NewspaperUOP

Newspaper Reporter Unit of Practice
Dianne Fulton Abstract
The students will become newspaper reporters to explain the five W’s (who, what, when, where, and why). During our Houghton Mifflin Language Arts theme of “Oink, Oink, Oink,” our class will experience some of the situations that involve characters in the variations of the Three Little Pigs. Small groups of students will report on these activities and publish their accounts in a classroom newsletter.

Invitation
How do you play croquet? What kinds of food are eaten in Hawaii? These diverse questions will be answered in a class newspaper complete with photos.

Unit Details
Language Arts/ Technology
Activities will be based on the Fine Arts and Physical Education
Learning Level- Intermediate

State Standards
Lang. Arts. 1C- Comprehend a broad range of reading materials.
Lang. Arts. 2A- Understand how literary elements and techniques are used to convey meaning.
Lang. Arts 3A – Use correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization.
Lang. Arts 3B – Compose well-organized and coherent writing for specific purposes and audiences.
Technology (proposed) (1) Basic operation and concept. (2) Technology productivity tools.

Benchmarks
Lang. Arts 1C- Use reading strategies before, during and after reading.
Lang. Arts 2A – Read and identify a variety of literary genres.
Understand how authors use elements and techniques in literature.
Lang. Arts 3B - Write to maintain focus
Lang. Arts 3B - Write to maintain organization. Write using support/elaboration.
Lang. Arts 3A - Use correct spelling in writing. Use correct grammar, punctuation, and capitalization.
Technology (proposed) –(1) Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems. (2) Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, preparing publications, and producing other creative works.

Situations
This unit will take place throughout the entire Language Arts theme. At the end of this theme, students have one week to complete their articles and photos and meet the newspaper deadline. This unit will take place in the classroom and other parts of the school building where the culminating activities take place.

Tasks
1. Each student group will experience the culminating activities for the theme (explained below) and write about one experience for the classroom newspaper.
2. Students will take pictures using the digital camera or Jam Cams of their activities.
3. Students will place their pictures and articles into a newspaper format to make a classroom newspaper.

Culminating Activities for “Oink, Oink, Oink” We will need several parent volunteers to help at these activity stations.
The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig:
1. Croquet- Students will experience playing croquet just like the Three Little Wolves.
2. Battledore and Shuttlecock- Students will experience playing badminton just like the Three Little Wolves.
3. Hopscotch- Students will make their own hopscotch grids and play hopscotch following the same rules as the Three Little Wolves.
4. Dance the Tarantella- The students will learn to dance the Italian dance of the Tarantella like the story characters.
5. Huff and Puff Games- Students will have contests blowing objects of varying weights across a table. Straws are used to blow the objects in this relay game.
The Three Hawaiian Pigs and the Big Bad Shark:
1. Make Hawaiian leis- Students will make the colorful necklaces out of construction paper flowers and yarn.
2. Hula Dance- Hawaiian music will be played as students are instructed in the storytelling actions of the hula.
3. Hawaiian feast- Students will get to enjoy Hawaiian foods such as the pineapple, coconuts, macadamia nuts, and poi (if you cannot find this, instant pudding will do).
General Three Little Pig Activities:
1. Design and make three little pig houses out of various materials. You may try the original straw, sticks and bricks (Lego), but pretzels, candies, and marshmallows seem to work. We use individual milk cartons to help brace the houses.
2. Visit a pig farm in the area or have a pig farmer visit your classroom (The county Farm Bureau is a good resource for this).
3. Students love to plan, script, and act in skits about The Three Little Pigs.

Interactions
The teacher will need to plan and supervise the culminating activities. Parent volunteers will be asked to help out at different activity centers. In the newspaper activity, students will work in pairs. During the writing and publishing activities, the teacher or aide can guide student’s work and assist at the computer if needed.

Extensions
Students may design other parts of the newspaper. They could write an editorial based on The Real Story of the Big Bad Wolf. Comics, puzzles, and want ads could be added to the newspaper.
School–to-Work Connection
A State Journal Register reporter could speak to the classroom about the various career opportunities for a newspaper. Classes are also invited to take a field trip to the newspaper office.

Assessments
Successful completion of newspaper article with photograph.

Rubric for Newspaper Assignment

1. Title of Article is clear.	Yes	No
2. Names of reporter and photographer appear on the byline.	Yes	No
3. There is one picture showing the activity.	Yes	No
4. The article and picture were submitted before the deadline.	Yes	No

Newspaper Article Rubric

	Advanced 4	Proficient 3	Basic 2	Novice 1
Focus- topic is clear and maintained.	Who, what, when, where, and why questions are answered in paragraph form. Focus is maintained.	Who, what, when, where, and why questions are answered, may be prompt dependent.	Topic is clear but sentences do not answer questions directly.	Topic is confusing or unclear. Questions are not answered.
Support/Elaboration Explanation of details.	All questions are elaborated with specific support.	Some elaboration (even general). Sufficiency OK, not much depth.	Some points elaborated, most general. May be a list.	Support is attempted, confusing, insufficient writing.
Organization- Logical flow is clear and connected.	All questions logically connected and signaled with transitions or other cohesive devises.	Plan is evident. Article is connected with some transitions.	Plan is noticeable. May be somewhat confusing.	Attempted, plan can be inferred, insufficient writing.
Conventions (Standard English, spelling, grammar, and punctuation)	No major errors. Few or no minor errors.	Few major errors, some minor not impairing meaning.	Some major errors. Many minor. Below mastery sentence structure.	Many major errors. Confusion, insufficient writing.
Integration- How effectively article as a whole addresses assignment.	Fully developed article. All features evident and equally well developed.	Essentials present. Article is simple, informative, and clear.	Partially developed. Some or one feature not developed, but all present.	Does not present most or all features, insufficient writing.

Tools
Computer
Writing Center Software
Jam Cam or Digital Camera
Many items needed for culminating activities (see list of activities above)

Internet sites
http://www.kidnews.com/cnmenu2.html
Site with ideas for putting together a newspaper.

http://www.therecord.com/classroom/newspaper_terminology.html
Site that explains parts and terminology of newspapers.

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