12 October 2016

Today students worked on revising their peer profiles. Some students used class time to complete interviews; others worked on transcription and revision. Outside interviews should be completed over the long weekend. A complete revision is due on 17 October.

10 October 2016

We began class by reading an excerpt from photojournalist Brian Shih's book The Black Panthers: Portraits from an Unfinished Revolution. Mr. Shih will be visiting Grant High School on 11 October, and students in Grant Magazine and the Intro to Grant Mag class have the opportunity of attending a lecture during which Shih will discuss the book.

Students then reviewed the first drafts of their profiles, getting feedback from mentors. Many students needed to review the Ten Steps to a Great Story that were introduced at the beginning of the unit: skipping steps results in incomplete work. A second draft of the story is due on 17 October.

6 October 2016

Today students had class time to work on their peer profiles. First drafts were turned in at the end of the class period. Students will receive feedback next week.

4 October 2016

Today students learned some tips for transcribing their interviews and organizing their notes. Then, students were given the class period to work on transcribing and drafting their profile stories. Students also did additional interviews with their partners if needed.

30 September 2016

Today students learned about the basics of AP style, which they will use as they move into journalistic writing. We read the profile "Wilson's Track" and discussed the writer's use of direct and indirect quotes to develop the piece. We discussed places where the writer went beyond telling and used evidence to show the qualities of the article's subject. After critiquing the piece, students received their Peer Profile assignment. The next two class sessions will be devoted to transcription and writing. The first complete draft of the Peer Profile will be due at the end of class on Thursday, 6 October.

28 September 2016

Today students turned in their budget lines so that mentors could provide them with feedback. With their partners, students were assigned a New York Times Magazine from this past year to read through. With the partner they are profiling, they were asked to identify five stories in the magazine that piqued their interest from the standpoint of a reader, a writer, or a reporter; they were asked to identify one story in the issue that they want to share with the class at a future session. Students then received written and oral feedback about the budget lines they had produced.

26 September 2016

Today students took a look at two different budget lines, one for a profile about senior Emma Findling, and one for an upcoming news profile about attendance coordinator Lee Orr; we then read the story that was generated about Emma Findling, discussing where there was overlap between the budget line and the ultimate profile, and where reporting ultimately led in different directions. Students were assigned the task of composing a complete budget line for the peer profile they are working on. The the budget line is due at the beginning of our next session.