Middle School Feature Article

USA TODAY Project Information

Dear Parents and Students: Due Date: October 10 (A Day) & 11 (B Day), 2013

Your child will be responsible for completing the USA TODAY Project for Language Arts this quarter. The project should be completed and secured (stapled or in a notebook/cover of your choice) in sequential order with each page containing the number of the assignment (#1, #2, #3, etc.) at the top of the page with the completion date. The "Analyzing A Feature Article Format" can be copied into the notebook or printed and glued in upon completion, as can any drawings or art work designed during the project. All work should be neat (handwritten or typed) and organized according to the instructions for each assignment.

Please add the due date listed at the top of this page to your calendar. Encourage your student to break this assignments into small pieces. If students decide now which days to work on the project and the amount to be completed while working each day, this will help them meet the deadline and learn valuable organizational skills. Please remind them to plan to finish early in case a situation (sickness, extra curricular activities, etc.) comes up the week it is due. I wrote a grant to give my students access to a free online edition of USA TODAY's digital newspaper, e- Edition. USA TODAY's digital e-Edition maintains the excellence of the USA TODAY print edition with added digital features:

 archives of articles by keyword search  audio read back of articles  magnification of text and graphics  downloadable individual articles that can be printed separately or emailed to others  embedded video and much more

Accessing the digital edition is as easy as typing in the link, which is included below with your user name and password. This web page can be accessed from any computer with internet access. The password is case sensitive and will only be accepted if typed in lower case. Please keep this information on hand for future reference for your student:

USA TODAY e-Edition Login site: http://usatoday.va.newsmemory.com/charitablefoundation.php

User Name: 34528

Password: usatoday

Complete addition of paper available: Monday - Friday (you can look at previous additions by using the dropdown tab in the date window)

Extra addition (very limited) available: Saturday & Sunday

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about this project. My deadline is firm and late projects will not be accepted. Students are encouraged to submit projects early for extra credit! Please see the attached rubric for how the project will be graded. Sign and return the USA TODAY Project Information sheet for a homework grade!

Thank you for your support,

L. Sutherland-6th Grade Language Arts Your Name: Day/Block:

ANALYZING A FEATURE ARTICLE FORMAT

Title of Article: ______

Author: ______Date: _____

Connected to content in: Math____ Social Studies____ Science____

Other (list content):______

Audience (Who does the author want to read the article?): ______Purpose (Why did the author write this article?): ______Write a summary of the article in paragraph format. Be sure to include the details of the Handy Dandy Hand (5Ws and 1H-Who?, What?, When?, Where?, Why? and How?): ______

Examining the lead - Explain how the article tries to "hook" your interest: ______Examining the text features - List any text features the author uses to help make the article more interesting or informative. (Examples - headings, lists, charts, graphs, diagrams, captions, etc.): ______Make a connection - Explain why this article was interesting to you. How does it connect to your own experience(s): ______

USA TODAY Project

1. Analyze an article of your choice related to math. Be sure you are using the format "ANALYZING A FEATURE ARTICLE" and that your answers are all written in complete sentences. Pay close attention to spelling, grammar, punctuation and capitalization! 2. Find the loudest page in today’s paper. Then, find the quietest. How did you define “loud” and “quiet”? You must defend your choices and explanations in writing in a complete paragraph. 3. Locate a headline in today’s paper that, when read by itself, could be a statement about your life. (You may delete one word from the headline or add one word to it.) In writing, explain what the statement says about you and what connection it has to your life. 4. Develop a list of the “Top 10 News Items” in today’s paper. Rank the events in order from most to least important. Why did you rank them in this order? Write an explanation for why beside each story's title. 5. Turn to the Life section in today’s paper and read a book, record, movie or other review. Then, write your own review of an artistic work. Give the work a rating (from one to four stars) and support your evaluation with facts, quotes and details. 6. Look at the front page of USA TODAY. What do you like about it? What do you dislike about it? What information is easy to find? Hard to find? Do you like the colors, the fonts, the size of the headlines, the size of the graphs, etc.? List the changes you would make to the front page (you must have at least two). Then, draw your new design to include those changes. 7. Evaluation (or judging) is a high-level thinking skill. Choose what you consider to be the best photo in each section of today’s paper. Then, briefly explain in writing why you selected each picture. Give at least three reasons for each of your choices. Write in the paragraph format. 8. Analyze an article of your choice related to science. Be sure you are using the format "ANALYZING A FEATURE ARTICLE" and that your answers are all written in complete sentences. Pay close attention to spelling, grammar, punctuation and capitalization! 9. Turn to the TV listings on the back of the Life section. Identify five shows that are educational and five that are probably not. Explain the rationale for each of your choices. Then, answer this question in writing: What would you do if you couldn’t watch TV for a month? Be sure to watch your grammar, spelling, capitalization and punctuation. 10.Make five predictions about people or items (stories, photos, maps, etc.) that will be in the paper today. Then, flip through the paper and see how many of your predictions were on target. Finally, make five predictions for tomorrow’s paper, based on the stories in today’s edition. Why do you think these stories will appear in tomorrow's paper? Write your answer in the paragraph format. 11.Define the word conflict. Why do conflicts arise? How are they resolved? See how many references to different conflicts — verbal, legal, physical, etc. — you can find in today’s paper. Identify the causes of the conflicts. Are any of them similar? Then, write about the possible solutions for each one in paragraph format. 12.Analyze an article of your choice related to technology. Be sure you are using the format "ANALYZING A FEATURE ARTICLE" and that your answers are all written in complete sentences. Pay close attention to spelling, grammar, punctuation and capitalization! 13.Why is being curious an important and admirable characteristic? Flip through today’s paper and identify interesting headlines and pictures — ones that pique your curiosity. Then, write down 10 questions about the items you found. Begin each with “I wonder . . .” Where could you look for the answers to your questions? 14.A stereotype is a conventional, often oversimplified opinion — i.e., a belief that one example is representative of a whole group. For example, for many years, blacks were stereotyped in literature and film as maids, butlers and other servant-like characters. Peruse today’s editorial pages, and find examples of stereotypes in letters sent in by readers. Write down at least one example and reference the text (copy the exact words inside "Quotation Marks") with an explanation written in the sentence format. 15.The term diversity means a range or assortment of different things. For example, a diverse music collection might include rock, pop, jazz and country albums. Read through USA TODAY, and identify examples of diversity. Write down at least one example of diversity and explain your answer in a paragraph format. 16.Scan USA TODAY and list all the different jobs and careers that are shown in pictures or mentioned in articles. Then, select the three jobs on your list that you find most interesting. Explain the duties of each of those jobs. You may want to do some research on the internet to help you answer this question. Write your response in paragraph format. 17.Look at the details from a graph in USA TODAY. Are you able to read the graph? Does it help you understand the story? Next, create a graph for a story in USA TODAY that does not have one. Make the parts of the graph proportional to the measures of the things being compared. Finally, in a paragraph or two, explain how the graph shows details from the story.

Additional information to help guide this project:  Complete each item according to the instructions. Don't over think the questions! Give me a complete and reasonable answer to each item that is well-written and uses good grammar, punctuation and capitalization. Use the rubric to get the grade you want for this project!!  Some items will take a few minutes to complete and others could take up to 2 hours. Set goals for completion on a calendar (agenda) for each item. For example: Monday, Wednesday, Friday each week- complete 2 items each day. Organizing your time is key here!!!!  This project will not be accepted by email. If you complete it using a computer, you must be able to print it and put it in a book format to submit to the teacher. I will not be able to print off books for you due to limited resources and the amount of time to do this for 150+ students. I highly recommend your project be handwritten/drawn if you do not have consistent, reliable computer access at home.  If using the computer, please save your project on a USB drive in case you have computer problems and need to print in a different location. Also, save your document each time you complete an item in case you lose power or have a computer problem.  PLEASE use original artwork whenever possible and make your book cover and pages neat and colorful!

Language Arts USA TODAY PROJECT Due:Oct. 10-11, 2013 _

The USA TODAY Project should be completed in a book format of your child's choice. This project is designed to make connections across the curriculum for students. Several of the Common Core State Standard (CCSS) skills for reading information (RI) and writing (W) are practiced with this project. Projects are an excellent way for me to assess your child's progress without giving a written test on content. I will assign several projects this year. The USA TODAY Project will be graded as a formal assessment (45% of the overall grade comes from this category) using the following criteria:

 Organization in Writing Notebook (25%)  Paragraph and Sentence Construction (25%)  Diagrams and Illustrations (25%)  Creativity (25%)

In order to complete this project, students must have access to a computer with internet access. While a printer is not necessary, it would be helpful if available. Students who need access to a computer/internet are encouraged visit their local library or the NWSA media center (from 4:15-4:45 pm after school-Contact Mrs. Romanek for additional times). Please feel free to contact me (put your child's name in the subject line) with any questions or concerns at [email protected]

Acknowledgement of USA TODAY Project Assignment

Please sign below & return to the teacher indicating you are aware that this major project has been assigned to your student and that it should be completed outside of class and submitted on Oct. 10th (A Day)-11th (B Day). Your child can complete this project using either the electronic edition of USA TODAY or a hardcopy purchased by you. Remember that ALL projects should be completed in small pieces each week to allow enough time for completion. Use your agenda to write down your personal goals for completing each part in a timely manner for full credit! Parents can help by checking on progress each week and posting the schedule for completion in a place that will help everyone remember and complete each part on time. I will ask your child to bring in the project on 2 dates so that I can document progress and notify you if no work is provided during the check via email. Please return this page, signed by student and parent/guardian, for a homework grade by 9/3/13. Extra credit applies to projects turned in early (see the rubric for details).

Today's Date______

Student's Name (Printed)______

Student's Signature______

Parent's Name (Printed)______

Parent's Signature______

Comments/Questions:______