News Writer:
You should create a report that accurately describes the battles and
events of the Texas Revolution. Include the “Five W’s” of
news writing: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Also include the
effects of the battles and
events. Your news story should be typed (1/2 page) or neatly
hand-written
(1 page). Remember, your story is a short segment, but must be
historically
accurate.
War Correspondent:
You should create an interview with the military leaders of the
Revolution. You may choose to create 1) a “live” interview with
questions and answers that you and one other student will present
during the newscast or 2) a
summary of an interview with the military leader that you present
during
the newscast by yourself. Your interview should be 1 to 1 ½
pages
typed or 1 1/2 to 3 pages neatly hand-written. Be sure to include
appropriate
quotation marks in the dialogue. Don’t forget to ask the questions the
leaders
may not want to answer- questions that are critical of them, their
leadership,
or their war decisions. Be sure to include great detail in both your
questions
and answers.
Feature Correspondent:
You should create an interview with the civilians (non-military
people) of the Revolution. You may choose to create 1) a “live”
interview with questions and answers that you and one other student
will present during the newscast or 2) a feature story that summarizes
the experiences of the civilian(s)
you are featuring that you will present in the newscast. Your interview
should be 1 to 1 ½ pages typed or 1 1/2 to 3 pages neatly
hand-written.
Be sure to include appropriate quotation marks in the dialogue.
Remember,
you are trying to ask questions that will show how the war affects the
typical Texas civilian- men, women, and children. You want to show the
human side of war – their fear, excitement, suffering etc. How has this
war changed
their lives? Are they in favor of the war? Why, why not? Would they do
it
all again? Let your research lead you to the questions that will help
viewers
understand these civilians’ thoughts and feelings about the war. Be
sure
to include great detail in both your questions and answers about what
they
have experienced.
Editorialist:
You are essentially writing a persuasive essay to be used on
television. Watch Fox News – Bill O’Reilly or 60 Minutes – Andy Rooney
to see examples of news editorialists. You tackle a big question and
try to persuade others that your opinion is the only right and sensible
position. You will appear “live” on the broadcast presenting your
editorial comments. You should address one of the following questions
in a 1 - 1 1/2 pages typed or 1 1/2 to 3 pages neatly hand-written
paper:
- Is this war a fair and just war or a plot by the United
States to take over Texas?
- Are the Texans heroes or are they more like spoiled
children?
- What can be done to avoid war-Is this war unavoidable?
- Is Sam Houston a hero or a “never do well?”
- Is Sam Houston’s retreat a great strategy or a big mistake?
- How have the Tejanos contributed to the Revolution and what
role should they play in the fighting?
- Should Colonel Fannin be replaced as a Texas commander?
- What is the significance of the defeat at the Alamo?
- Is the Texas Constitution a good plan for the new nation?
Will it work as well in Texas as it has in the
United States?
- What should be done with Santa Anna now that he has
surrendered?
You may find other ideas in your textbook. Look at the critical
thinking questions in the textbook at the end of each section.
Check with your teacher for approval first of any additional ideas.
Graphic Design Artist:
You should create the background visuals for the newscast, including
graphics for each news story and presentation during the newscast. You
will be responsible for working with each news writer to determine what
type of story they are doing and the type of graphics that might be
appropriate.
You will then create a Power Point presentation of the graphics that
will accompany the newscast.
After meeting with all of the writers to discuss possible images for
their news story or presentation, you should:
- locate visuals on the Internet sites provided in the
resource section (no more than 2 visuals for each news
story and 3 for feature stories and editorials)
- document on your own paper where you located each visual
you choose to use with the complete Internet address and a name for the
visual that you choose (This will be required to give credit on the
power point
- see below)
- save graphics to a floppy disk
- create your Power Point Presentation inserting the
graphics
You may also search the Internet for clip art to use. Search = free
western clip art or free Texas clipart. If you wish to draw some of the
images yourself, you will need to scan them so that you can save them
to floppy disk and
use in the Power Point presentation. As you locate and copy images,
record
on a Credits Sheet the full Internet address where you obtained the
visual.
Your last slide(s) should give credit to these sites. You must follow
copyright law. You already have permission to use the Holt
graphics.
Remember, let the visuals be the center of attention, not fancy colored
backgrounds, text, or animation. You are not creating text in the Power
Point, however, you may choose to include a brief caption under a
visual.
Editor:
You will work either with the News Writers, the Correspondents, or the
Editorialist. You have two main jobs: verify that the information they
write
is historically accurate and improve the quality of their story.
You will do this by working with them, if they request help, in their
research. Once they have completed their story, they will provide you a
typed copy
of their story that indicates exactly where they found their
information.
Check that information for accuracy, meet with them to request any
changes
needed.
Once they have made the changes that you requested, they will provide
you another type-written story. Now you should edit the piece for
grammatical and spelling errors. Just as important, you should rewrite
to make the story more interesting and appealing to a television
audience. (This is why you get paid more than them!) Make the changes
and then meet with the writer
to discuss. You must agree on a final version. Before newscast
production,
you will meet with the other editors and newscast team to decide on the
sequence of your stories for the newscast.
Anchor:
During the initial research phase of our project, you should work with
at least two news writers to help conduct their research by locating
information and sharing it with them. (This will help you understand
the story and do a better job of telling it during the newscast.) When
the editors meet to discuss the sequence of the newscast, you should
meet with them also. You should not advise, but merely participate as
an
observer. (This will help
you understand the sequence of events.)
Once the editors have given you all of the news stories and any
correspondent reports that will not be "live", you should meet with the
other anchors
and decide who is responsible for telling each during the newscast.
You won't have a computer "teleprompter" during the newscast to tell
you what to say. You should begin making notes of what to say, in
outline form, not the complete text. You should memorize as much as
possible of the stories you will present. You may use notes on 3X5 or
4X6 index cards, but you may not simply read the stories. You must
memorize and use the notes only to
help you stay on track. You will need to rehearse at home, in front of
a
mirror, so that your presentation is good.
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