Philosophy Statement
We would not know God or about God if He had not chosen to communicate with his creation.  He is the Master Communicator.  He gave us his Word in written form and communicates Truth to his creation.  In the Journalism class we seek to teach students the art of communication through the written media of the school newspaper and the Yearbook.  Students have a place of influence through the regular publication of the school newsletter and are encouraged to value and respect this place of influence.  The Year Book is a legacy for students, recording the work of God through the year at Wesley School. As students learn basic journalism skills, writing, communication and computer skills, they put these into practice in a real life production of the newspaper. In this, they are encouraged to challenge the school body to see God around them, to turn to him in thanks and prayer and to encourage faith and confidence in God through the articles that are written and the issues that are presented.  Students of journalism will learn the importance of personal integrity as they interact with real world news services and the Internet. They will learn to apply their faith to a number of different issues. Meeting deadlines and working as a team towards a common goal are stressed. Reflecting the international nature of our school community and reporting on real world events help to develop citizens of the world and broaden perspectives to life outside of Wesley is possible both through the newspaper and Yearbook. It is our prayer that journalism students will develop a greater understanding and appreciation of the power and person of Christ, and the relevance of biblical truth through their studies.

Course Objectives

  1. Students learn basic theory around the real life practice of journalism (ESLR: DC, NLL, ET, SCW).
  2. Students learn basic journalism skills, interviewing, writing articles (ESLR: DC, NLL, ET, SCW).
  3. Students  learn basic word processing skills and desktop publishing, using Serif Page Plus and Open Office writer. (ESLR: DC, NLL).
  4. Students will combine their journalism and word processing skills in the publication of the school Newsletter on a weekly basis (ESLR: DC, NLL, ET, RUC, SCW).
  5. Students will help to produce the School Year Book. (ESLR: DC, NLL, ET, SCW).

Resources
Journalism Today (Fifth Edition), by Ferguson, Patten and Wilson, National Textbook Company, 1998
Teacher made resources
Internet sites

Time Allotment
Fifty minutes per day, five days for one semester.

Course Content

  • Functions of Journalism
  • Ethics and Legal Guidelines
  • Copy Editing Signs
  • Interviewing Skills
  • Preparing the school newspaper – Writing Leads, Headlines,  Features, Sports Stories and News Stories
  • Production of the Yearbook

Evaluation
Topic tests
Computer Skills
Written articles for school newspaper
Layout and  content of Yearbook pages