Skip To Main Content

Logo Image

Logo Title

Journalism I

Course Description

This one-semester writing-intensive course is a survey of the history, ethics, practices, and methods of newspaper and magazine journalism. Using professional style rules, students learn how to write articles in the areas of news, features, editorials and sports. Additionally, students write leads, headlines and captions and learn key elements in graphic design, photojournalism, multimedia, social media, and advertising. The course includes a heavy emphasis on the rights and responsibilities of student journalists. Journalism I is highly recommended for students interested in applying for a position on the staff of The Kirkwood Call, the school newspaper, or The Kirkwood Pioneer, the school yearbook. 

Grade Level(s): 9th-12th Grades

Related Standards (State &/or National): Missouri Show-Me Standards

Grade Level(s): 9th-12th Grades

Course-Level Scope & Sequence (Units &/or Skills)

Course Level Objectives

  • Students will demonstrate the ability to write journalistically.
    • Write concise and clear news stories, features, editorials, columns, and sports articles
    • Organize ideas and information
    • Develop captions and headlines of various lengths and styles
    • Synthesize information
    • Devise brief, graphic alternative ways to present copy to the reader
  • Students will demonstrate the ability to design a newspaper which attracts readers.
    • Design effective news, features, opinion, and sports pages
    • Organize layouts and information
    • Design captions and headlines of various lengths and styles
    • Synthesize information
    • Devise brief, graphic means for presenting information to the reader
  • Students will demonstrate an understanding of photo composition.
    • Discern effective photographic techniques as they relate to news, features, columns, sports and editorials
    • Synthesize information
  • Students will demonstrate a knowledge of how to practice journalistic rights and responsibilities.
    • Discriminate and conclude the merits of court cases involving the written press
    • Organize ideas and information
    • Support the attributes of responsible journalism
  • Students will demonstrate comprehensive usage of applicable software.
    • Execute the functions necessary to complete software/application tasks as they relate to complex text and/or design elements.

Date Last Revised/Approved: 2010