1. Humanities: English & History
Ben Horwitz, Supervisor
x 6292
Journalism Club

2. Social Studies Sequence
Grade 9
World History
AP, Honors, A
Electives for 9th Graders   
Ethics – Honors (S)
Philosophy – Honors (S)
World Religions (S)
Contemporary Issues – (S)
(S)=Semester
Grade 10
United States History I
Honors, A, B
Grade 11
United States History II
AP, A, B
Grade 12
Optional Electives

3. English Sequence Electives for 9th Graders Journalism I
English I
Honors, A, B
Grade 10
English II
Honors, A, B
Electives for 9th Graders
Journalism I   
Public Speaking
Theater Arts I
Grade 11
English III
AP, A, B
Grade 12
English IV
AP, A, B
Transitional English, Learning Skills, and Academic Review
Offered Grades 9-12

4. JOURNALISM I and II
Mrs. Finnell

5. About Me
This is my third year teaching at RHS and my eighth year as a teacher.
Prior to teaching, I was a journalist. I’ve edited and/or published articles in over thirty magazines, newspapers, and books:
Boston Magazine
Chicken Soup for the Soul
Condé Nast Sports for Women
Bostonia/ BU Today
New Jersey Monthly
Skiing Magazine
In my last journalism job, I traveled to and wrote articles on ski resorts around the world. It was a great gig…until I had children. So, I made the move to teaching.
Today, I feel lucky to be able to teach journalism, a career I still hold dear.

6. My goals as a journalism teacher
Convey the excitement of being a journalist: Students are “journos.” Editorial meetings take place in “the pit.” Students work “on deadline.”
Improve students’ writing skills: Students learn a new way to tell stories…and how to organize their thoughts from most to least important, using traditional “pyramid structure.”

7. Goals cont. Get students published! An authentic writing experience.
This year…30 articles published in TapintoRandolph and Ram-Page, the RHS newspaper. 30 more on deck. TAP articles are also posted on Facebook, where journos enjoy “likes” and comments from members of the Randolph community.

8. Goals cont.
To help students understand world events: “Newsday Tuesday.”
To help them interpret the news: What’s bias? What’s “fake versus real” news?
To help in their college and career prep:
Students graduate RHS as published writers.
They can include this on their student “brag sheets” for guidance counselors and on college applications.
For seniors, RHS offers journalism internships through Option II.
Finally, students are well-prepared for college-level journalism classes.

9. Guest speakers Lisanne Renner, NY Times Allison Freeman, RHS PR
Chris Manderioli, TAPintoRandolph

10. Journalism 1: Units of Study
Breaking news
Sports writing
Feature writing
Editorial writing
Profile writing
History of journalism
Understanding bias and angle
Media law and ethics
The 24-hour news cycle
Social media
Citizen journalism

11. Skills gained Notetaking Interviewing News gathering
Writing (all genres)
Fact-checking
Pitching (story ideas to editors)
Global understanding of current events
Historical perspective of the media
Ability to interpret media bias
In-depth understanding of
the publication process.
And so much more…

12. Journalism II: Units of Study
Journalism Boot Camp (concept review)
Writing Across the Discipline (niche writing)
Citizen Journalism and Technology’s Impact
Publication Design
Broadcast Journalism
Photography and Photojournalism
From Pitching to Publication
Electronic Journalism: Writing for the Digital World

13. Public Speaking & Theatre Arts
Full year elective courses
Fulfill performing arts graduation requirement
Enhance public speaking skills
Supportive, no-experience-necessary environment

14. Public Speaking Begin basic to combat nervousness Informative speeches
Persuasive speeches
Art of conversation
Debate
Poetry reading

15. Theater Arts I Begin basic to build an ensemble ethic Improvisation
Monologues
Scene work
Design
Directing
Writing

16. Benefits Fulfills graduation requirement
Demonstrates learning in a new way
Builds confidence
Builds comradery amongst peers
Benefits

17. Hear from the Students