April Knapp

Course Name: Journalism/Newspaper for Grades 7-12

Grade Range: 7-12 grade

Instructor: April Knapp

Email: april.knapp@cru.org

Price: $200 for 28 weeks plus purchase of AP Stylebook-$15

Course Description: Students will create a monthly or bi-monthly newspaper as a class. They will learn basic print journalism skills including:
- How to organize and write a hard news story with interesting lead
- The anatomy of a newspaper
- How to use AP (Associated Press) style, which is commonly used in journalism
- How to choose newsworthy stories/topics;
- How to interview for a news story
- How to write various feature news stories such as special interest, reviews, and opinion pieces.
-Journalism ethics and law
- How to design a newspaper
- How to write a headline
- Very Basic journalistic photography (it may be fun to partner with the phone photography class if possible!)
- How to edit a news story

Course Prerequisites: basic English and writing skills

Curriculum used by Instructor: Create my own using a combination of materials from schooljournalism.org and Journalism Basics book by Megan L Horst

Books & Supplies required for purchase by families: AP Style Book-$15 on Amazon

Homework Requirements: Writing articles-no more than 2 per week (about 1 page per article)

Duration: 28 weeks

Grading: pass/fail

Course Credit: 1

Teacher Bio: April Knapp is a published writer who earned her journalism degree at Appalachian State University. She has worked in college ministry for 20 years. Her current role in the ministry includes publishing two news emails a month and providing soul care for other staff members.

Min/Max # of Students: Min: 8; Max: 18

Method and Frequency of communication: weekly