Lesson: 1. Introduction (5 minutes) a. Show YouTube video of Ken Paulson, USA Today Editor, discussing the importance of news judgment when deciding what news should be front page, etc. (2 ½ minutes) b. Class Discussion – What do you understand news judgment to be based on Paulson’s video? Why is news judgment important when decided what to write? When deciding which stories should be “front page?” (2 ½ minutes) 2. Direct Instruction (5 minutes) a. Pass out the JEA News Judgment Vocabulary Terms worksheet (1 minute) b. Clarify the definition of “news judgment, “ letting students follow along on the worksheet. (2 minutes) c. Discuss the “Who Cares” method and define it, letting students following along on the worksheet. (2 minutes) 3. Pair and Share (5 minutes) …show more content…
Possible examples: i. Mini-golf location opens in city ii. Local resident protests use of prayer in city meetings iii. State representative discusses budget rejection with residents iv. Local police hold fundraiser for cancer research v. Review of new local restaurant 4. Class Discussion (5 minutes) a. Students should share out what they discussed in their pair and share conversations. Share which stories they felt were most newsworthy for a student publication and why. 5. Research and Present (25 minutes) a. Teacher should give a brief overview of each of the eight news values: timeliness, prominence, proximity, consequence, conflict, novelty and human interest. Students can follow along on their worksheets for specific definitions. (3 minutes) b. In small groups, students should research one of the news values (assigned by the teacher) and arrange an explanation to present to the class with two examples to support their explanation. Presentations should not exceed 2 minutes. (6 minutes) c. Small groups present their assigned news value. (16 minutes) 6. Closing Activity (5 minutes) a. On a Post-it note, each student should suggest a story idea for the student newspaper and answer the following