Grade 10 Applied History /

Character Project: Culminating Activity

Task: Stage 3- World War II (News Report)

Students will demonstrate an understanding and give a critical analysis of a pivotal event from World War II in which your character participated. The news report must be written on ONE of the following topics:

  • Newspaper article describing the events of the Holocaust. The article will be include quotes from your character will describe his /herreaction to the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis during WWII.
    OR
  • Newspaper article describing a pivotal battle in which your character participated (ie. D-Day, Italian Campaign, Battle of Britain, Liberation of the Netherlands). The article will be include quotes from your character which will describe his / her reaction to the key battle.

How to Write a News Report

A news report is written in astructure called an ‘inverted pyramid’.


1. Headline
a) approx. 6 words or less that
contains key message of the story
2. Key Facts of the Issue
a) Lead sentence- clear factual statement of what
happened
b)Key Facts- 5Ws: Who, What, Where, When, Why
c) Picture with caption
3. Supporting Details
a) background information
b) quotes from bystanders or participants
c) any other additional details
d) concluding statement

Criteria

Depending which perspective your fictional character is writing from:

News Report on the Holocaust / News Report on a Key Battle
Newspaper article describing the events of the Holocaust. The article will be include quotes from your character will describe his /her reaction to the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis during WWII. In your article you must discuss the following:
  • why and how Hitler came to power
  • The economic conditions of Germany before the rise of the Nazis
  • Hitler’s reasons for targeting specific ethnic / religious groups
  • Hitler’s plan of extermination including details about the concentration / extermination camps
  • Canada’s and the world’s response to Hitler and the Holocaust
  • Impact of the Holocaust on the war and history
The article should include facts and a vivid and detailed description of the many realities of the Holocaust. This must be written in the form of a news report and must follow the set criteria and structure. / Newspaper article describing a pivotal battle in which your character participated (ie. D-Day, Italian Campaign, Battle of Britain, Liberation of the Netherlands). The article will be include quotes from your character which will describe his / her reaction to the key battle. In your article you must discuss the following:
  • Where / when the battle took place and Canada’s role
  • Key reasons for the battle / key individuals
  • Technology / weapons used
  • Planning of the battle and execution
  • Results of the battle
  • Impact of the battle on the war and on Canada

The article should include facts and a vivid and detailed description of the many realities of the World War II and the battle. This must be written in the form of anews report and must follow the set criteria and structure.

WWII News Report: Rubric

CATEGORY / Level 4 / Level 3 / Level 2 / Level 1
K/U
Content of News Report / -exceptional article that establishes a clear purpose in the lead paragraph and demonstrates a very clear and accurate understanding of the topic / -proficient article that establishes a clear purpose in the lead paragraph and demonstrate a clear and accurate understanding of the topic. / -adequate article that attempts to establish a purpose in the lead paragraph and demonstrate some understanding of the topic. / -article needs to establishes a more clear purpose in the lead paragraph and demonstrate a more clear understanding of the topic.
Application
Organization / Structure / -detailed report that follows all criteria of a news report
-news report is exceptionally concise, organized and ideas progress smoothly and logically
/ -detailed report that follows most of criteria of a news report
-news report is concise, organized and ideas progress smoothly and logically / -report could be more detailed and needs to follow all criteria of a news report
-news report is somewhat concise, organized and ideas need to progress more logically / -report lacks detail and needs to follow all criteria of a news report
-news report needs to be more concise, organized and logical
Thinking / Inquiry
Article - Quotes Supporting Details / -Exceptional selection of quotes and additional details that enhance the article and create a very clear and vivid report / -Great selection of quotes and additional details that enhance the article and create a clear and vivid report / -Adequate selection of quotes and additional details that attempt to enhance the article and create a clear report / -Article contains little to no quotes or additional details
Communication
Language / -excellent use of language that is objective, unbiased and highlights the key facts
- excellent language conventions / -good use of language that is objective, unbiased and highlights the key facts
- good language conventions with minimal errors / -adequate use of language that is objective, unbiased and highlights the key facts
- some errors in language conventions / -poor use of language that is not always objective or unbiased
- many unnecessary errors in language conventions