Action Plan

"Broadcast News"



Joyce Fisher
Milwaukee Public Schools
2914 N. 46th
(414) 449-1803

Overview:

This unit is a skeleton for the production of a news magazine and broadcast that highlights the Greatest Places with a comparison/contrast to Milwaukee and Midwest. It is a Language Arts enriched unit that uses geography as its vehicle.


Grade level:
Middle School 6-8th grade


 Greatest Places Theme:
Human and Environmental Interaction, Diversity, Water Connection to other places

Geography Standards Alignment:
 #1. How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools..... to acquire process and report information from a spatial perspective

#3 Analyze the spatial organization of people, places and environments on Earth's surface

#4 Physical and human characteristics of places

#8 Characteristics and spatial distributions of ecosystems on Earth's surface

#9 Characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations on Earth's surface

#12 Processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement

#13 How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of Earth's surface

#14 How human actions modify the physical environment

 Integration strategies:
The publication of the news magazine will take place in Language Arts and in our established computer classrooms. The video publication will occur in the speech/drama and our new computer graphics classroom.

Outcomes:
To produce three news magazines per school year and an accompanying video broadcast.


Time needed:
The magazine will be produced over an eight week period. The class time is an eighty-eight minute blocked period.
Objectives:
To integrate the writing process@, public speaking, themes of geography, classroom newspaper program@ and produce a published material.

Materials:

weekly supply of newspapers scanners
student journals zap camera
access to the internet art materials
video camera
T.V./VCR
reference materials
guest speakers (optional)

Prior Knowledge ( Needed lesson plans): Jeopardy
 Twister
 latitude/longitude
constructing graphs
constructing maps
glacial formation
water system
editing
note taking
research of primary and secondary sources


Key Words:

Week one: Inquiry
1. The students will be divided into 9 groups; one group for each Greatest Place, one for the Midwest/ U.S and one for Milwaukee/ Wisconsin.

2. Preview one slide for each place from the Greatest Places slides, and one for Milwaukee and Midwest. (3 slides for each place)

3. Using the Inquiry activity presented by Mike Stacey
a. students may ask a question that will not be answered. ex. Why is the grass
not cut?
b. students ask a "Yes/No question for same slide. ex. Does the grass need to
be long?

4. In their groups discuss and create a possible scenario for each slide.

5. Whole group discussion about correct information of slides

6. Journal writing for each day
a. using a prompt @ based on the slides.
b. emphasize one skill of writing (LP)
 length, punctuation, content, capital letters, paragraphs, or run -ons.

7. End week with a preview of the Animatic of The Greatest Places to introduce the places.

Homework:





Week two: Continents


1. Plate tonics on the formation of continents (LP's)
a. emphasis on glacier formation
b. emphasis on geographical structures of places, locations and regions.
c. emphasis on climatic and zones

2. Map work
a. cut maps of Greatest Places as introduction (Mary Crompton)
b. use of different types of maps and develop skills for mapping (LP's)
3. Task: students will produce classroom wall maps and models to be used throughout semester
Week three: Research
1. Research of Places (LP's) i nternet, on-line sources
a. historical
b. political, issues
c. geographical



3. Note taking
a. primary source logs: field trip, internet communications,(LP's)
b. secondary source logs: video, reference materials

4. Task: students will develop classroom game Jeopardy
5. Homework


Week four: Newspaper


1. Use newspapers from the week
a. acquiring current articles from the countries or places involved

2. Editorial writing
a. study of editorial styles USA Today , local newspaper
b. a. rewriting of news articles (LP)
c. collect visual graphics from newsprint

3. Task: coordinate articles and places on large wall maps

5. Homework

Week five: Desktop publishing

1. Inquiry of collection of graphics (cut and distributed to groups) of fauna and flora Greatest Places

2. Continue research

3 Botany and Animal studies (LP) .

4. Inquiry field trip (LP)
 a. use of cameras to create a photo essay of Milwaukee (grant needed)

5. Desktop publishing
a. input initial materials (newspaper and research) and data for first draft
b. use of scanners
c. use of graphic arts computers
d. use of snap camera

6. Video work
a. deciding on crews and responsibilities

7. Continue to collect and edit newspaper articles

8. Task: a. develop postcards of Greatest Places using scanner,copier, zap camera
b. create dioramas with models and graphics

Week six: Anthropology

1. Inquiry activity of artifacts
a. artifacts from the greatest places
b. sketching artifacts
c. research for information on use and people (LP)
d. replication of artifacts

2. Inquiry activity of music
a music from the greatest places
b. research for information on use and people (LP)

3. Inquiry activity of games from greatest places
a. research for information on use


4. Continue to collect and edit newspaper articles

5. Continue desktop publishing

6.Task: develop game Twister using biomes, artifacts, maps of greatest places

7. Homework





Week Seven: Publicity


1. Advertisements and Trunk development
a. select crew for development of trunk
b. select crew for development of advertisements for magazines
c. select crew for development of publicity for magazine
d. select crew for development of commercials for broadcast

2. Continue to collect and edit newspaper articles

3. Continue desktop publishing

4. Continue video tapping



Week eight: Publication



@= specific programs to Milwaukee Public Schools
(LP) =Lesson plan needed