Your Editorial Rubric!!

For those who missed Friday's (5-22) class, please view the Rubric below. Your Editorial will be due on Wednesday when you come to class.

Editorial Evaluation

Subject of Editorial: Praise and Criticism for Kenwood Academy

Looking back at your experience at Kenwood, what would you like to affirm in your school? What would you like to see improved? What programs or efforts would you like to see expanded? What programs or policies would you like to see changed?

Primary Criteria (50 pts.) Poor Good Excellent
Purpose established early in the piece 2 4 6 8 10

Enough specific arguments/examples presented 2 4 6 8 10

Editorial is organized effectively 2 4 6 8 10
(Intro, Reaction, Details, Conclusion)

Piece has been proofread for errors 2 4 6 8 10
(Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation)

Quotes are used to add depth and credibility 2 4 6 8 10

Other Criteria (50 pts.)
Editorial is even-handed 1 2 3 4 5
(Subjective, but balanced)

Opinions supported with facts 1 2 3 4 5

“Research” is clearly evident 1 2 3 4 5

Writing style is clear and precise 1 2 3 4 5

Good transitions throughout 1 2 3 4 5

Appropriate word choice and language 1 2 3 4 5
(No offensive terms, clichés, big words)

Editorial given a well-written headline 1 2 3 4 5
(Present tense, Down style, Telegraphic)

Editorial typed and double spaced 1 2 3 4 5

Editorial is no more than 500 words 1 2 3 4 5

Deadline met by writer 1 2 3 4 5

Total Points: ________/100

Editorials

I've linked a couple more editorials for you, as reference points. Pay attention to how each of these pieces meets the criteria outlined for you on p. 312 of your book and discussed in class.

Here is one about the rape crisis in Liberia, from the NY Times, which seems to serve as an editorial that explains.

Here is one Rick Reilly wrote about his day with Kobe Bryant. What type of editorial is this? What makes it different from some of the others we've read?

This one, also featuring Mr. Bryant, is about how athletes use the media, and what effect it has on the press. 

Finally, this piece, from the Chicago Tribune editorial board, offers praise to Notre Dame for their much-publicized invitation to President Obama to deliver their commencement address.

Critical Reviews Part 2

Yesterday, you read two film reviews of "Fast Food Nation." You will continue to familiarize yourself with the style of a critical review today. In addition to another film review, you will also read one music review and one Game/Restaurant/Book review (your choice).

In addition to noting the critic's name, the publication they are writing for, and the name of the film/album/game/restaurant/book they are reviewing, you will comment on 4 specific areas of concentration.

1) What was their holistic evaluation of the film/album/game/restaurant/book? Did the film/album/game/restaurant/book achieve its stated purpose? (Again, please refer to p.321 of your textbook)

2) What strengths and weaknesses did they note for the film/album/game/restaurant/book?

3) What types of comparisons did the critic make? Were they positive or negative?

4) Does the critic seem overly critical or praising of the film/album/game/restaurant/book, or do they achieve some semblance of balance? Cite an example in answering this question.

- For Film reviews, continue to use the Internet Movie Database.

- For Music or Game reviews, metacritic may help. Search and link to full reviews.

- If you are interested in writing a book review, check the NY Times database. Their reviews only go back 28 years, though, so don't search for the classics. The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns might be a good place to start, though.

- For restaurant reviews, you may have to use google. I had a difficult time locating an online database that didn't charge for access.

Begin!

Critical Reviews

Now that you know a little something about the content of critical reviews, lets take a look at how they are typically written. You will find additional information on writing reviews on p. 321 of our textbook. Please check it out before you begin.

The first thing I'd like you to do is visit the Internet Movie Database, an excellent source of information about films. Find "Fast Food Nation," the film we finished viewing yesterday, and read reviews by Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com and Peter Travers from Rolling Stone. You can find their reviews by clicking on "External Reviews" (on the left) at the film's IMDB home page.

On a sheet of paper, record your observations of each of the reviews.

- Did they offer a holistic evaluation? What was it?

- Do they discuss character development?

- Does the review deal with both the film's strengths and weaknesses? How do they view them?

- Does the critic make any comparisons? What kind, and to what effect?

- What are some other important points they make about the film?

Once you are finished recording your observations of the two reviews, continue reading other film reviews from some of your favorite films to get a better "feel" for how they are done. Notice the critic's writing style, the types of things they choose to comment on, the way they back up the opinions they offer. You will be expected to do the same kind of thing in the critical reviews you will soon be writing.

Your 2 Images

Barack Obama and a House Fire.

These will be your front page images for 2 of your "Stories." Today, you can begin laying out your page!

The Flag (or Nameplate)

Today, you will begin work on your newspaper design. Remember, the name and style of your newspaper is entirely up to you. We will again be working with the tabloid grid.

Your first order of business is to design a flag (or nameplate). You must name your paper, decide on the font style and size (should be LARGE and BOLD) of your nameplate, and use of spot color (1 color applied in strategic places on a page). 

Remember that a flag not only states the name of your newspaper, but also includes the volume and issue numbers, publication date, and city and state where the paper is published. It may also include a graphic, if you feel advanced enough to do so.

Wednesday, 12/10

Hello students,

Unfortunately, I am unable to be with you again today...the day after more history (this time, not so good) was made here in the state of Illinois.

Obviously, today I would like you to do some reading on the Blagojevich arrest. Both the Sun-times and the Tribune are covering it beautifully. This piece especially speaks to our ethics unit, and is incredibly rare. Make sure you read it. Also, check out some of the editorials on the subject. This one by John Kass from the Tribune is pretty good at poking fun at G-Rod.

Finally, I know you are still hard at work on your front page replicas. Here is some information for you that you probably could have used yesterday. Several of these fonts will be unavailable in the version of InDesign you have, so search for a comparable font to use instead. I know Avenir and Adobe Garamond Pro were unavailable on Monday.

Fonts:

- "Kaleidoscope" is in Palatino 68 pt. Bold, though the "K" is 98 pt.

- "THE KENWOOD ACADEMY" is in Palatino 18 Bold

- "Inside" Box is in Avenir 16, info below in box is in Avenir 11

- "Issue" and Date in between lines are in Palatino 10

- First Headline is Avenir 36 Bold

- 2nd Headline is Avenir 29 Regular

- Bylines are in Adobe Garamond Pro 10 pt. Bold

- All Body text is in Garamond 11...remember to use the Lorem Ipsum generator at designerstoolbox.com and use the linking device I showed you in class.

- Photo credits are in Adobe Garamond Pro 7 pt. regular

- Photo captions are in Arial 10 Italic

- Jumpline for 1st story is in Avenir 13

- "Obama Coverage" info in bottom photo box begins with Avenir 19 pt.

Make sure all text lines up on the page and that your placement is closely comparable to the front page of the Kaleidoscope.

I will show you how to fill boxes with "color" when I return to class tomorrow and we can hopefully wrap up this activity!

See you all tomorrow - 

Mr. Rhodes