Enriched Print/Visual Media (EPVM)

Who should take this course?  Sophomore or junior students interested in journalism.  Students must have successfully (A’s and B’s) completed Enriched Patterns or Written Communication first.

Course focus/umbrella questions:  What skills are necessary to become an effective writer, specifically in journalistic writing?

Non-negotiable assignments required of all students who take this course:

• Literary analysis paper
• News and feature leads
• Original news story
• Original feature story
• Original book review
• Grammar lessons; economical language lessons; AP Style usage
• Final exam story

Required Reading:

• Textbook:  Scholastic Journalism
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowicz
• Independent novel choice

Course-specific policies:

• Students must be accurate in journalistic writing; therefore, in a final draft of a story (news, feature, sports, review), any error in the accuracy of a name, quote, or information results in a top score of 65 percent.
• Students must meet deadlines; therefore, they may have only one late homework assignment per quarter.  Homework = 25 points or fewer.
• Students must have a subscription to The Central Times, as it is used in the course.

Student expectations:

• Read and analyze a variety of professionally written stories and articles in newspapers such as The New York Times The Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun-Times,  The Daily Herald.
• Do research to gather background prior to interviews.
• Interview a variety of sources to gather information and quotes for stories which may be published in The Central Times.
• Read newspapers and watch television news broadcasts to stay abreast of local, state, national, and international stories.
• Learn and practice techniques for making language economical, clear, and grammatically correct.
• Utilize the Associated Press (AP) Style Guide for editing.

What makes this course different from other companion courses?  The major difference is the emphasis on journalistic writing for an authentic audience and the study of language and grammar to write clearly and concisely.

Any other relevant and important course-related information:  This is a weighted- level course.  Students who select this course MAY NOT take Intermediate Composition or Accelerated Intermediate Composition.  This course may be used as a stepping stone to editor positions on The Central Times and Flight.