Article.” Title
of Newspaper Date (Day Month Year): Section and Page.
Example:
Sandomir, Richard. “Are You Ready for Some ESPN?” The
York Daily Record 19 April 2005: B1.
Computers
Website (skip parts that you cannot find!!!)
Author (Last name, First name). Title of Website. Latest update.
Sponsoring College or Organization. Date of visit (Day
Month Year) <web address>.
Example:
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 2005. United
States Holocaust Memorial Council. 3 June 2005
<http://lib.siu.edu/projects/usgrant/history.html>.
Document from an Internet Site (newspaper, book, magazine,
etc.)
Author. “Title of Article.” Name of Book or Periodical. Volume or
Issue. Date of
Publication: Pages. Name of Database. Name of
Subscription Service.
Date of Access <URL of Database Homepage>.
Example:
Poliak, Lisa. “Teen Crime Adult Time.” Junior Scholastic. Vol.
107. 24 Jan. 2005:
12. MasterFile Premier. EBSCOhost. 20 May 2005
<www.epnet.com>.
Citing a Print Image (a picture cut with scissors from a book, magazine, etc.) Image author's last name, first name if available, followed by a period and a space
Title of photo followed by a period, in quotation marks. If no title, describe briefly within
quotation marks.
Descriptive word (photo, map, cartoon, drawing, graph, chart, image, etc,) followed by a
period and a space
The remaining citation information should follow the appropriate format for the source, i.e.
book, newspaper, magazine, etc.
Complete the entry by adding the page number for the image followed by a period.
example:
Berryman, Liz. "Market in Lijiang." Photograph. Ferroa, Peggy. China.
New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2002, 37.
Citing an Online Image
IMAGES OR PICTURES THAT YOU USE IN A PRESENTATION OR PAPER MUST
BE CITED. Only those that are obtained from royalty free clip art, such as the clip art built
into Microsoft Word or PowerPoint do not need to be cited. If you are citing an image found
by Google Images or any other image retrieval service, be certain to cite the image in its
original context. See the example on the next page. If you are doing a project, put all of the
citations in alphabetical order on your Works Cited page and also put the web address under
the image. If you are not doing a Works Cited page, put the full citation under the image.
Image creator's last name, first name, if available, or page author's name if available,
followed by a period and a space
Title of photo followed by a period, in quotation marks. If no title, describe briefly within
quotation marks.
Descriptive word (image) followed by a period and a space
Website publication date in DD Mo. YYYY format followed by a period and a space
Website title underlined or in italics, followed by a period and a space
Date image was viewed in DD Mo. YYYY format followed by a space
Web address in angle brackets, followed by a period
example:
Associated Press. “White House Holiday Card.” Photo. 03 Dec. 1997. AP Photo Archive.
1 October 2007 < http://accuweather.ap.org>.
Suzuki, Lea. "Mick Jaggar." Photo. 14 Nov. 2005. SFGate.com. 1 October 2007
<http://www.sfgate.com>.
This is a sample of how to cite an image found by using the Google search
engine. Notice that you go to the web page to get the information for the citing. Use the
address where it says, “Below is the image in its original context on the page…”
Look beneath to see how to correctly cite this page.
“White House Picture.” Image. 2007. Visiting DC. Com. 1 July 2007
<www.visitingdc.com/…white-house-picture.htm>.
another example
"Financial Highlights.” Image. 27 Feb. 2007. PepsiCo. 1 July 2007
<http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=78265&p=irol-reportsannual>.
Use the above format for the various images you find on the Internet. This
includes graphs, cartoons, pictures, charts, paintings, etc.
Notes
1. Arrange all sources alphabetically by the first word in the entry.
2. Do not put numbers in front of each entry.
3. When a piece of information is missing, skip it and move
everything else over.
4. Double space all lines.
5. Indent the second and following lines 5 spaces (1 Tab).
6. If no author is given, start with the title.
7. Use the most recent copyright date.
8. Use the first city of publication when there is more than one.
9. Abbreviate the names of all months except May, June, and July.
10. For Internet images, cite the source from which you took the
image. Follow the sample in this packet.
11. If a URL is too long, give the URL of the search page or the
home page.
12. URL means “Uniform Resource Locator” or Internet Address.
13. A bibliography is a list of sources containing your research
topic. A works cited
page contains the sources you actually used.
14. These pages contain examples for the sources you will use the
most. For other situations, see Mr. Miller for help.
15. This guide is posted on Edline under “Media Center” and on the
Spring Grove Middle School home page.
(Notes in parenthesis within this packet contain hints for you and are not part of the citations).
Sample Research Paper
Margaret Dumont
Mr. Groucho Marx
Graduation Project
1 March 2000
Producing a Newspaper
Ever since I was a small child I have enjoyed reading newspapers. Prior
to the time when I could read, I would look at the comics and pictures and
pretend I could read while my parents browsed their favorite sections. Now that I
am able to actually read the newspaper, I am very interested in this form of
communication. I am amazed that important events that occur around us are so
quickly detailed, printed, and distributed to a large population. Because of my
interest and enjoyment of newspapers, I decided I would like to learn more about
producing a newspaper. I chose to research this topic for my graduation project.
My goal is to learn what is involved in producing a newspaper.
Producing a newspaper requires coordinating many departments and
skills. Editors, reporters, and photographers are on the frontlines and under
pressure to meet deadlines. Supporting their efforts may be other people,
including truck drivers, printing-press operators, advertising salespeople, and
artists. Gathering the news is the first step in the production of a newspaper. A
paper gets the news it prints from two mains sources: its own reporters and wire
services.
Dumont 2
A newspaper employs several types of reporters. Many reporters cover a
specialty called a beat. Some beat reporters are assigned to particular buildings,
including city hall, police headquarters, and the criminal courts (Gross 166).
Other beat reporters cover a particular subject, such as science, education, and
consumer affairs. Certain other reporters, called “general assignment reporters,
cover any story to which they are assigned or which they find on their own”
(Lyons 42). A general assignment reporter may assist a beat reporter if too
many stories break on a beat for one person to handle.
The news staff of a big-city paper also includes investigative reporters and
stringers. Investigative reporters search out and expose wrongdoing. They may
work weeks on end to get a story or a series of stories. Stringers do not work full
time for a paper, but do occasionally turn in a story. Many stringers for big-city
newspapers have a regular job with a suburban paper or small radio station
(Newsreel 22).
The copy editor must then check the reporters’ stories. Usually, the
stories are prepared on computers that are on a network. The copy editor can
call up the story and edit it directly on the network.
Editorial writers hold meetings and select topics for the editorials. Feature
writers prepare stories on subjects they think would interest the newspaper’s
Dumont 3
readers. Newspapers also get features from feature syndicates, which resemble
news syndicates (Smith). Feature syndicates provide such items as political
cartoons, comic strips, crossword puzzles, and columns on chess, bridge,
gardening, travel, and financial matters.
Artists prepare a layout of each newspaper page. It shows where the
stories, pictures, and advertisements will appear. The workers then merge text
and graphics files (Martin 24). The pages are then ready to print.
Newspapers are printed using a method called offset lithography which
means that “the image to be printed is on the same level of the printing plate as
the areas that do not print” (Martin 23). There are two major sizes of newspapers
which are standard and tabloid. Standard newspapers have pages that measure
13 by 21 1/2 inches (33 by 55 centimeters). The pages of a tabloid are 9 3/4 by
14 3/8 inches
*This paper would continue following this format through its completion.
Dumont 12
Works Cited
Gross, Gerald. Editors on Editing. New York: Grossett & Dunlap, 1997.
Lyons, Louis and Thomas Penn. (2000 Jan. 7). “Reporting the News”. Business
Week. [Online], 42-3. Available: EBSCOhost [2000, Feb. 2].
Martin, Jack. “Editing the News for Everyone.” Newsweek 18 June 1999: 23-4.
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PowerPoint Slide
Jefferson Memorial
Architects: John R. Pope and Otto R. Eggers
Cost: $ 3 million
Dedicated: 13 April 1933
"Jefferson Memorial." World Book Advanced.2012.Web.26 March 2012 http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar286840
