During this project you will learn
to access newspapers online and locate, in particular, the editorial pages.
You will explore the homepages of the newspapers assigned to you by your teacher,
and by answering the attached worksheet, you will learn to navigate the homepage
to find specific information about searching that newspaper and its archives.
In addition, you and a partner
will find five different editorials, each with a different editorial purpose:
to persuade, to inform, to promote, to praise, and to entertain. At least
two of the five should pertain to the topic assigned by your teacher.
You will also learn how to write
an editorial by determining your audience, composing an interesting and arguable
thesis statement, and providing arguments and evidence in support of your
thesis. You will learn to order your arguments effectively, anticipate the
opponent's point of view, use third person, and choose precise and not inflammatory
vocabulary.
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You will spend one class period
discussing the overall project with your teacher and learning about the
purposes and design of editorials. You will be assigned a partner and two
particular newspapers (see the link to that newspaper
at the bottom of this document).
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You will visit the CALC and,
voila! You will be reading this project explanation.
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Initially, you will NOT work
with your partner. Visit your newspapers' homepages, using the resources
below and locate the information and answer the questions on the information
sheet.
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During the next visit to
the CALC, you and your partner need to find five editorials from your newspapers;
each one should have a different editorial purpose: to persuade, to inform,
to promote, to praise, and to entertain.
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In class we will compare and
contrast the various editorials students have selected, looking specifically
for the thesis, arguments, and support in each one.
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Finally, you will write an
editorial on a topic related to GA's Middle School. You will confer with
a small group of students and take this piece to final draft.
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Some of you will submit your
essays to the Middle School newspaper and many of you will post your editorials
on this webpage. Remember, your opinion counts!
When you have completed this project,
you should be able to locate information in newspapers online by using the
newspapers' homepages efficiently.
You should also understand why and how to write an editorial. Learning to
articulate your opinions clearly and effectively is one way to make sure your
opinion counts. You will also have mastered the following technology skills:
File Management and Application Management, Use of the Germantown Academy
Server, Use of Word Processing, and Use of the World Wide Web. Please take
a few moments at the conclusion of this project to assess your skills using
the self-assessment evaluation document at the back of your plan book.
This project created
and implemented by Maggie McVeigh,
Sara Goodwin, and Kate
Gray, teachers of English for the
middle school students of Germantown
Academy. Web page design and technical assistance furnished by Carol
Siwinski,
Curricular Technology Specialist.
Updated September, 2001
