Live News Show

1. Standards Addressed:
a. Answer literal, inferential, evaluative and synthesizing questions
to demonstrate comprehension of grade-appropriate print texts and electronic and visual media.
b. Compare and contrast important details about a topic, using
different sources of information, including books, magazines,
newspapers and online resources
c. Determine a purpose and audience.
d. Vary language and style as appropriate to audience and purpose.
e. Prepare for publication (e.g., for display or for sharing with others) writing that follows a format appropriate to the purpose, using such techniques as electronic resources, principles of design (e.g., margins, tabs, spacing and columns) and graphics (e.g., drawings, charts and graphs) to enhance the final product.
f. Deliver informational presentations (e.g., expository, research) that:
a. demonstrate an understanding of the topic and present events or ideas in a logical sequence;
b. support the controlling idea or thesis with relevant facts, details, examples, quotations, statistics, stories and anecdotes;
c. include an effective introduction and conclusion and use a
consistent organizational structure (e.g., cause-effect,
compare-contrast);
d. use appropriate visual materials (e.g., diagrams, charts,
illustrations) and available technology; and
e. draw from multiple sources and identify sources used.

2. Specific Objective:
Students will work in groups of 12. They will use current happenings in the school, community, and world to make news segments for their news show. They will create interview questions and then interview students, staff and community members about these current events using the Flip Camera. Students will also video special assemblies and activities that happen during the school week using the Flip Camera.
Students will need to be knowledgeable on current events in the school, community, and world and be able to make it relevant to the student body. They will need to be creative in ways to catch their audiences’ attention (the students in the building). This lesson also helps students to have a hands-on feeling of a real life reporter.
Students will then take their videos and edit them using software on our schools’ computers.
There will be a Live News Crew with two News Anchors broadcasting live across our network to all the classrooms on Friday mornings. The news anchors will make reference to the different “news segments” the students videoed throughout the week and the camera will switch over to the videos. The students will not only be in charge of the interviews, videoing, and editing, but also the computer, switchboard, broadcast system, and video camera for the day of the live news show.
The teacher will be a facilitator in this lesson with it being student
led from the beginning of the lesson to the final video. The news crews will change each month allowing many children the opportunity to work on the news show.

3. 21st Century Assessment:
One assessment will be feedback from the student body and staff to the news crew on suggestions or positive feedback.
Students involved in the news crew will complete a student self- assessment on their individual involvement and things that were positive and things they could do differently the next week to improve.
Students involved in the news crew will complete a group assessment/reflection assessing the group as a whole group and critically think about ways to improve the next news show.