Journalism

Welcome to Journalism!

This semester-long course will guide you through the core skills, responsibilities, and creative challenges of being a student journalist. Whether you dream of becoming a reporter, editor, or podcast host—or just want to strengthen your writing and critical thinking—you’ll have a chance to explore it all in our classroom newsroom.

We’ll start by building a solid foundation: exploring the history of journalism, learning about your rights as student reporters, and understanding the ethics that come with telling the truth. From there, you’ll dive into writing powerful news articles, telling compelling feature stories, and crafting persuasive opinion pieces—all with real audiences in mind.

One of our major goals is to publish a quarterly student newspaper, and every one of you will play a role in making that happen. From pitching story ideas to editing and formatting, you’ll contribute to a real publication that shares the voices and stories of our school community.

But journalism isn’t just about writing—it’s also about communicating clearly, confidently, and effectively. That’s why you’ll also build essential public speaking skills through a variety of speech assignments tied to your work as a journalist. You’ll deliver process speeches, informative and persuasive speeches, and even special occasion speeches—learning how to engage an audience both on paper and out loud.

Throughout the semester, you’ll work independently and collaboratively—taking on newsroom roles, conducting interviews, using multimedia tools, and giving and receiving feedback. You’ll build a portfolio of publishable writing while also practicing the kind of speaking skills that help you express your ideas with clarity and purpose.

By the end of the course, you’ll understand what it means to inform, persuade, and connect with an audience—not just as a writer, but as a speaker, too. Most importantly, you’ll find your voice and learn how to use it well.

Your Advisor

Most people know me as a math teacher, so you might be surprised to see me stepping into the world of Journalism. While I absolutely have a passion for mathematics, I’m a multifaceted educator with a deep love for reading and writing as well. I was part of my 8th grade Journalism class and continued that passion throughout high school—writing for the school newspaper, helping create the yearbook, and serving as editor of our literary magazine. When I went to school to become a teacher, I couldn’t pick just one subject to pursue—so I got certified in both Mathematics and English Language Arts. I’m especially excited to use the other side of my certification by teaching this course. Outside of the classroom, I’m currently working on writing a horror novel, which lets me explore storytelling in an entirely different way. Journalism brings together curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking—and I can’t wait to share that journey with you this year.

See if you can identify me in my 8th Grade Journalism photo!

Course Sequence

Quarter 1

Unit 1: Foundations of Journalism
Unit 2: News Writing

Quarter 2

Unit 3: Feature Writing
Unit 4: Editorial and Opinion Writing (Op-Ed)
Unit 5: Podcasting or Infographics (Students will vote on final unit.)

The sequence is subject to change when necessary and appropriate.

Course documents

Page updated

Report abuse