Embedded Files
Post date: Jan 12, 2016 6:57:56 PM
Activity 1
I will stage a conversation with someone in the classroom (usually another teacher) which I would like you to listen to and observe. The idea behind this is not solely to take notes of what we say, but also notice the tone of the conversation, body language, and other non-verbal cues. By reading what you will turn into a description of the conversation, I should be able to get a feel for not only what happened, but how it happened.
Activity 2
On each table there is an object, giving us eight objects. You will have 5 minutes to describe the object at the table. You must write at least 3-4 sentences (a nice, strong paragraph) to describe the object. In addition, you must write 3 questions you would ask the object if it could talk. These should be open-ended questions that someone else, pretending to be the object, can answer.
Activity 3
Take several pictures from around the room or school. Import into a word document. Add a caption below each picture. Be sure that is engaging and descriptive. Ideally, the three pictures are part of a story and the captions add to the story that you are telling with the spread.
Captioning photos is an important part of journalism. Captions must be accurate and informative. In fact, most readers tend to look at the photos, and then the captions, in a story before they decide whether they want to read the story itself. Use the following points to help write a caption that will intrigue the reader enough to read the story.
Check your facts. One of the most important aspects of any type of journalism is accuracy. If you use incorrect information, the story or photo loses credibility. Before uploading or printing any photo captions, make sure you’ve checked that anything stated in the caption is accurate.
Don’t print an incorrect caption if you have trouble checking your facts, either because you can’t find an appropriate source, or because you’re on a deadline. It’s better to leave the information out if you aren’t sure it’s accurate.
Describe something that isn’t obvious. If a photo caption simply describes the visuals in the photo, it’s fairly useless. If you have a photo of a sunset and simply caption is as “a sunset” you’re not adding any additional information for the reader. Instead, describe details of the photo that are not obvious, like the location, the time of day or year, or a specific event that is taking place.
For example, if you have a photo of a sunset you might want to caption it as: “Pacific coast sunset, March2016, from Long Beach, Vancouver Island."
Also avoid using terms like: “is shown,” “is pictured,” “and looks on,” or “above."
Do not start a caption with certain words. A caption should not begin with the words ‘a,’ ‘an,’ or ‘the.’ These words are too basic and take up valuable captioning room when they aren’t necessary. For example, instead of saying: “A blue jay in the boreal forest;” simply say: “Blue jay flying through boreal forest.”
Also, do not start a caption with the name of someone, start the caption with a description first and then include the name. For example, don’t say: “Stan Theman near Sunshine Meadow Park.” Instead say: “Jogger Stan Theman near Sunshine Meadow Park."
When identifying where someone is in a photo, you can say “from left.” You do not have to say “from left to right."
Identify the main people in the photo. If your photo includes important people, identify who they are. If you know their names, include them (unless they’ve asked to remain anonymous). If you don’t know their names, you might want to put a description of who they are instead (e.g. “protesters on the streets of Washington, DC”).
While it shouldn’t need to be said, make sure any and all names you use are spelled correctly and have the proper title.
If the photo includes a group of people, or some people who are not relevant to the story (i.e. their names are not required to tell the story), you do not have to name each of them in the caption.
Be as specific as possible. This advice goes hand-and-hand with being accurate. If you are unsure of where the photo was taken, or who is in the photo, find out. Showing a photo without any specific information may not be useful to the reader, especially if you cannot inform them of the context in which the photo was taken.
If you were working with another journalist for the story, contact them for more information if needed.
If you are trying to identify a specific person in the photo, describing where in the photo they are is very useful. For example, if Bob Smith is the only one in a hat, you can say: “Bob Smith, back row in hat."
While specific is good, you can also phrase your caption so that is starts general and becomes more specific, or starts specific and ends more generally. Either method ensures specificity, but creates easy-to-ready statements.
Label historical photos properly. If you’re using an historical photo in your story, make sure it’s labelled properly and includes the date (at least the year) it was taken. Depending on who owns the photo, you may also need to credit another photography and/or organization (e.g. museum, archive, etc.).
Use the present tense in captions. Because most photos being shown as part of a news story are of things happening “right now,” use the present tense in the caption. An obvious exception would be any historical photos, where using the past tense makes sense.
The nice thing about using the present tense is that it portrays a sense of immediacy and increases the impact of the photo on the reader.
Avoid humor when the photo isn’t intended to be humorous. If the photo you’re captioning is of a serious or somber event, don’t try to be funny in the caption. Funny captions should only be used when the photo itself is a joke or of a funny event that is intended to make the reader laugh.
Remember to always include credits and citations. Every photo should include the name of the photographer and/or the organization that owns the photograph. In actual photographic magazines and publications, photos also include the technical details of how the photo was taken (e.g. aperture, film speed, f-stop, lens, etc.)
When writing the credits, you don’t have to use the term “credited to” or “photo by” if the information is presented in a consistent and understandable format. For example, maybe the credits are always italicized or are a smaller font size
Activity 4
Strawberry Square Activity: Obserrvation Activity
Your assignment: Synchronize watches. Have everyone go to their spots with a reporter’s notebook and pen. Stay there for 15 minutes and take notes. DO NOT TALK to anyone who passes by, unless someone official is wondering what you’re doing there. If that happens, this sheet is your pass. Jot down anything you see, hear, smell on your paper, including snippets of conversation if applicable. Write down everything you can, but also try to think in terms of journalistic stories; what’s happening in your area that people might not know and might be interested in? Remember; you’re just watching, not interacting. If you can get involved in a conversation- so much the better; but it is not necessary. Repeat this again in another location.
Type up your notes and then choose a group of 4 people to discuss what you observed. Take a few minutes to formulate some story ideas based on your spot: A conversation you overheard among the lunch ladies. The fact that all the clocks are wrong. The kid who walked by you four times. Etc. Consider a “What’s happening at 12:43?” spread for your publication. Cover different aspects of the location that are happening at the same time.
Develop it into one of the types of stories that we discussed Using the Maestro Method.
· Preview and Recap
· Investigative Story
· Speech and Event Story
· Feature Story
· Update
· Brief
· Beat
Send your finished story to me- via email. We will incorporate this and other assignments from this week into a newsletter. You have one school day after the assignment to complete this and turn it in.
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