Finals Review

1. Timeliness- how recent and relevant a topic is.

2. Proximity-how close or far the story's subject is.

3. Human Interest-how much people will relate to it or be interested in it.

4. Prominence- how important the story is.

5. Conflict-a problem or situation that must be solved or dealt with this can make a story newsworthy.

6. Interviews-a question and answer session with someone that has to do with a story.

7. Research-finding background information so that a reporter is informed about their topic.

8. Quotations-the exact words said by a person and they are given credit.

9. Yes-no question- a question where the answer can only be yes or no.

10. follow-up question- a question asked about the answer of  prior question.

11. Objective writing- writing without opinion or feelings.

12. Transition paragraph- a paragraph that describes the following quote.

13. Hard news story- a news story that follows the rules of news writing very closely.

14. Soft news story- a news story that follows the rules of news writing but may not follow them very closely.

15. Inverted Pyramid- the order of information that is put in a news story.

16. Third-person point of view- talking about other people, no personal pronouns.

17. 5 Ws and H lead-the most important and most basic information in stories.

18. editing- looking over one's work to make sure there are no mistakes.

19. attribution- the person's title their last name and then the word said.

20. paraphrase-rewording another persons words.

21. fragmentary quotation- a portion of a quote that may be separated from the rest of the quote.

22. direct quotation- a quote that is directly credited to the person that said it and is their exact words.

23. partial quotation- quotes that are not a complete sentence.

24. Uses of quotations- to express the thought s and feelings of people who experienced the topic of the story directly.

25. When to use quotations- when a first person account is needed. 

26. When quotations are unnecessary or not desired-during personal or opinion columns.

27. Editorial- a story written in first person to address a certain issue.

28. editorial page- the page that has all the opinions pieces.

29. columns-opinion pieces that are a series.

30. editorial that criticizes- an editorial that talks about the unfavorable parts of a topic.

31. editorial that explains- an editorial that describes something.

32. editorial that persuades- an editorial that tries to change the reader's thoughts or actions.
33. letter to the editor- letters sent by the readers to the paper that are concerning certain issues. 

Current Event Quiz #3.5

1. Tell me three things you learned about Dell the company

2. Why did Michael Dell choose to buy his company back and make it private?

He wants to be able to make decisions for the company without a bunch of people telling him what he should and shouldn't do.

3. What does Michael Dell think about "cloud-based" IT?

He thinks it is where technology is heading and Dell is going to be there to help people make the change.

4. Who is Dell (the company) new market to sell their products, according to the story?

People who are switching to the cloud.

5. What does Michael Dell think is the future of computer use?

He believes PCs are losing their popularity slowly but is welcoming the use of the new cloud.

From the rest of the paper:

A. What local district attorney will be allowed to keep her job despite getting a recent DWI?

Rosemary Lehmburg

B. Who is Time Magazines person of the year?

The Pope

C. Who is the front runner to replace Mack Brown as the coach of the UT Longhorn football team?

Nick Saban

D. Who is Joel Sidelnik and what is his claim to fame?

He sells and designs furniture that he makes from repurposed materials.

E. What famous person passed away this week in South Africa?

Nelson Mandela

Answer the questions below, please write at least a paragraph (3-5 sentences):

REMINDER - Some of you are not writing enough here. A single sentence isn't enough. I expect you to expand upon your writing. If you think you have written enough, you haven't, write more. Be sure to answer WHY you think something.

1.) Please go to page A13 and look at the political cartoon on the bottom portion of the page. Although we have yet to discuss political cartoons and how to interpret them I would like you to do your best on this one, later we will talk about these. So what do you think the message of this cartoon is and tell me why you interpreted this way?

I think the meaning of this cartoon is about President Obama's 2nd term. The crumbling of the ornament means that the term is not going well. The patriotic color of the ornament is what told me it was about the President's second term.

Brainstorm Checklist

1. Who is your main subject?
My friend who is in the nutcracker by Ballet Austin this year and has been in it in previous years and also attends a magnet school. 
2. Supporting interviews (who else do you need to talk to)?
Her mom
3. What is the topic?
How a teen is able to balance being in a large production with school and trying to have a social life.
or 
What it is like to be in a performance of that stature.
Not sure which direction i want to go yet:)
4. Which angle from above will you write the story?
personality
5. Then to help you get going faster, come up with 20 questions that you can ask your main subject. Type these in your blog.
Questions for My Friend:How long have you been dancing?
How many times have you been in the nutcracker previously?
What are auditions like?
How often do you dance when your not in the nutcracker?
How many hours a night do you spend at dance?
What role do you have in the nutcracker?
How often do you have rehearsals for the show?
What are rehearsals like?
When do the shows begin?
How many shows are you in?
Which shows are you in?
How long do you spend prepping for a show?
how long do you spend at a show?
What is it like performing for an audience of that size?
Do you get nervous, if so how much?
How much homework do you usually have?
Do you have more homework now that you are in high school, if so how much?
When do you do your homework?
What time do you get home from school?
How often do you spend your free time  being social or with friends?
What do you like to do in your free time?
What do you and your friends do in your free time?
How do you prioritize your activities (school, dance, and free time/friends)?
How do you balance school, dance, and free time?
Do you ever get stressed, how much?
What is your daily schedule?

6. Once you complete that portion, you need to come up with 5-10 questions you need to ask your supporting interviews. Type these into your blog. You may need different questions for each supporting subject.
Questions for Her Mom:
How devoted is she to dance?
How devoted  is she to school?
What role do you play in helping her keep things balanced?
How independent is she when it comes to keeping organized?
How do you feel about the amount of time and effort she puts in to dance and school?
How does it feel watching her in the nutcracker, what is it like?
How many of her performances do you attend?

7. You will need to do a little research on the topic you expect to interview your main subject about. Take a little time and do some google searching - find at least 5 new things about the intended topic you should know before you interview your main subject. List those on your blog.
* they have all new sets and costumes for the performance this year.
*It is choreographed by Stephen Mills
*Upper school students at Ballet Austin practice 7-13.75 hrs a week.
*Auditions for the Nutcracker were in September
*Upper level students receive one complimentary ticket to each opening night performance except for the Nutcracker.

8. Write when you plan to conduct the interview(s)?
I plan to conduct my interviews over the break whenever it is a good time for them since they have a busy schedule.
9. Where you will interview them (some interviews are better to do in the persons environment, while others should be done in public places, ALL interviews should be done in person)?
I will interview her at her house.
10. How will you record the information? (taking notes is ideal, and if you want to record the conversation you MUST get permission. You can do both if they will allow you to record, this is a really strong technique that you could use.)

i will record the information because they will let me.

Key Ingredients for Feature Writing

1. LIST 3 DETAILS THAT YOU FOUND ABOVE THAT HELP THE STORY
*It was the night before Valentine's Day
*He was a return customer
*The F.B.I was there

2. THERE ARE DETAILS THAT YOU MIGHT NOT INCLUDE IN A REGULAR NEWS STORY, PLEASE LIST AT LEAST 2 OF THEM
*The appearance of the women
*What all Spitzer had provided money for

3. DO YOU WANT TO KEEP READING?
Yes

4. LIST 3 DESCRIPTIVE DETAILS THAT YOU FOUND ABOVE THAT HELP THE STORY

*She looked old enough to be in school

*She was just laying there

*She was malnourished 

5. THERE ARE DETAILS THAT YOU MIGHT NOT INCLUDE IN A REGULAR NEWS STORY, PLEASE LIST AT LEAST 2 OF THEM

*The color of her hair

*The position she was laying in.

6. WHAT CONDITIONS EXIST REGARDING THIS CHILD THAT THE AUTHOR DESCRIBES TO YOU?

She is not being fed enough, obviously she has been neglected, and is probably very poor if not broke.

7. DO YOU WANT TO KEEP READING?

Yes

8. HOW DOES THE QUOTE HELP THE TRANSITION STATEMENT ABOVE IT?

It helps people to feel the impact of what happened and the unfairness and cruelty of it.

9. DO YOU WANT TO KEEP READING?

Yes

10. LIST 3 DESCRIPTIVE DETAILS THAT YOU FOUND ABOVE THAT HELP THE STORY

*They were in a narrow canyon

*It was very hot and dry

*They were fixing a pipe

11. THERE ARE DETAILS THAT YOU MIGHT NOT INCLUDE IN A REGULAR NEWS STORY, PLEASE LIST AT LEAST 2 OF THEM

*How on July 7 they knew it was going to get bad

*How the "flames were rushing through the brush toward Zaca Ridge."

12. WHAT WAS THE ANECDOTE THAT THE AUTHOR USED IN THIS STORY?

"The temperature was headed toward 100 degrees. Rainfall the previous winter had been among the lowest on record in Southern California. Sparks from a metal grinder jumped into some dry grass. Soon flames were rushing through the brush toward Zaca Ridge."

13. WHAT WAS THE IRONICAL PART OF THIS STORY IN REGARDS TO HOW THE FIRE STARTED?

The fire was started by trying to fix a water pipe.

14. DO YOU WANT TO KEEP READING?

No

15. LIST 3 PIECES OF BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOUND IN THESE 3 PARAGRAPHS

*Congress is considering a whole budget set aside for fires

*"In California, state wildfire spending has shot up 150% in the last decade"
*"A decade ago, the agency spent $307 million on fire suppression"

16. WHICH ONE DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST CRUCIAL?

The second bullet.

17. DO YOU WANT TO KEEP READING?

No

Caption Writing

Lady Gaga makes her big entrance at the AMA's in Los Angeles last Sunday by riding a huge fake horse. she performed her hit song Applause at the show that night.

40 yr old Joseph Dorfman, a long distance swimmer, swims with the Olympic Torch through icy waters last Tuesday. The Winter Olympics begin on January 3 this year.

Two teen boys who live on a small island in the Indian Ocean ride refrigerator out to see to fish for their families' each morning. The refrigerator washed ashore from a load of trash that was dumped in the ocean.

Pro golfer Jack Matthews eyes his golfball to decide the best strategy to get it in the hole at the British Open last Sunday. Mathews finished the tournament in third place.

Current Events Quiz #3.4

1. How many years is it estimated that it will take to complete the MoPac toll road?

2 years

2. What major fast food chain opened its first Austin location this week? Are you interested in eating there?

In and Out Burgers and i am not super interested because i do not like hamburgers.

3. What innovative technology is Amazon.com hoping to utilize to deliver packages to customers in the next 4-5 years?

They are hoping to use unmanned drones.

4. What is the current reason a commuter train in New York City crashed, killing four people and injuring dozens?

The Brakes were defective.

5. What is "Cyber Monday" and why is it named that?

It is the Monday after thanksgiving where people do christmas shopping and get really good deals by shopping online that is why it is called "Cyber Monday".

Answer the questions below, please write at least a paragraph (3-5 sentences):

REMINDER - Some of you are not writing enough here. A single sentence isn't enough. I expect you to expand upon your writing. If you think you have written enough, you haven't, write more. Be sure to answer WHY you think something.

1. In the news recently there has been a heated debate over Mascot names. The most visible is the Washington Redskins, although there are high school and college teams with similar names. Opponents of the names conclude that the mascots/team names are derogatory and rude and what them changed, while proponents believe that the historical significance of the names are overrated and that the schools/teams should not be forced to change their mascot. Here is some additional information: the Washington team has been names Redskins since 1933, there is a baseball team in Atlanta called the Atlanta Braves, and Native Americans have come down on both sides of the subject with some demanding a change and others who believe the name is fine. What is your opinion of the subject? Make sure to tell me why you think that way!

I think the names are fine. They don't need to be changed. I feel this way because no one is trying to offend Native Americans. They are just the names they chose to give their mascots. To me it almost seems like they are honoring Native Americans with these names because they are saying that their teams go out and fight a good game  and try to be strong like their mascot would. So in this case like Native Americans would. However it does depend on the team's actions if the team is being disrespectful than they should not use the name but if the team is respectful than they can keep the name.

JFK 50 Year's Later

This article was written from the point of view of Lyndon Baines Johnson's daughter Luci. From this article I learned what it was like to become the President's daughter. How you were constantly monitored by secret service. Also that there were many privileges that came with living in the White House but they also came with responsibilities.
 More importantly i learned what it was like to loose not only a president but a close family friend. I learned how scary it was for people back then. I also learned where Luci was when she first heard the news and how she dealt with the whirlwind of emotions and fear that came during that time.

Funny Captions

Actor John Doe runs away from a special effects rock. This was filmed for the new Indiana Jones Parody coming out soon.

This Halloween decoration has been voted scariest Halloween decorations by neighborhood members. It was designed to portray Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball music video.

Students find a new motivation that helps studying. This technique boosted test grades by 100%.

Thanksgiving Break Story

This year i had a pretty low key Thanksgiving. Nothing out of the ordinary.
On Tuesday i got home from school and packed my bags for our little trip. then i went to my friend's house down the street.
While at my friend Ally's house we ate beef stew and salmon burgers for dinner. after that we made hot chocolate and watched movies. we watched signs, miss congeniality, and jurassic park 3.
at midnight i went home and went to bed because the next day me and my parents got up at 5 in the morning to go to Fort Worth.
We got up and made it to Fort Worth by 8:30. on our way to my grandmother's house we ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel. I had pancakes which tasted more like crepes than pancakes.
When we arrived army grandmother's we all showered and got ready for the day. Then we made our plans for the day.
My parents and i went to an antique mall with my Aunt Cynthia to look at furniture for our guest room. Then we had a little snack afterward at a barbecue restaurant.
When we got back to my grandmother's house my older brother Ian had arrived from College Station. Before we went to dinner we all watched The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey.
My aunt, uncle, grandmother, grandmother, parents, brother, cousin, and his friends ate dinner at a var called Fred's. i thought the chicken tender's and french fries were very good.
After we ate some of us played pool and the rest watched. Then everybody headed home for the night.
On Thursday i got up got ready and my family and i headed to my other grandmother's house for Thanksgiving lunch. Before we ate lunch i visited with my cousins and aunts and worked english homework.
Then we ate lunch i had turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, and rolls it was delicious. later on i also had pumpkin pie and dressing.
After lunch i did more visiting and homework until we headed back to my grandmother's house we were staying at. We then had Thanksgiving again. however this time after dinner we played Heads Up.
Heads Up is an app that was created by Ellen were you put your phone on your head and other people give you clues and the person the phone on their head tries to guess what is on the phone. It is like charades or Taboo.
We all got really in to the game so it was very fun. For the rest of the night we visited until everybody else went home. then i went to bed.
On Friday after i got ready my aunt,my mother, my grandmother and i went shopping at an antique mall. I was bored most of the time but i did find a really cute pair of cowboy boots that were a great price and were barely worn. So that was an awesome find.
We then returned to my grandmother's house before heading downtown. while downtown we watched the beginning of the annual Parade of Lights then saw Catching Fire. It was my second time seeing the movie and it was amazing.
After the movie we went to dinner at Mi Cocina a mexican resturaunt and there nachos were very yummy. I wish there was one in Austin.
The next morning we left Fort Worth and got home to Austin in the early afternoon. For the rest of the day i watched movies. There was a Star Wars marathon and a Spiderman marathon on so i watched both of those then went to bed.
On sunday i woke up, got ready, ate lunch, started my homework at 1 and i finished my homework at Eight at night. I spent the whole day doing homework then i went to bed.
That was m Thanksgiving Break, it was fun  but not too exciting.