Friday, June 5, 2009

Monday, June 1, 2009

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Editorial

What if all of your friends, family, everyone you knew looked exactly the same? Think of how boring it would be to look at people! That's why I'm encouraging you to find your own style and wear it without any fear of judgement. Too many people at Eastview have the same hairstyle, same clothing style, same style in general. It's time to change things up a little bit.
What a lot of people don't seem to know is that there are a lot of other stores to shop at besides Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister. Next time you're at the mall, check out some other stores that you've never been to before. You might find something you really like even if it's completely different. It's okay if no one at school has anything like it. It's actually a good thing to be an individual. Just be bold and stand out!
Buying clothes from different stores can be more cost-friendly, sometimes. It depends what your style is.

Prewrite

1. What is a problem/issue that our entire student body (our school, community, country, etc.) faces today?
too many students at Eastview High School are not being able to express themselves in their day to day dress because many are afraid of the judgement they will get from their peers or groups of friends. So many conform to just wearing the similar things.

2. What is your view/position on the problem or situation?
people should not be afraid to "branch" out or try different and BOLD things that they like. It will be easier for them to express themselves and they wont feel like they have to conform to the looks or fashions of others.

3. What would you like to achieve with your editorial? (What is the desired result?)To persuade people that it is really okay to be bold and go all out. To find that they will feel a bit more at ease with themselves and everyone else.

4. How will you persuade your audience to adopt your viewpoint as theirs? List at least 4 persuasive points.
Suggest fashion magazines.
Express the point that fashion is not just a feminine thing but guys can really get into it too. (breaking the sterotypical idea)
It will be less expensive. Adopting ones own style is cheaper because your money is being spent on more than one thing. or you get more for your money.
shop at places like vintage markets or downtown boutiques, things that attract their eye but would never really wear.

5. How will you motivate your readership to action in your conclusion?
we could tell people about what we are wearing and where we bought it from.

6. How will your editorial serve a public purpose?
it will persuade people to not care about the general publics ideas or opinions

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Feature Story Peer Edits

Emmy Burns - Twilight
1. What are some areas that could use more detail? Why?
I...don't really know, your article was super detailed about everything, very descriptive, and answers just about any question there is about the series.

2. What additional sources might the author use? Does the lead involve you in the story?
Almost all of your sources seemed to like the series a lot. It could be more interesting if you used a few more sources that didn't like the series and why they didn't. I really liked your lead. Since I don't know a lot about the Twilight series, it made me very interested in learning what it was about and why so many people like it.

3. Does the story contain a well defined scene (a detailed description of someone doing something or something happening)? What is it? If not, make a suggestion for a scene that might work.
A scene? Hmm...I'm not sure where a scene would be needed...maybe in the paragraph where you're talking about the poor special effects, you can give an example from the movie.

4. What would you like to see or hear more of? Less of? Include, any other suggestions you have for improvement.
Maybe you could describe what each of the books are about a little bit more. Otherwise, I think this article was very well-written.


Aaron Butler - Mayan Theory
1. What are some areas that could use more detail? Why?
You could talk about why the Mayan's think the world will end on this day, what's their reasoning?

2. What additional sources might the author use? Does the lead involve you in the story?
Maybe a teacher or someone who has studied this theory before.

3. Does the story contain a well defined scene (a detailed description of someone doing something or something happening)? What is it? If not, make a suggestion for a scene that might work.
Not really, I don't know how you could include a scene in this type of article since the Mayan civilization was a long time ago.

4. What would you like to see or hear more of? Less of? Include, any other suggestions you have for improvement.
More information on the civilization, what other predictions they had that came true, etc. Otherwise, good job! This was an interesting topic.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Feature Story

As the weather gradually starts to get hotter and hotter everyday, students at Eastview feel the school year coming to an end and look forward to their beginning of summer break. Students reflect on the 2008-09 school year; classes, teacher, co-curriculars, friends, and also make plans for their summer break.

For some students, this year went by smoothly. "It seems like we just started school a few weeks ago, and now it's already ending," says Reed Larsen, a sophomore at Eastview. "I was in tech crew all year, so that kept me busy and made the time fly." For other students, not so much. "I'm so ready for the year to be over!" exclaims Maddy Settle, junior. "I've been so stressed out all year, and I can't wait for summer vacation."

It's safe to say that all students are excited for the three blissful months of summer vacation, such as Therese Harrah, junior. "I've been counting down the days of school left until summer break since February." Therese informed me that we currently only have 13 days of school left!

Many have different plans to celebrate the 4th of July. "I'll probably be going to my aunt's house for a barbeque and to watch fireworks," says Reed. "It's always fun to catch up with family and eat berries."

Some students plan to go out of town this summer. "I'll be staying in Chicago for most of June to study art. I'm super duper excited! I've always wanted to go to Chicago," says Therese who is very interested in art.

Summer is a great time to attend concerts! Since the alternative punk band Blink-182 recently got back together, they are starting their first tour in a long time this summer. "I'm so there!" screams Joey Gustafson, one of Blink-182's 'greatest fans'. "I'll probably go to Warped tour this summer! I went there last year and had a great time." says Maddy.

Although it seems so far away, after summer, a new school year will start. "I think it's weird thet we're going to be seniors next year. I still don't feel grown up." Therese says. Not many people are thinking too much of the next school year, at least not until summer is done.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Theme Statement - Feature Story

1. Theme Statement: The 2008-09 school year will soon be coming to an end. Students reflect on the year and make plans for summer break.

Sources:
1. Reed Larsen
2. Therese Harrah
3. Joey Gustafson
4. Ronnie Allen
5. Sami Driscoll

Questions:
1. What was your favorite memory of this school year?
2. What are your plans for summer?
3. What was your favorite class from this year?
4. What do you like most about summer?
5. What are you most looking forward to next year?

Sunday, May 17, 2009

News Story - Final

A couple of weeks ago, all EVHS staff had a meeting discussing the possibility of graduation 2010 taking place on the Saturday before the last day of school. It would be the first time in Eastview history that graduation takes place on a Saturday instead of the Friday after the last day of school. Since the school year can't start before labor day, the calendar has been "pushed" as Hori Sensei says, and is in need of adjustments. Graduation for the class of 2010 could possibly take place on Saturday, June 5th, 2010. Seniors next year would not have to attend the last week of school unlike all underclassmen who will have to attend school until Thursday, June 10th, 2010.

Many students that will be seniors next year, such as Ronnie Allen who found out about the possibility of an early graduation through a friend, would be very happy with this decision. "I think it's a great idea to get out of school a week early," says Ronnie, "All we do during the last week of school is watch movies anyway. It just seems like a waste of time, we might as well be done with school."

The good news of the likeliness that this will happen is spreading throughout this year's junior class quickly. However, not many of our current seniors have heard about it. "What?! Are you kidding me?" yells Danny Vi, an angered senior who will be graduating next month. Danny called the whole idea "retarded and unfair." "This should have been done for this year's graduating class!" He states that the only thing good about the last week of school is seeing friends for a couple more days."

An unbiased opinion comes from Hori Sensei, the Japanese teacher at EVHS. "I think it's be an okay idea for graduation to be on a Saturday instead of a Friday. It would be more convenient for family members to come to graduation on a Saturday. In Japan, graduations are always on Saturdays, so I'm used to the idea."

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Peer Edit

Aaron Butler: This is an interesting and unique topic. I'm interested in learning what kind of people he will interview for his story. There are a lot of examples he uses about the different types of things students will wear. He could even be more specific as he puts more into his story.

Cory Patel: This topic applies to a lot of students that attend Eastview. He could work on using more of the 5 W's in his leader paragraph, such as who makes decisions for dances, when dances are, etc.,

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

News Story - Graduation 2010

A decision about graduation 2010 has been made last month. The school board of District 196 decided to set the graduation date on the Saturday before the last day of school. This has never happened before in the history of Eastview High School. Graduation for the class of 2010 will take place on Saturday, June 5th, 2010. The last day of school for all underclassmen is not until Thursday, June 10th, 2010.
Many students that will be seniors next year are very happy with this decision. They love the idea of getting out of school a week earlier than any other Eastview graduate has ever. So why was this decision made?...

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Interviewing Notes

  • Choose 3 interviewees
  • Schedule Interviews (24+ hours)
  • Give a "heads up"
  • Conduct background research
  • Write interview questions

Why prepare questions?
  • It's your job!
  • 1st impressions
  • Nervous; unexpected circumstances
  • Higher quality questions
  • Preparation is a guide, not a limitation

HOLY TRINITY OF INTERVIEWING

Anedote: a brief story told by interviewee, usually paraphrased by writer, entertaining, paints a picture for reader

Revealing Quote: Siad by interviewee, gives readers insight to personality

Portraiture: Description created by riter, based on observations of interviewee

Preparation Payoff: varying types for various purposes, to relax, gain trust, show interest

TYPES OF QUESTIONS:

1. Opener: beginning question/remark; establish a rapport ("Oh, cute pictures. Are those your children?")

2. First Step: asks about the topic ("I wanted to talk to you about the upcoming whatever")

3. Qualifier: Find out if the source is qualified ("What is your role in the fundraising efforts?")

4. Routine factual: 5W's and H ("Who is on the committee? When will the fundraiser be?")

5. Numerical: Statistical information ("How many years have you had this fundraiser? How much money do you hope to raise?")

6. G-O-S-S-E-Y: a way to ask deeper questions; goals, obstacles, solutions, start, evaluation, why

7. Responder: clarification ("Would you explain what you mean? I'm not sure I understood")

8. Soliciting a quote: a specific question. ("Tell me exactly what your hope is for this fundraiser")

9. Soliciting an anedote: prompts a short story ("What has been the most memorable aspect of this process")

10. Imaginative: strays from routine ("Does your team have any superstitions")

11. Grenade: difficult questions ("Some people say you favor certain players. Would you comment on this?") Recover From Grenade: a neutral question ("Any last minute strategies to work on before the game?)

CONCLUDING THE INTERVIEW

  • "Thank you..."
  • Sign document sheet
  • Further questions

BEWARE...

  • Not everyone is a great interviewee
  • Plan ahead...unforeseen circumstances

Friday, May 8, 2009

EVHS Interview

1. Who will be the new superintendent of district 196? Jane Barenz
2. How many teachers are absent from school today? Who are they? 10, including Mrs. Leifer
3. Who is the president of our school board? How many are on the board? Mike Roseen
4. What date is graduation this year? June 12th
5. Who are the newest faculty members? Mr. Deyo, Mr. Fedje, Mr. Boldis, Mr. Cesteros, Mr. Berggrin
6. Who is the tallest person at our school? Mr. Tolifson
7. What does DECA stand for? Nothing. It just means: Association of Marketing Students
8. How many home football games were played this season? 6 home games
9. Who are the student council officers? 4 or 5 of them
10. Where do you find accurate spelling of a student’s name? Grade level? online campus
11. How many students have enrolled at EVHS this year? more than 2000
12. Who is the head custodian? Brian Fischer
13. Who advises the Yearbook? Mrs. Kitchner
14. Where is the district office located? (city & street name) Rosemount
15. Who are the administrators (in addition to Dr. Peterson) and what are their duties? Mr. Miller, Mrs. Martinsen, Mr. Percival, Dr. Peterson, Dr. Franchino
16. Who advises the chess club? Mr. Dettmer
17. Name the captain(s) of the girls’ soccer team?
18. Who manages the cafeteria? Jean Martinsen
19. Who are the librarians? Connie o’ Sullivan
20. How many students are taking AP tests this year? Not sure number of students but around 1,156 tests have been taken

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Writing a News Story

A typical hard news story will have who, what, where, why, when. Kept simple, giving the reader the information that they need.

A soft news story is not time sensitive. Profiles of people or organization.

Feature stories explore an issue, much longer that hard/soft news. They are very detailed, tells a story, narrative.

STRUCTURE OF ARTICLE:
The Lead: Incorporate as many as the 5 W's as possible. Summarize the story to draw the reader in.

The Body: Facts, narrative, interviews. Makes up the bulk of the story. Sticks to a particular theme throughout the whole story. The eyes and ears of the reader.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Lax & Ethics Notes

The First Amendment

Freedom of Speech

Freedom of Press

Freedom of Petition

Freedom of Religion

Freedom of Assembly


Censorship: suppression of published or broadcast material


Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969): The US government recognizes First Amendment rights protect student rights to protest. Neither students nor teachers "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of expression or speech at the schoolhouse gate." cannot be unlawful or physically disruptive speech.

Bethel School District v. Fraser (1986): inapproriate speech for class president Because school officials have an "interest in teaching students the boundaries of socially approriate behavior", they can censor student behavior that is indecent or vulgar, even if it does not cause a "material or substantial disruption." decency standards

Morse v. Frederick (2007): Olympic torch travels through town, Principal Morse cancels school, Senior Frederick unveils banner, says "BONG HITS 4 JESUS," suspended for 10 days.

Libel: Publication of a false statement of fact that seriously harms someone's reputation

Slander: Verbal false statement of fact that seriously harms someone's reputation

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

What Back Issues Can Tell Us

1. What stories are covered every year? Homecoming
• What time of year did these stories run? October
• Are any of the same people involved year after year? No

2. What was the biggest story of each year? Hurricane Katrina (2005), Tsunami (2004-05)

3. How many personality sketches of students were run each year? once a month
• What types of students were interviewed? (athletes, student leaders, etc.) student leaders
• Was any one student constantly featured in one year? Why? no, that would be unfair
• Do you think this was fair? yes

4. How many personality sketches of faculty were run each year? a couple
• Which teachers were featured? ms. mccarthy
• Why those particular people? they were new

5. What full page features (or center spreads) did the publication carry? cell phones
• Are any of those topics still relevant? sure

6. What was a great year(s) for sports teams? Activities? 2004, many fall accomplishments
• Did the school have any state champions? yes
• Olympic performers? yes
• Other honors? yes

7. Find a story that uses background information from previous years. teachers

8. What topics did the paper editorialize about each year? student life, opinion, sports
• What stand did the paper take? i don't know
• Has the problem been solved or is it still an issue? solved

9. What major news did the paper carry about classes? GPA-honors classes
• Any curriculum changes? no
• Any major new programs? no

10. Any new equipment? no
• Any building programs? no

11. Any scandals involving students, administrators, or teachers? no
• What happened? no

12. What changes in fashion among students can be found? different hairstyles

13. What signs of changing times can you find as mirrored in the concerns of students? no
• What concerns never seem to change and would continue to make good stories year after year? no

14. Did the school have any championship academic teams? yes
• Art show winners? yes
• Band or choir awards? yes
• Science winners? yes
• National honors? yes

15. Which clubs were most active? leap, student council, nhs

16. What campus events made the most news? fccla

17. What movies and music groups has the paper reviewed? from students

18. What issues did cartoonists choose? i don't know

19. How has the publication’s format changed? it's become more colorful

20. Did the demographics of your student population change? Why?

21. What are the school’s traditions and how did they develop?
• Who are the school’s traditional rivals? (Could vary between activites.)
• How did the rivalry begin?

22. What are five things most interesting about EVHS?

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Jounalism Notes

Definition:
Define “Journalism” in 1-3 sentences.
reporting, writing, editing, photographing, or broadcasting news or of conducting any news organization as a business.

List and describe the six criteria of newsworthiness.

TITLE // DESCRIPTION // EXAMPLE
1. Timeliness // Things that are current // The weather today will be...
2. Proximity // Local, or events near by // Car accident on nearby highway
3. Significance // Major event, important // 9/11, Swine Flu
4. Prominence // Major people, important // Britney Spears shaves her head
5. Unusualness // Doesn't happen often // Octuplets
6. Human Interest // A feel-good story, positive // Blind basketball player that shot 2 free-throws

What are the advantages of print journalism?
1. Ability to choose what you want to read
2. More detailed stories
3. Less likely to be mistaken

What are the advantages of broadcast journalism?
1. More current
2. Actual footage
3. Free

Why has online journalism (convergent media) become so popular?
It has both of the advantages of print and broadcast journalism. It's constantly updated.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Friday, April 17, 2009

Superbowl Ads

1. Company: NFL Game Day 2003
Target Audience: Video game players
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? showed the last piece of pizza
What is the slogan/message for the company? Live in your world. Play in ours.
Was the message effective? Sure
Why or why not? It's creative and shows that it's like a different world.

2. Company: Budweiser
Target Audience: Beer drinkers...21+
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? showed many horses and one zebra
What is the slogan/message for the company? no slogan
Was the message effective? not really
Why or why not? I didn't understand it

3. Company: Chrysler Crossfire
Target Audience: car fans
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? action
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? different functions of the car
What is the slogan/message for the company? Drive and Love
Was the message effective? kind of
Why or why not? made the car seem glamourous, but not a lot of information

4. Company: Pepsi Twist
Target Audience: anyone who drinks soda
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? celebrity - osbournes/osmonds
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? made it seem like he was waking up from a dream
What is the slogan/message for the company? Pepsi with a twist
Was the message effective? Yes
Why or why not? Informative and funny

5. Company: Fed Ex Express
Target Audience: anyone
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? scenes from island
What is the slogan/message for the company? Express
Was the message effective? yes
Why or why not? he was a passionate fed ex worker!

6. Company: Dodge
Target Audience: truck drivers
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? showed speed of car
What is the slogan/message for the company? Grab life by the horns
Was the message effective? Yes
Why or why not? shows a fast car

7. Company: Gatorade
Target Audience: athletes
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? celebrity- michael jordan
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? intense basketball playing
What is the slogan/message for the company? Is it in you?
Was the message effective? no
Why or why not? it didn't make sense

8. Company: ESPN
Target Audience: sports fans
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? kitchen cooking, serving
What is the slogan/message for the company? this is sportscenter
Was the message effective? no
Why or why not? i didn't get it

9. Company: H&R Block
Target Audience: adults
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? humor & celebrity: Willie Nelson
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? shots of talking
What is the slogan/message for the company? double check
Was the message effective? yes
Why or why not? informative and funny

10. Company: Bud Light
Target Audience: beer drinkers, 21+
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)? humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message? costume walking into a bar
What is the slogan/message for the company? make it a bud light
Was the message effective? sure
Why or why not? it was funny

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Advertising/Maxim

1. 2 million (11.25 million)
2. 8% (34%)
3. 91% (80%)
4. $30,000 ($63,000)
5. 98% (78%)
6. 72% (73%)
7. 60% (66%)
8. 89% (80%)
9. $70,000 ($156,000)