1. Who is your main subject? My Grandpa, Jimmy Ash.
2. Supporting interviews (who else do you need to talk to)? My grandma, and probably one or two of my Aunts and Uncles.
3. What is the topic or potential topic? The floods in Wimberly, and how it effected him.
4. Which angle from above will you write the story? Human interest
5. Then to help you get going faster, come up with 20 questions that you can ask your main subject. Type these in your blog.
What drew you to Wimberly and when?
What did you hear about flooding when you first moved to Wimberly?
What were you doing when the house first began flooding?
If you had time, what did you grab from your home?
What was going through your head when the flooding first began?
How much time did you have to get out?
How high would you say the water was?
Did you know any of the people who went missing after the floods?
How long were you displaced from your home?
Was this the first time flooding this severe has occurred?
What did your house look like after the flood?
What help did you get to clean up afterwards?
How did the community react to the flood?
Did you ever think something like this would happen again?
When it flooded the second time how did you react?
Was the flooding more or less severe the second time around?
How do you think the community will come back after the recent natural disasters?
Would you ever consider moving? Why or why not?
What is your plan if it were ever to flood again?
How was your business affected by the flooding?
How was the town affected by the flooding?
How long has it been since you've seen flooding similar to the two recent floods?
6. Once you complete that portion, you need to come up with 5-10 questions you need to ask your supporting interviews. Type these into your blog. You may need different questions for each supporting subject.
How did you help out after the flooding happened?
If you were in the same situation, how would you react?
What do you think the community is going to do about the reoccurring floods?
Can you describe what the flooding looked like?
If this happens again, will you encourage Jimmy to move out? Why or why not?
How do you think that people have been reacting to flooding?
Have you been in a similar situation to this? If so explain it.
How would you describe Jimmy?
7. You will need to do a little research on the topic you expect to interview your main subject about. Take a little time and do some google searching - find at least 5 new things about the intended topic you should know before you interview your main subject. List those on your blog.
-Three vehicles were washed away in the second round of flooding.
-Many people had to be rescued the second time it flooded.
-About twelve people died in the first flood.
-A wall of water 40ft high washed down the Blanco River
-The first flood was the highest flood water since 1929
8. Write when you plan to conduct the interview(s)?
On Thanksgiving at my Grandparents house
9. Where you will interview them (some interviews are better to do in the persons environment, while others should be done in public places, ALL interviews should be done in person)? I will interview the people at my grandparents house.
10. How will you record the information? (taking notes is ideal, and if you want to record the conversation you MUST get permission. You can do both if they will allow you to record, this is a really strong technique that you could use.)
I will do both.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
CE 3.2
1. He filed a plea for attorneys and witnesses not to speak publicly about the case.
2. The students are there, because they want to make the experience of other races to be better at the school, because the school is accused of being racist for not yet renaming certain buildings.
3. Clemson, Alabama, Ohio University, and Oklahoma State.
4. Madison, Boulder, Fort Collins, Davis, Portland.
5. Star Wars Episode VI, Lord of the Rings:The Return of the King, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:Part II, Twilight:Breaking Dawn Part II
To choose not to review the textbook is a bad idea. The textbooks are outdated and often incorrect. If they have the opportunity to fix the issues they should take it. Making changes to textbooks is important, who wants to feed children incorrect information. I find the example of the world geography textbook to be horrible and wrong. It should be amended. To overlook something like this is wrong. They have the possibility to do something about things like this and yet they choose to do nothing. Textbooks should be re-checked by experts who know exactly what they are talking about, because then if they do not catch something they can be held accountable, instead of a group of volunteers whom are much more likely to miss something. If textbooks are looked over more thoroughly, maybe there will be less mistakes. Although there are not many mistakes in textbooks, some of the information is outdated. Especially in older versions of books, where the information is old and no one has bothered to look over them and correct what is wrong about it.
2. The students are there, because they want to make the experience of other races to be better at the school, because the school is accused of being racist for not yet renaming certain buildings.
3. Clemson, Alabama, Ohio University, and Oklahoma State.
4. Madison, Boulder, Fort Collins, Davis, Portland.
5. Star Wars Episode VI, Lord of the Rings:The Return of the King, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:Part II, Twilight:Breaking Dawn Part II
To choose not to review the textbook is a bad idea. The textbooks are outdated and often incorrect. If they have the opportunity to fix the issues they should take it. Making changes to textbooks is important, who wants to feed children incorrect information. I find the example of the world geography textbook to be horrible and wrong. It should be amended. To overlook something like this is wrong. They have the possibility to do something about things like this and yet they choose to do nothing. Textbooks should be re-checked by experts who know exactly what they are talking about, because then if they do not catch something they can be held accountable, instead of a group of volunteers whom are much more likely to miss something. If textbooks are looked over more thoroughly, maybe there will be less mistakes. Although there are not many mistakes in textbooks, some of the information is outdated. Especially in older versions of books, where the information is old and no one has bothered to look over them and correct what is wrong about it.
Friday, November 13, 2015
Feature Writing Preview
1. What is the difference between a hard news lead (lede) and the one you read above?
The lead, was more of a hook, but the first paragraph was very similar to a hard news lead, they both had who what when where, but it was hard to see the why.
2. What paragraph(s) did you learn the following information?
a. Who:paragraph 2
b. What:paragraph 5
c. Where: Paragraph 2
d. When:Paragraph 2
e. Why: Paragraph 2
f. How: Paragraph 5
3. Are there quotes in this story?
There are a lot of quotes in this story.
4. Are those quotes arranged in the "quote-transiton" style we used in news writing?
No, not all of them are.
5. Who is quoted in the story?
In the story, Kevin MccLoughlin, Chenoweth, Ken Andrews, Tony Florentino, Frank Willson, and Ted Williams.
6. What quote is the most powerful in the story, in your opinion?
"We're on pins and needles," Florentino said. "I think he really has no idea how big this is going to be."
7. How many paragraphs is the story?
There were 32 paragraphs.
8. How many words is the story (hint: you can copy and paste into Word and get a word count)?
762 words.
9. What is significant about the lead (lede) and the final paragraph of the story?
The lead and final line were both very strong and short hooks, that make the reader think;they are also very optimistic.
10. Why do you think the writer did that with the lead (lede) and final paragraph?
He did that so that the reader is interested and is wanting to read more.
11. Was the story interesting to read?
Yes.
12. When you finished the story, but BEFORE you watched the video, did you want to hear the voice?
Yes.
13. Multimedia approaches are powerful tools, what impact did the video have when watched directly after reading the story?
The video makes the reader see that this person is real and you get a better understanding of who he is.
14. Would the story have lost its impact without the video?
Yes, the voice is what the story is about, so without it the meaning of the story is lost.
15. Did the writer try to come up with a way for you to hear the voice, i.e. did he try to describe the voice or give you a way to "hear" the voice without really hearing it?
Yes, he was very descriptive.
16. How did the writer do that?
The writer did that by using a lot of adjectives and compares his voice to other things so that you get a better understanding of him.
The lead, was more of a hook, but the first paragraph was very similar to a hard news lead, they both had who what when where, but it was hard to see the why.
2. What paragraph(s) did you learn the following information?
a. Who:paragraph 2
b. What:paragraph 5
c. Where: Paragraph 2
d. When:Paragraph 2
e. Why: Paragraph 2
f. How: Paragraph 5
3. Are there quotes in this story?
There are a lot of quotes in this story.
4. Are those quotes arranged in the "quote-transiton" style we used in news writing?
No, not all of them are.
5. Who is quoted in the story?
In the story, Kevin MccLoughlin, Chenoweth, Ken Andrews, Tony Florentino, Frank Willson, and Ted Williams.
6. What quote is the most powerful in the story, in your opinion?
"We're on pins and needles," Florentino said. "I think he really has no idea how big this is going to be."
7. How many paragraphs is the story?
There were 32 paragraphs.
8. How many words is the story (hint: you can copy and paste into Word and get a word count)?
762 words.
9. What is significant about the lead (lede) and the final paragraph of the story?
The lead and final line were both very strong and short hooks, that make the reader think;they are also very optimistic.
10. Why do you think the writer did that with the lead (lede) and final paragraph?
He did that so that the reader is interested and is wanting to read more.
11. Was the story interesting to read?
Yes.
12. When you finished the story, but BEFORE you watched the video, did you want to hear the voice?
Yes.
13. Multimedia approaches are powerful tools, what impact did the video have when watched directly after reading the story?
The video makes the reader see that this person is real and you get a better understanding of who he is.
14. Would the story have lost its impact without the video?
Yes, the voice is what the story is about, so without it the meaning of the story is lost.
15. Did the writer try to come up with a way for you to hear the voice, i.e. did he try to describe the voice or give you a way to "hear" the voice without really hearing it?
Yes, he was very descriptive.
16. How did the writer do that?
The writer did that by using a lot of adjectives and compares his voice to other things so that you get a better understanding of him.
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Peer Review
Luke's Article
Written by Luke W.
This article is about the importance of allowance.
His direct opinion on the topic is "I firmly believe that [allowances] are a necess[ity]"
He did not state what the other side may think.
He was not wishy-washy, he was confident in his opinion.
There are no quotes.
Written by Luke W.
This article is about the importance of allowance.
His direct opinion on the topic is "I firmly believe that [allowances] are a necess[ity]"
He did not state what the other side may think.
He was not wishy-washy, he was confident in his opinion.
There are no quotes.
In this article, it is difficult to determine wether or not the article is an editorial or if its a commentary piece.
Written by Sam M.
This article discusses cell phone addiction amongst college students.
Her direct opinion on the topic is that we need to be wary of the amount of time we spend occupied on our phones, because it is distracting.
She briefly states what the other side may think.
She is not wishy-washy, and is direct in stating her opinion.
This article includes factual quotes.
In this article you can clearly see that it is an editorial piece.
Friday, November 6, 2015
CE 3.1
1. They want to get rid of the confederate flag, because it is a symbol of hate and racism.
2. He found out that he had been kidnapped, because when applying to colleges they found out there was something wrong with his social security number.
3. They cross over the fence because it is the fastest way to get to school, because there are no buses to take them to school.
4. Whole foods is an organic food store. Amplify snacks is an Austin-based tortilla and popcorn producer, and their target audience is health conscious people. HomeAway is an online vacation rental website.
5. She is trying to make tech more appealing to girls. She recruits girls to go and do tech jobs or pursue a tech career in general.
This is an opinion article. In this article, the man is trying to prove his point that we as Americans, and as humans in general, have a tendency to be very materialistic. He recommends that individuals lead more simplistic lives and get rid of all of the material things that we value. He showed how some of the top selling books are ones on organizing, and also that we use things to simplify our lives for us so that we have much less to worry about. The article is called the right side, because like the right side of your brain, it is spiritual and vibrant, whereas the article on the left is very factual similar to the left side of your brain. Even though this is not how the brain actually works, I find it amusing. I would agree with his point that living a much simpler minimalistic life makes things easier for you. Also, I liked what he said about how it could make you happier long term. Even though many people don't live very simple lives and are very attached to the things that they think they need, they may not be as happy as they subconsciously trick themselves into being. The happiness that many people get from their possessions is not really happiness, and if they were to let go of some of the unnecessary personal effects, as the writer suggested, they could enjoy things that are much simpler and could possibly make them even more happy. To me the thought of living a minimalistic life is exciting. Getting rid of things so that I can focus on simple things that make me happy is an interesting concept that could work out well longterm for many people.
2. He found out that he had been kidnapped, because when applying to colleges they found out there was something wrong with his social security number.
3. They cross over the fence because it is the fastest way to get to school, because there are no buses to take them to school.
4. Whole foods is an organic food store. Amplify snacks is an Austin-based tortilla and popcorn producer, and their target audience is health conscious people. HomeAway is an online vacation rental website.
5. She is trying to make tech more appealing to girls. She recruits girls to go and do tech jobs or pursue a tech career in general.
This is an opinion article. In this article, the man is trying to prove his point that we as Americans, and as humans in general, have a tendency to be very materialistic. He recommends that individuals lead more simplistic lives and get rid of all of the material things that we value. He showed how some of the top selling books are ones on organizing, and also that we use things to simplify our lives for us so that we have much less to worry about. The article is called the right side, because like the right side of your brain, it is spiritual and vibrant, whereas the article on the left is very factual similar to the left side of your brain. Even though this is not how the brain actually works, I find it amusing. I would agree with his point that living a much simpler minimalistic life makes things easier for you. Also, I liked what he said about how it could make you happier long term. Even though many people don't live very simple lives and are very attached to the things that they think they need, they may not be as happy as they subconsciously trick themselves into being. The happiness that many people get from their possessions is not really happiness, and if they were to let go of some of the unnecessary personal effects, as the writer suggested, they could enjoy things that are much simpler and could possibly make them even more happy. To me the thought of living a minimalistic life is exciting. Getting rid of things so that I can focus on simple things that make me happy is an interesting concept that could work out well longterm for many people.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Editorial- Cellphone Addiction
Cell Phone Addiction
In todays day and age, many people struggle to put down their phones and engage in the world around them. Many people call this a cell phone addiction that this generation faces.
When people struggle to put their phones away and communicate with others, they face an interesting issue that the majority of the population faces. Cell phone addiction occurs when an individual has issues with going without or even putting down their cell phones. These "addicts" have become so attached to their cellular devices, that the thought of going without them is ludicrous. This can cause people to drive while on their phones which is becoming an increasingly predominant issue across America. It is extremely dangerous, and this is something that is necessary to address.
As a country, the United States must come to a solution to put a halt to the ever climbing car accidents due to texting and driving. The laws currently in place in states has proved not to be sufficient in dealing with this matter. Even though the states have banned texting and driving, there is still a substantial problem. America still has "the highest percentage of distracted drivers".
Statistics prove that even though texting while driving is illegal, people still do it. These people are not only putting themselves in danger, but others on the road surrounding them. "Nine Americans are killed every day from motor vehicle accidents that involved distracted driving, such as using a cellphone". This is one of the many facts that make countless people see the bigger picture of driving distracted.
On the other hand, many people believe that just "checking their phone" won't really affect them, or that "looking at it really quickly" couldn't cause any serious damage, but much to the contrary, many of those who have done just that have ended up in horrible car accidents.
The act of texting while driving is dangerous, and has caused immense damage to many individuals and those they have endangered.
Some have suggested dealing with the larger issue at hand, cellphone addiction. Theoretically, if people were not "addicted" to their cellphones, they would have the self control to put the phone away and focus on driving smart and safely.
One way to get over cellphone addiction is "to be conscious of your usage time". This would help people take notice of the distraction that their phone is providing. And in the long term it would allow people to have more time to do other things, like focusing on their driving.
Although limiting phone usage may not seem like a big deal to many people, when you realize the amount of time you should spend, versus the amount of time the majority typically spends, you may rethink that. Typically, Americans spend "a staggering 4.7 hours a day" on their phones. It is recommended that you spend "Less than two hours a day" on your phone. This is less than half of what many people currently spend. Many consider this to be asking too much, but is it really?
Overall, cell phone addictions have become dangerous, and have caused many problems in the function of how people work. It's time that we deal with the pressing issue of addiction and prevent the accidents caused by it.
In todays day and age, many people struggle to put down their phones and engage in the world around them. Many people call this a cell phone addiction that this generation faces.
When people struggle to put their phones away and communicate with others, they face an interesting issue that the majority of the population faces. Cell phone addiction occurs when an individual has issues with going without or even putting down their cell phones. These "addicts" have become so attached to their cellular devices, that the thought of going without them is ludicrous. This can cause people to drive while on their phones which is becoming an increasingly predominant issue across America. It is extremely dangerous, and this is something that is necessary to address.
As a country, the United States must come to a solution to put a halt to the ever climbing car accidents due to texting and driving. The laws currently in place in states has proved not to be sufficient in dealing with this matter. Even though the states have banned texting and driving, there is still a substantial problem. America still has "the highest percentage of distracted drivers".
Statistics prove that even though texting while driving is illegal, people still do it. These people are not only putting themselves in danger, but others on the road surrounding them. "Nine Americans are killed every day from motor vehicle accidents that involved distracted driving, such as using a cellphone". This is one of the many facts that make countless people see the bigger picture of driving distracted.
On the other hand, many people believe that just "checking their phone" won't really affect them, or that "looking at it really quickly" couldn't cause any serious damage, but much to the contrary, many of those who have done just that have ended up in horrible car accidents.
The act of texting while driving is dangerous, and has caused immense damage to many individuals and those they have endangered.
Some have suggested dealing with the larger issue at hand, cellphone addiction. Theoretically, if people were not "addicted" to their cellphones, they would have the self control to put the phone away and focus on driving smart and safely.
One way to get over cellphone addiction is "to be conscious of your usage time". This would help people take notice of the distraction that their phone is providing. And in the long term it would allow people to have more time to do other things, like focusing on their driving.
Although limiting phone usage may not seem like a big deal to many people, when you realize the amount of time you should spend, versus the amount of time the majority typically spends, you may rethink that. Typically, Americans spend "a staggering 4.7 hours a day" on their phones. It is recommended that you spend "Less than two hours a day" on your phone. This is less than half of what many people currently spend. Many consider this to be asking too much, but is it really?
Overall, cell phone addictions have become dangerous, and have caused many problems in the function of how people work. It's time that we deal with the pressing issue of addiction and prevent the accidents caused by it.
Monday, November 2, 2015
Editorials and Personal Columns
1. Shorter passing periods, and less FIT.
2. Keeping school open during flooding.
3. Dealing with people late to FIT.
One opinions article I read every day is Christiescloset on tumblr. It's run by a "fashion guru", and I check her blog everyday, because I like to hear about what she does and what she wears. Also, I really like the appearance of her blog. Lastly, its a cool way to hear about new things. I go back to read it every day, because its always something new and different from the previous days.
2. Keeping school open during flooding.
3. Dealing with people late to FIT.
One opinions article I read every day is Christiescloset on tumblr. It's run by a "fashion guru", and I check her blog everyday, because I like to hear about what she does and what she wears. Also, I really like the appearance of her blog. Lastly, its a cool way to hear about new things. I go back to read it every day, because its always something new and different from the previous days.
Opinions Piece-Peer Reflection
Cianna's Opinion Article
Written by Cianna Chairez
This story is about police officers not being punished to the full extent for their acts of battery.
Her opinion is that "police are not getting the proper punishments that they deserve when they break protocol or the law".
Joseph's Opinion Article
Written by Joseph K
This story is about over protective parenting.
His opinion on the topic, is that over-protective parenting impairs the child's understanding of trust.
Yes, he addresses what the other side may think about the story. He described how parents believe that they are helping their child out, and preventing them from making mistakes.
He was not wishy-washy, he described exactly what was wrong, and then explained what could be done to fix it.
There are no quotes.
This was written in first person point of view.
Written by Cianna Chairez
This story is about police officers not being punished to the full extent for their acts of battery.
Her opinion is that "police are not getting the proper punishments that they deserve when they break protocol or the law".
She addressed what the other side may think, by putting herself "in the officers shoes".
She was not wishy-washy, and used facts and statistics to support her opinion.
There are no quotes in this article.
This was written in first person point of view.
Joseph's Opinion Article
Written by Joseph K
This story is about over protective parenting.
His opinion on the topic, is that over-protective parenting impairs the child's understanding of trust.
Yes, he addresses what the other side may think about the story. He described how parents believe that they are helping their child out, and preventing them from making mistakes.
He was not wishy-washy, he described exactly what was wrong, and then explained what could be done to fix it.
There are no quotes.
This was written in first person point of view.
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