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4. THE DESIGN BLUEPRINT

Mastery of the Fundamental Concepts of News and News Writing

I. PROGRAM OVERVIEW
This instructional design aims to provide the campus journalists of Lipay Elementary School with the foundational key understanding of the concepts and principles of news and news writing. This program will cover topics including the definition of news, characteristics of news that separate it from other forms of writing, the importance of news in the personal and societal level, and the basic structure of news. By the end of the program, the students will be able to identity, analyze, and construct basic news stories.  


II. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 
Project Goals 
Mastery of the fundamental concepts of news and news writing so they can indecently use the foundations throughout the duration of their journalism seminar-workshop.


Learning Objectives 

  • Knowledge Objectives 

  1. To analyze and articulate the fundamental elements that define news in your own words

  2. To critically evaluate and compare various types of news, identifying key distinctions among news samples

  3. To describe the characteristics of a news story

  • Skills Objectives 

  1. To construct a scenario that illustrates the consequences of having no access to news, highlighting the significance of news in society

  2. To rewite a basic news story using the Inverted Pyramid Structure

  • Attitude Objectives

  1. To develop a critical mindset towards news consumption, production, and reproduction, with empahasis on ethical responsibilities of campus journalism 

  2. To encourage curiosity and open-mindedness to foster accurate, impartial, and responsible reporting

 

III. INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES 

  1. Lectures and Presentations: Introduce the fundamental concepts of news, including its definition, characteristics, and importance. Use multimedia presentations to highlight key points and engage students.

  2. Interactive Discussions: Facilitate class discussions on current news events to illustrate the characteristics and importance of news. Encourage students to express their views on what makes a story newsworthy.

  3. Case Studies and Examples: Analyze real-world news stories to understand how the world will become if there is no news. Discuss the importance and impact of these stories.

  4. Workshops, Group Activities, Small Group Discussions: Conduct workshops where students work in groups to generate their own definition of news, to identify the kinds of stories they read, to determine the characteristics of the news report they read, and to analyze the impact of news and news reporting in our society’s welfare

  5. Hands-On Writing Exercises: Provide practice in structuring basic news using the inverted pyramid format. Structure a news using sequencing of events based on their level of importance in the news storty.

  6. Scaffolding 

  7. Didactic Questioning 

  8. Drill & Practice

  9. Summarization


IV. RESOURCES AND MATERIALS 

  • Journalism Book. Campus Journalism and School Paper Advising by Ceciliano-Jose Cruz

  • Digital Tools: Access to online news sites, digital articles, and multimedia resources for analysis and discussion

  • Multimedia Resources: Videos of news broadcasts and interviews to illustrate the characteristics and importance 

  • Teacher and Workshops. Invite a speaker to implement the instruction designed for the workshop, which included learning activities and assessment tasks 


V. ASSESSMENT METHODS 
1. Formative Assessments:

  • The use of metacards to identify the students prior knowledge on the topic to be discussed 

  • Choral Quiz: Evaluate the students’ understanding on the importance of news in the society 

  • Raise Your Hand. The students will be assessed whether they understand which presented stories are news and not new 

  • Analysis in Pair. Assessed students understanding on the types of news. They will analayze a news story and identify the type of news they read. 

  • Rearrange the Sequence. Determine students comprehension of the basic news structure – what constitutes the lead, body, and tail 

 

2. Summative Assessments:

  • Oral Presentation: Present the group’s own definition of news; The students will also demonstrate to the class what it is like without a news (session 3) 

  • Individual Analysis. Assess students comprehension of the characteristics of news. This ascertain that students understand the basic tenets of each characteristis

  • Rewriting News Based on the Inverted Pyramid. Test students’ understanding of what constitutes a lead, body, and tail. 

 

VI. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Phase 1: Preparation and Orientation
Introduce the program’s goals, objectives, and expectations.
Provide an overview of the topics to be covered and distribute relevant learning materials.


Phase 2: Core Instruction, Practical Application, and Asssessment 
Duration: 6 Hours 

  • Session 1: Definition of News and Types of News Characteristics of News (Lectures, Discussion, Activities in Pair and in Group) 

  • Session 2: Characteristics of News (Interacrive Discussion, Case Studies) 

  • Session 3: Importance of News in Society (Interactive Discussion, Media Presentation, Case Analysis, Group Activity & Presentation).

  • Session 4: Basic Structure of News Articles (Lecture, Workshops/hands-on writing practice).


Phase 3: Evaluation and Reflection

  • Assess students summative assessment outcomes 

  • Conduct reflection sessions to discuss learning outcomes, challenges, and areas for improvement.


VII. EVALUATION PLAN

  • Continuous Feedback: Provide regular feedback on student performance to encourage ongoing improvement in mastering the basic concepts of news and news writing which can guide guide them in the future writing practices 

  • Outcome Measurement: Evaluate the effectiveness of the instructional design based on students’ ability identifying the types, importance, and characteritics of news in a shorter span of time 

  • Program Review: Gather feedback from future instructors and school paper adviser to assess the success of the program and identify opportunities for enhancement.


VIII. SUSTAINABILITY AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

  • Resource Development: Create a repository of instructional materials and examples for use in future courses (e.g., student outputs, previous revisions, books, and notes) 

  • Professional Development: Recommend school paper adviser to attend training in campus journalism (e.g., writing and school paper production) to keep up with the latest trends and practices in campus journalism

  • Program Expansion: Consider expanding the program to cover more advanced topics in journalism, such as comprehensive interviews, mobile reporting, and collaborative publishing since the school does not compete for this category. 

  • Partnerships. Establish linkages and communications with external organizations such other school publications to expand the development of a structure campus journalism education not just in Lipay Elementary School. 

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