Final Paper – ASNE High School Journalism Institute, UT Austin, June 19-July 1, 2011
Jared Hodges July 25, 2011
School Profile
Name: Vallivue High School
School Location and Environment: Vallivue High School is a high school in Caldwell, Idaho. It’s school colors, brown and gold; represent the school's rich agricultural tradition. Vallivue High School is located on the outskirts of Caldwell, Idaho. The school boundaries covers 144 miles and are the largest in the state.
Grades: 9-12
Type: Public high school
Enrollment: Approximately 1551 students enrolled with a student/teacher ratio of 19.86 %
Percentage of minorities: Vallivue High School serves a population that is economically lower class. Approximately 63% of the students are Caucasian and 32% Hispanic, and 5% are Native American and African American combined.
Overview of the Journalism-Newspaper Program:
In 2009-10, the Vallivue High School newspaper, Voices, changed from a print format to being published solely on-line with a new name being V-Magazine. Financial cutbacks played an important role in the administrator’s decision to take the school paper online. Prior to this, the print edition had been a successful school newspaper published on a bi-monthly basis. With the change in adviser and a move to a web-based format, the entire staff became disheartened and many left the journalism program within the first semester. For the 2010-11 year, we spent much of the school year trying to rebuild the program and establish ourselves as a legitimate high school journalism program.
Who can enroll?
Students who have completed the graphic communications II class may enroll into the Graphic Communications III (Journalism) course. Students who have earned a C in English II and are computer literate can also enroll. Enrollment in Graphic Communications III requires permission from the adviser.
Class and class size:
Graphic Communications III is offered one period a day. Class size is limited to 20, but recent enrollment has hovered around 10 students. Each student will contribute to publishing the newspaper. Each semester several students are dual enrolled in Graphic Communications III and the yearbook staff.
Production and technology:
V-Magazine is published bi-monthly and formatted using Illustrator, In-Design and Photoshop on five multi-media computer systems. All photos are digital or scanned. For publishing, the newspaper files are converted to .pdf and then uploaded onto the high schools web server. The publications link is accessible from the district and high school web site.
Learning Environment and Issues:
Vallivue High School is in an old-fashioned community with supportive parents. Standards for behavior and performance are high, and students are well disciplined. The facility is well maintained and comfortable. The administration is supportive of the journalism program and expects responsible and accurate reporting.
The Graphic Communications program is a comprehensive class where we welcome all students and work in cooperation to find the best way for each student to contribute to publishing our web-based magazine.
Focus of Curriculum Units and Lesson Plans:
For the 2011-12 school year, this curriculum will be used in the Graphic Communications III class.
In the past, course enrollment has been very low and the level of experience has been a factor in limiting our production capabilities. Given the production challenges and the experience level of the staff, the writing and reporting have been adequate but offer room for growth. Our greatest challenge this year is to increase student enrollment and improve quality, scope, and depth of reporting and writing both for news and features. Since the layout and design of V-Magazine have never been an issue, we will focus much of our attention on the quality of writing and reporting. Area’s in which we will focus this year will be:
Interviewing skills
· First Amendment issues, ethics, and diversity in journalism
· Feature writing
· Breadth and depth of news coverage
· Clear and concise writing
· Gathering solid leads and reporting
Assessment and evaluation:
In the past, it has been a challenge for me as an advisor to evaluate student performance and participation on newspaper staff. Staff members either completed their assigned tasks or they don’t. When this is the case, it’s easy to evaluate. However, what about when they do complete the task but the quality is very poor? This is when assessing and evaluating become more than enough to cause extra stress. Because of this, I have decided to assign each element of the newspaper production with a point value and design a rubric for each unit lesson. Having the rubric for each lesson will allow students to self evaluate during the task completion.
Lesson Plans
All Activities are worth 20 points unless otherwise noted.
Unit I
Photography: Visual Interest Using the Rule of Thirds
In this unit, we’re going to look at how to add more visual interest to our photos by cropping them using a simple, tried and true design trick known as the Rule of Thirds. Do not panic! There is no prior design knowledge necessary. Any photographer can benefit from using these methods, amateur or professional. Once you’ve been introduced to it as we’re about to do here, your photos will forever look better.
Objectives:
Students will:
· Begin taking photographs using the Rule of Thirds.
· Understand the grid system of a camera or image software program.
· Understand the maximum numbers of pixels in your images and how this determines the maximum size you can crop to.
· Make a photograph more appealing.
· Understand composition in shot selection.
Resources/Materials
· Photographs from a camera or pictures from a magazine or newspaper.
· Digital camera.
· Acetate nine-square grids – various sizes.
Overview and Timeline
Activity 1 – (90 minute class)
· Group discussion on the principle of the Rule of Thirds.
· Using digital cameras, students will take pictures with and without the Rule of Thirds.
· Those students without cameras can select visually appealing photographs out of a magazine or newspaper.
· Using Google, perform a web search on the rule of thirds. Write a one-page paper, double-spaced that summarizes the results of your search regarding the principles of the rule of thirds pertaining to photography.
· Select at least three images that meet the rule of thirds. Using a peace of paper for each photograph, explain how the rule of thirds can improve the visual appeal of each photo.
Activity 2 – (90 minute class)
· Group discussion on what makes a photograph dynamic.
· Each student is assigned to take 30 images using a digital camera they own or that is provided to them. Each student is required to select and print at least three images they feel meet the rule of thirds.
· Students will upload the three images they selected so that they can be included in a PowerPoint presentation. During the presentation, each student will explain the rule of thirds within their photographs.
Unit II
Photography: Sports Photography
In order for the students to mature as photojournalists, we will focus on the specific skills required for shooting school sports and what is required to be a good action photographer.
Objectives:
Students will:
· Understand the basics of shooting sports action photography.
· What camera settings are important to understand when shooting action photography?
· Composition in sports photography.
· What makes a great action shoot?
· Using flashes and understanding exposure.
· Zoom lenses and monopods
Activity 1 – Sports Illustrated Photography (90 minutes)
· Group presentation - Using a multimedia projector, students will be given a presentation that covers the work of renowned sports photographer (Bob Martin – www.bobmartin.com)
· Group discussion on what makes Bob Martins action photos so vivid and appealing.
· Discussion on what camera equipment is necessary for shooting sports photography (lenses, flashes, and monopods.
· Discussion on exposure and shutter speed requirements.
Activity 2 – Action Photo Shoot (90 minutes)
· Group activity: As a group, we will meet in the gymnasium with digital cameras, lenses and flashes.
· Each student will takes pictures of the pre-arranged basketball players (school team or students from P.E. class) who will be engaged in a 5-5 game using different lenses and flashes.
· Discussion: What were the challenges? How can you improve your action photography?
Activity 3 – Understanding exposure: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO (90 minutes)
· Discussion: The three essentially factors that go into making an exposure whether on film or a digital sensor. These three things are the shutter speed, the lens aperture, and the film or sensor sensitivity called ISO.
· Handout and Discussion: Shutter Speed Cheat Sheet. How does changing the speed of the shutter affect the outcome of your photos?
· Discussion: Shooting in low light. How does shooting in low light affect the shutter speed and the need to use flashes and higher ISO’s? What about lenses? How can lenses determine your shooting in lower light situations?
Submitted by
Jared Hodges
12189 Fieldstone Place
Middleton, ID 83644
208 949 8468
Vallivue High School
1407 Homedale Rd
Caldwell, Id 83644
505 258 4910
4
Jared Hodges -- Final Paper – ASNE High School Journalism Institute, UT Austin