Syllabus

Miami Beach Senior High School

Course Title: Journalism II

Instructor: Mr. Andrew Weiss

(305) 532-2515

aweiss@dadeschools.net

http://weissjournalism.ning.com

http://weissjournalism2.wordpress.com

Room 3301 / 3562

Office 2803 / 706

Goal:

Students will be able to write high quality journalism pieces for The Beachcomber and The Beachcomber Online. Students will publish samples of their journalistic writing to personal weblogs and critique one another’s work in a supportive workshop setting.  Students will edit the work of Journalism I students and are responsible for the publication, marketing and business management of The Beachcomber and The Beachcomber Online

Course Topics:

• The purposes of journalism and the standards of journalistic writing
• The principles of copyediting and supportive peer review
• News, Features, Opinion and Review writing
• Photojournalism

Texts and Materials:

• The Manual For Scholastic Newspaper Publications (Student Edition)
• A valid email address and access to the internet (available for free at Miami Beach Library on Collins Ave and 22^nd Street)
• A voice recorder
• Highly Recommended: any digital voice recorder that connects to a computer by USB Port

Grading Criteria:

Students will be assessed on their ability to act like real journalists in a high pressure, professional setting. Deadlines are critical, and stories that are filed past deadline will be penalized significantly.  This course employs portfolio grading, by which students submit their best work at the end of each quarter, although supplemental assignments will occur periodically.  Assignments are graded based on a rubric that assesses timely completion of drafts, supportive peer editing, and final journalistic product.

Assignments vary depending on what role a student is playing; for example, news editor, business manager, graphics editor, etc.  Around one half of a student’s quarterly grade is normally depending on writing, with the remainder dependent upon tasks specific to each student’s role.  At the start of each quarter, every student commits in advance to produce certain outcomes or deliverables by the end of the quarter.

For more detailed information on course content, visit:

http://www.firn.edu/doe/curriculum/crscode/basic612/basic912.htm

Rules:

1) Come to class every day prepared and on time

2) Meet all deadlines for classwork and homework

3) Be polite and supportive to coworkers at all times

4) Respect the room and equipment at all times

5) Do not use or display any personal electronic devices

6) Follow all directions of adults at all times

Consequences:

1) Verbal Warning

2) Loss of Grade

3) Detention

4) Parent Contact

5) Office Referral

Important Note:

Each student will develop and maintain a personal weblog on wordpress.com as a core component of this course. Parents need to know that this weblog will be visible to the public, and students must agree to the following terms and conditions:

“This website is to be utilized solely for the purposes of Mr. Weiss’ Journalism class, in strict accordance with the rules and policies set out in the Miami Dade County Public School student handbook. All participants in this website understand that its content is visible to the public, and pledge to uphold the highest journalistic, academic and community standards. Any posts or comments that deviate from course content, or that contain vulgar or offensive language, will be promptly deleted. The authors of such posts will be subject to disciplinary action.”