In order to improve the reading and literacy abilities of my 8th grade students, I have created a theme based, cross-curricular newspaper project which incorporates reading, language arts, social studies, and technology, consistent with the Philadelphia School District's Curriculum Frameworks and Pennsylvania's Academic Standards. The process, which takes approximately six months, begins with students reading an historical fiction novel regarding some aspect of American history. They have a choice of novels which cover such topics as the Revolutionary War, the Salem Witch Trials, Westward Expansion, the Civil War, World War II, the sinking of the Titanic, etc. Through extensive research, they must become thoroughly familiar with all aspects of that era, exploring such related issues as taxation without representation, slavery, the Holocaust, Japanese internment camps, civil rights, and women's rights. The results of their inquiries are put into appropriate sections of a newspaper which they create on the computer. This historical fiction newspaper must reflect the time period of their novel and be historically accurate and aesthetically pleasing.
Reading and writing is at the very heart of the historical fiction newspaper project. The novel provides the framework for the research which is used to create the newspaper. The masthead reflects the appropriate time and place. The top story is an account of one exciting scene in the book and has additional historic details which support that era in history. The book review is a short summary of the novel and includes a recommendation. The editorial is the student's opinion on a moral or social issue, which may or may not have been mentioned in the book, which was important in that time period. The student's viewpoint must be substantiated with historical facts, statistics, etc. This section includes a digital photo of the student with his/her by-line. The classified ads include help wanted items which must reflect the time, place, customs, and economic structure of the era. Obituaries must include one real person who died in that time frame, including a picture, and all notices should reflect the times (war, disease, etc.). The advertisement should be for a product which was important in that time period. It could be a new invention, such as television, automobiles, or cameras, or it could advertise a new kind of establishment, like a chain store. The ad must include a graphic, be aesthetically pleasing, and entice consumers to buy the product. The last obligatory section is entertainment which was popular at the time. Possibilities include books, theater, music, and movies. Again, graphics are vital. Optional sections would include sports, science, comics, and the like. A bibliography must be included in order to cite books, electronic encyclopedias, Web sites, and other sources of information.
Throughout this process, I conference with students, make suggestions, and direct them to various sources of information such as electronic encyclopedias and various CD-ROMs, as well as the internet. I teach them how to do a productive internet search in a time efficient manner. They must then take the information they find, decide what is relevant, and incorporate it into their articles. Students must summarize, organize, analyze, and synthesize their findings for the appropriate sections of their newspaper. Revising and editing is an ongoing process, guided by our conferences and their evaluations on various rubrics. Since students gather content slowly, over a six month period, they are able to build connections and see relevance in context.
In creating their historical fiction newspapers, students use a word processing software application to create the newspaper and research their topic from a variety of print and electronic media. Students format text and import and scan graphics. All work is done on classroom computers, but visits to the local library are encouraged. Because our access to technology has increased over the years, the newspapers have become increasingly sophisticated. In my classroom, students have access to information from electronic media such as World Book Encyclopedia, Grolier's '99, Time Almanac, and the internet. The increasing number of computers in the home gives children the opportunity to continue their projects on their own time. In addition, children have access to my personal library which includes books that facilitate locating information from particular eras. Books such as Famous First Facts, Book of Chronologies, and African-American Timelines are examples. I would also recommend COBBLESTONE ®, a magazine which includes historical topics such as the Civil War, the American Revolution, the Westward Expansion, etc. FOOTSTPES is also an excellent resource for African American topics such as the Underground Railroad, Civil Rights, Blacks in the Military, etc.
Students' projects are judged using different rubrics appropriate for the content of each section of the newspaper. However, all sections are evaluated on their use of grammar in a clear and concise fashion, their factual, non-biased presentation of information, their computer technique (including appropriate graphics), and the aesthetics of the newspaper format. Their newspapers should clearly reflect a depth of understanding of that historical era and showcase their computer expertise. Special accommodations are made for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students, who have increased in number in recent years. This might include completing fewer sections of the newspaper and/or being evaluated with a special rubric adjusted to fit their level of proficiency. These students are assisted by the ESOL teacher who adjusts the project to individual abilities. One hundred percent of my students, no matter what their ability, have produced well-written and historically accurate newspapers that met the requirements of the project. But more important than the product is the process of discovery accomplished in a constructivist manner. The skills honed through reading, writing, analyzing, and synthesizing information carry over into all aspects of academics. The expertise gained in researching print and electronic media serves students well in high school and beyond.
Marianne Rossi is an eighth-grade teacher at William H. Ziegler Elementary School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Her "Historical Fiction Newspaper" project was the eastern regional winner in the 2002 International Reading Association Presidential Award for Reading and Technology Award competition, which is sponsored by Riverdeep, The Learning Company.
Reading and writing is at the very heart of the historical fiction newspaper project. The novel provides the framework for the research which is used to create the newspaper. The masthead reflects the appropriate time and place. The top story is an account of one exciting scene in the book and has additional historic details which support that era in history. The book review is a short summary of the novel and includes a recommendation. The editorial is the student's opinion on a moral or social issue, which may or may not have been mentioned in the book, which was important in that time period. The student's viewpoint must be substantiated with historical facts, statistics, etc. This section includes a digital photo of the student with his/her by-line. The classified ads include help wanted items which must reflect the time, place, customs, and economic structure of the era. Obituaries must include one real person who died in that time frame, including a picture, and all notices should reflect the times (war, disease, etc.). The advertisement should be for a product which was important in that time period. It could be a new invention, such as television, automobiles, or cameras, or it could advertise a new kind of establishment, like a chain store. The ad must include a graphic, be aesthetically pleasing, and entice consumers to buy the product. The last obligatory section is entertainment which was popular at the time. Possibilities include books, theater, music, and movies. Again, graphics are vital. Optional sections would include sports, science, comics, and the like. A bibliography must be included in order to cite books, electronic encyclopedias, Web sites, and other sources of information.
Throughout this process, I conference with students, make suggestions, and direct them to various sources of information such as electronic encyclopedias and various CD-ROMs, as well as the internet. I teach them how to do a productive internet search in a time efficient manner. They must then take the information they find, decide what is relevant, and incorporate it into their articles. Students must summarize, organize, analyze, and synthesize their findings for the appropriate sections of their newspaper. Revising and editing is an ongoing process, guided by our conferences and their evaluations on various rubrics. Since students gather content slowly, over a six month period, they are able to build connections and see relevance in context.
In creating their historical fiction newspapers, students use a word processing software application to create the newspaper and research their topic from a variety of print and electronic media. Students format text and import and scan graphics. All work is done on classroom computers, but visits to the local library are encouraged. Because our access to technology has increased over the years, the newspapers have become increasingly sophisticated. In my classroom, students have access to information from electronic media such as World Book Encyclopedia, Grolier's '99, Time Almanac, and the internet. The increasing number of computers in the home gives children the opportunity to continue their projects on their own time. In addition, children have access to my personal library which includes books that facilitate locating information from particular eras. Books such as Famous First Facts, Book of Chronologies, and African-American Timelines are examples. I would also recommend COBBLESTONE ®, a magazine which includes historical topics such as the Civil War, the American Revolution, the Westward Expansion, etc. FOOTSTPES is also an excellent resource for African American topics such as the Underground Railroad, Civil Rights, Blacks in the Military, etc.
Students' projects are judged using different rubrics appropriate for the content of each section of the newspaper. However, all sections are evaluated on their use of grammar in a clear and concise fashion, their factual, non-biased presentation of information, their computer technique (including appropriate graphics), and the aesthetics of the newspaper format. Their newspapers should clearly reflect a depth of understanding of that historical era and showcase their computer expertise. Special accommodations are made for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students, who have increased in number in recent years. This might include completing fewer sections of the newspaper and/or being evaluated with a special rubric adjusted to fit their level of proficiency. These students are assisted by the ESOL teacher who adjusts the project to individual abilities. One hundred percent of my students, no matter what their ability, have produced well-written and historically accurate newspapers that met the requirements of the project. But more important than the product is the process of discovery accomplished in a constructivist manner. The skills honed through reading, writing, analyzing, and synthesizing information carry over into all aspects of academics. The expertise gained in researching print and electronic media serves students well in high school and beyond.
Marianne Rossi is an eighth-grade teacher at William H. Ziegler Elementary School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Her "Historical Fiction Newspaper" project was the eastern regional winner in the 2002 International Reading Association Presidential Award for Reading and Technology Award competition, which is sponsored by Riverdeep, The Learning Company.
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