Journalism II

The Dragon’s Fire and This Week at Glasgow Course Syllabus and Policies 2012-2013

By: Mr. John Terlecki

“Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newpapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” - Thomas Jefferson

Who is This Guy?! And Don’t Just Say, “The Teacher!”

So who is this guy that won’t stop yappin’ at the front of our classroom? I’d like you to meet Mr. Terlecki! A quick side note: Mr. T or just Terlecki is fine. Anyway, Mr. T is an English and Journalism teacher at Glasgow High School. Before Note: Not really Mr. Terlecki coming to Glasgow, Mr. T was an adjunct ... duh! No beard! professor at Temple University in North Philly where he taught in the Journalism Department, while earning a master of Journalism degree. He also worked with the Office of Student Media, advising The Temple News (Newspaper), Templar (Yearbook) and W.H.I.P. (Internet radio station). Before working at and attending Temple University, Mr. T earned his bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Penn State University. Mr. T has also worked for a widely-known sports radio station in Philadelphia, 610 WIP. Outside of the classroom, Mr. T is a huge sports nerd. Mr. T closely follows all of the major Philadelphia sports teams and has a large interest in football, baseball, hockey, rugby and golf. Mr. T is an avid -- yet terrible -- golfer, and is also an assistant coach on the Glasgow golf team. Aside from sports, Mr. T is also a fan of movies, music and television, and also enjoys video games -- new and old. He is a proud owner of a Playstation 3 and a Nintendo-64. The last thing you need to know about Mr. T is that he is an open book. If you ever have a question, please ask it. He will GLADLY answer it as honestly as he can. If you have not met Mr. T, he looks forward to meeting you, otherwise, he cannot wait to see you again! Inside: Course Description, Grading Policy, Expectations, Movie Permission Slip, Materials, Books and Parent Signature Cut-off

How Can I Reach Mr. T? Certainly a fair question. A bit stalkerish, but I suppose you would like to reach your teacher, yeah? You can reach Mr. Terlecki in a couple ways. As you may (or may not) know, Mr. Terlecki’s classroom is room 211. He will be there from roughly 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Sorry, no weekend hours unless otherwise specified -- and you better be darned thankful if he shows up on a weekend for your behind! Other contact methods include -- in preferential order -- email (terleckij@christina. k12.de.us) or website (https:// sites.google.com/site/ mrterleckisclassroom/home). If you cannot reach Mr. Terlecki, you clearly have not tried hard enough, as there are many, many ways to locate him! To reach Mr. T by phone, call: (302) 631-5362. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mr. Terlecki as soon as you can!

What Are We Doing in Here? A.K.A. The Course Description

Journalism II, otherwise known as Advanced Journalism, is the secondary journalism course that is responsible for creating the Glasgow High School newspaper, The Dragon’s Fire, and the newly-created, weekly update, This Week at Glasgow. In order to be enrolled in Journalism II, students must have passed Journalism I in a prior semester/year. Students in Journalism II will work as a professional newspaper staff; compiling news, sports, opinion and other news features for the monthly newspaper. Moreover, they will be required to keep school staff, students, and the community informed of the weekly on-goings within the confines of Glasgow High School. Students will be expected to demonstrate good journalistic skills, including exceptional grammar and spelling, reading, editing, photography, newspaper design, interviewing, and advanced planning. Students will receive an initial refresher, but are expected to come in with the necessary skills to successfully create a finalized journalistic product to be distributed to the Glasgow community. Students in Journalism II will be exposed to professionals from different news and sports outlets. These professionals work for Yahoo!, MLB.com, The Courier Post and other outlets, and will be either be guest speakers in the classroom or via a Skype conference. Students will also be exposed to collegelevel media outlets via a field trip to Temple University’s The Temple News, Templar, and W.H.I.P. Internet Radio Station. Students in Journalism II will also be asked to utilize industry-standard equipment and software, including Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Olympus VN-7200 Audio Recorder, and a Canon camera, as well as both Microsoft and Mac computers. Students will be held responsible for all equipment in and out of the classroom. Students are encouraged to buy personal equipment, too.

As Ridiculous as it Sounds, How Crazy Can I Get in Room 211? What Does Mr. Terlecki Expect of Me?

Room 211 has plenty of room for fun. Mr. Terlecki is all about having a good time and making sure that students enjoy their time inside of his classroom. That being said, there are some rules that need to be enforced in order for his classes to run smoothly, safely and effectively! Obviously, all school- and district-mandated rules must be followed inside Mr. Terlecki’s classroom -yes, this does include the use of iPods, iPads, iPhones, BlackBerrys, PSVitas, CD Players, Pagers/Beepers, Gameboys, Bag Phones -- oh wait, those last couple are from Mr. Terlecki’s high school days! Appropriate clothing is required and hats/hoods should not be worn. If you have a gripe, go see an administrator! Mr. Terlecki is big on two key words: respect and honesty. In Mr. T’s class, you will be given the respect that a young adult deserves; however, once Mr. T is disrespected or lied to, respect will be difficult to regain. This is not a fun topic, so we’ll leave it at that. The last few important expectations are: Ask to leave the classroom; Use appropriate language -- aka DON’T CURSE -- and lastly, do your own work -- journalists should not plagierize and plagierism will be one of, if not the most, important expectations inside of Mr. Terlecki’s classroom. As a former journalist himself, plagierism is a major pet peeve of Mr. T’s and if you are caught plagierizing, it will be a bad day for you!

“Grey-DING”: Is That What Am I Bringing to Journalism II? How I Pronounce It? Highlighters, Notebooks and Pencils, OH MY! How Will I Pass This Class?

Obviously, the main grading in this class will be the two main products that will be created, but what else? Are there other projects? Reading requirements? Essays? Oh my goodness, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?! Relax. See below! • • • • •

The Dragon’s Fire - 40 % This Week at Glasgow - 25 % Additional Classwork - 15% Peer Assessments - 10% Homework - 10%

Alright, so you will obviously need to bring a few things to be successful in Journalism II. First and foremost, please bring a 3-ring Binder, with paper, and room to keep handouts. I know this seems rather obvious, but Mr. Terlecki feels it is necessary to remind you to bring it. Speaking of obvious supplies, please bring a writing utensil of some form. Much of the writing in Journalism II will be done via Microsoft Word, but there will be some in-class assignments that will require handwriting. Ideally, the writing utensil will come in either the black/blue pen or pencil form, but thin, black or dark blue Sharpies are acceptable. Writing submitted in any other form will not be accepted and the work will be counted as late or incomplete. If possible, aside from the loose-leaf or notebook paper that should come in the 3-ring binder, students are asked to bring a reporters notepad. These can be found at Staples or Office Depot, and are usually 3” x 8” with a spiral binding along the top of the notepad. They are the industry standard. Students are also encouraged to bring a pad of sticky notes and, if possible, a USB/Memory drive to store work done on computers.

Deadlines are very important in journalism, so they will be very important in this class. When deadlines are set, they will not be changed or modified. Therefore, late work will not be accepted. No An important note: Mr. exceptions. No excuses. Terlecki has a finite (limited) number of supplies, What Texts Will Be Required? including pens, pencils and paper. The current supply will There will be no required texts; ideally last the entire year; however, class readings may be however, these materials assigned from time to time. Students are not gauranteed. It is will have access to the most strongly advised that updated copy of The Associated students bring their own Press Stylebook and will be asked supplies to room 211 for the to regularly look at either paper or entire school year. online news sources.

Do I Have To Read?!

Mom ... Dad ... Anybody?! Hello?!

(Please Sign, Detach and Return)

There may be times throughout the year when we view clips from PG-13 movies and TV shows in order to promote learning. Please check whether you allow your student to watch these clips. Moreover, there is a possibility that students are videotaped and photographed for school and community reasons. Please check whether you allow your student to be videotaped or photographed. Lastly, sign that you have read and understand the syllabus/letter home. Thank you! This will be counted as a HW grade! Student Name: Yes, my student has permission to view clips. _________________________________ No, my student DOES NOT have permission to view clips. Yes, my student can be photographed or videotaped. Student Signature: No, my student CAN NOT be photographed or videotaped. _________________________________ Parent/Guardian Signature: _________________________________________________________________