Article vs. Editorial

News Articles
Stories about actual happenings and events without a personal bias or opinion are considered to be news articles. They strictly outline the who, what, where, when and why of an event. These appear in the news section of the periodical, on the front page of a newspaper. For example, a news story about 9/11 would explain the people involved, the number of casualties and the circumstances of the tragedy. There is little to no emotion in these articles, and if there is it is always from a third party via an interview. Articles are researched and fact based; they use support and analysis.

Editorial

An opinion based piece such as a review, advice column or rant, written using strong language, persuasion and emotionally charged phrases.

Fact – something that can be proven true

Opinion-thoughts on a subject, not necessarily informed by fact, often informed by emotion; a belief, judgment, or way of thinking about something.
Informed Opinion-thoughts on a subject by someone who is familiar with facts, studies, trends or firsthand experience

Directions: In the scenarios below decide which are “facts”, “opinions” or “informed opinions” and then write down your answer in the space next to the sentence giving it an “F”, “O” or “IO”.

 1. Swimming

¾ Boo Radley is the greatest swimmer of all time.
¾ Michael Phelps won more Olympic medals for swimming than anyone else in history.
¾ There is no way to really tell if Michael Phelps is the greatest swimmer in the history of the world, but he is definitely very good at swimming and the argument could be made that he was the greatest competitive swimmer in the world at one time.

 2. Food in the U.S.A.

¾ I say that Thanksgiving Dinner is the best food we have in the U.S. and a CNN poll also ranked it as the #1 food favorite in the U.S.A.
¾ Pizza is the best food, ever.
¾ There isn’t a way to really find out for certain what the most popular food in the U.S. is.

3. Animals
¾ Mudpuppies spend their entire lives underwater and are distinguished as the only salamanders that make sound—a dog-like barking.
¾ The Hammerhead Shark is the most dangerous sharks…just look at it!
¾ The Bird of Paradise is one of the best known dancers in the animal kingdom. See the article here.

3. Movies

¾ Twilight is the best movie of all time.
___ Avatar used a new form of 3D technology that proved more impressive than earlier methods.
¾ Gravity is the highest grossing film of all time.
___ Leonardo DiCaprio's performance in The Great Gatsby was received favorably by some critics.

Examples: Identify if the piece posted is an article or an editorial. Give reasons and specific examples that inform your opinion.

• Finding Shakespeare in Thor: The Dark World
• Are Grimm’s Fairy Tales too Twisted for Children?
• Are We Alone in the Universe?
• Does It Say ‘Arrgh’ When You Make a Kill?

Blog 10 - Value of Privacy

DUE TUESDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2013
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.

Privacy was once valued and protected. Diaries came with locks to keep the writer’s privately recorded thoughts from being read by others. Public telephones were enclosed in booths so that conversations would not be overheard. But now people feel free to post information about themselves on social networking Web sites and carry on cell phone conversations in public places. We would be much better off if we valued privacy—our own and that of others—far more highly than we do.

Assignment: Do we place too little value on privacy today?

Plan and write a 2-paragraph response in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and specific examples. Without specific details, descriptions and concrete examples, your response is graded as half credit. You may not repeat anyone else's examples - be creative and original, OR be the first to respond to avoid plagiarism.

Newspaper PowerPoint

Newspapers from Lina Ell

Newspaper Assignment Handout

Each member of the newspaper group will contribute a minimum of 3 articles on a variety of topics - approved by the teacher and the editor (selected by vote). One of the articles can be an editorial or opinion piece on any subject. Remember, in order for the newspaper to be the most appealing, the articles have to refer to recent news, important events, and things that the student population cares about. You may choose local, regional, national, or world news, just remember to do the research and make it interesting. Use the sheets provided to plan out your topics and organize your information. Also, browse articles in a similar section or on a similar topic for help.

CLICK IMAGE for Brainstorming Worksheet and Writing Tips.

Qualities of a Feature Story/Sample Leads AND Active and Passive Voice Grammar Worksheet

 

CLICK IMAGE to download "Active/Passive Voice"
worksheet.
 




CLICK IMAGE for "Qualities of Feature Story" worksheet.









Feature Article AND "Do Opposites Attract?" and "Dealing with Homework" Articles - Sample Styles PLUS Six Rules for Writing Straight Leads



CLICK ME for notes on feature articles.




CLICK PICTURE for a copy of the sample articles.

CLICK IMAGE for notes on "Leads."

After browsing several articles in your favorite sections of the online newspaper (I recommend New York Times or Chicago Tribune), choose your top 3 articles/editorials, summarize each, and fill out the worksheet attached. Due at the end of the period on Thursday.



A Comic for Your Enjoyment from the Artists at "Hyperbole and a Half" - My "not so subtle" Propaganda

There is one grammatical mistake that I particularly enjoy encountering.  It has become almost fun for me to come across people who take the phrase "a lot" and condense it down into one word, because when someone says "alot," this is what I imagine:

 

The Alot is an imaginary creature that I made up to help me deal with my compulsive need to correct other people's grammar.  It kind of looks like a cross between a bear, a yak and a pug, and it has provided hours of entertainment for me in a situation where I'd normally be left feeling angry and disillusioned with the world.  

For example, when I read the sentence "I care about this alot," this is what I imagine: 

Similarly, when someone says "alot of _______", I picture an Alot made out of whatever they are talking about.  

 

If someone says something like "I feel lonely alot" or "I'm angry alot," I'm going to imagine them standing there with an emo haircut, sharing their feelings with an Alot.  

The Alot is incredibly versatile. 

 

So the next time you are reading along and you see some guy ranting about how he is "alot better at swimming than Michael Phelps," instead of getting angry, you can be like, "You're right!  Alots are known for their superior swimming capabilities."

  

Blog 9: Propaganda

DUE Monday November 18, 2013
According to Wikipedia, propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position by presenting only one side of an argument. Propaganda is usually repeated and dispersed over a wide variety of media in order to create the chosen result in audience attitudes. Generally, propaganda is distributed in the form of cartoons, posters or visuals - and often has a political slant (but not always). During WWII, many cartoons depicted the Germans as evil and inhumane in order to paint the enemy as monsters.

For the blog response, select a piece of propaganda on a subject of your choice. Paste a link to the piece in your response for reference (since you can't post the actual picture). Explain how the piece is trying to use persuasion to convince the audience or the viewer. What emotions is it using? What language? Look at the image and explain how it relates to the message. Explain if the technique used is effective? or offensive? Sometimes propaganda is inflammatory on purpose, to cause anger so that people will discuss the subject. Are the images used recognizable - often propaganda references visuals that people are familiar with or they spoof previous propaganda (see the "We Can Do It" ones below). Think about the way the piece is trying to engage the audience: could the author have done things differently to get the point across.

Below (and above) are some examples of propaganda. You are welcome to choose one of them if you cannot find your own (just let us know which you are writing about). As always, the response should be 2 paragraphs.

My phone sucks -_-

Technology and machinery is rapidly increasing its perfect day by day. New electronic devices are created each year. New models of cars with more actions to them. The newer the item, the more possibilities you have of doing something than before. For example if u had the iPhone 4 and the the iPhone 5s, you could not do the same things as the iPhone 5s can. iPhone 5s has more accessibility's to than the iPhone 4. Same concept towards new model cars. A 1996 Hyundai has less accessibilities than a 2014 Hyundai. 

The art of technology and machinery is improving day by day. Not only for individual human beings, but also for all of us. If technology increased greatly from what it is now, it would help everyone; but thats what we need. A device or machine that we all can benefit from. Of course have our own technology is great, but we need something to also benefit all of us. The worlds technology and machinery is what keeps this world in control. 

Sample Body Paragraph - Evaluate

Furthermore, there is no specific cure for schizophrenia; however, there are different types of medicine to help the condition of the disorder. For instance, according to the website invgastustenna, joining a group of people who also suffer from schizophrenia can help manage the feelings that one may have toward the disorder. Being in a room with similar people who have to deal with the same symptoms a victim has to go through can open an individual’s eyes to ho the disorder affects others as well. Sometimes, knowing that one is not alone and that others also have to struggle with the illness in different ways can help keep a person calm and manage the condition of having the disorder. Referring to the website Schizophrenia, psychotherapy and medication are more effective than one treatment alone. When going to psychotherapy and when using medication separately, each is not as effective by itself. When combining both treatments, the effect will become more noticeable and more powerful. These are some treatments for the disorder schizophrenia and living with the disorder can be very complicated.

Avoiding Sentence Fragments Worksheet AND Independent and Dependent Clauses Worksheet



Click the picture to download the "Sentence Fragments" Worksheet

Click the picture to download the "Independent and Dependent Clauses" Worksheet.

 

Sentence Fragments PowerPoint

Sentences and Fragments from Lina Ell

Sentence Structures PowerPoint - Independent and Dependent Clauses

Sentence Structure Using a Bike Metaphor from Lina Ell