Teaching Tips
We are collecting tips from high school newspaper advisers nationwide on how to run student publications and deal with the issues from administrators, students and parents. If you would like to submit your own tips and help journalism teachers nationwide, please do.
advanced journalism
advertising
- 10 easy steps for selling ads Organize your staff and your efforts and selling ads can be a lot easier.
- Advertising and sales tips from the 2001 ASNE High School Journalism Institute
blog
- Blah, blah blogging Blogging is a good way to get your students writing all the time. This presentation and handout explain how you can get started and how you can use blogs in your classroom.
copy editing
- Newsroom 101 AP Style quizzes: Great for style exercises and training young copy editors
- Stylebook race A way to get your kids reading and using the AP Stylebook
design
- Attracting Readers Through Effective Design , a presentation by Michael T. Shepard of The Washington Post
- Teach Basic Design with PowerPoint and Student Worksheet by Erin Radke of Maumelle, Ark.
diversity
- Multicultural Reporting: Diversity in News Coverage , a guide by Clarence J. Cotton Jr. of Hampton University
- Robert Greenman's tips for teaching journalism "Why Have Racial, Ethnic and Religious Diversity on the School Newspaper Staff?" and "A Pledge for Diversity"
- Tips on diverse coverage from the 2002 ASNE High School Journalism Institute
editorial page
- Opinion pages: A Brain Exercise by Beth Shull of the Arkansas Scholastic Press Association
fundraising ideas
- 18 practical solutions to your funding problems Some traditional and some off-the-way ideas for funding your newspaper
- Fundraising ideas from the ASNE High School Journalism Institute
journalism ethics
- Credibility check questionnaire Kim Green's students go the extra mile to build ensure accuracy and credibility with readers and sources.
- Journalism without scandal a report from The Poynter Institute
journalism introduction
- J-prof site Overall looks at reporting, writing, designing, phtography and more are available at the jprof.com site, which is maintained by a journalism professor.
- Robert Greenman's tips for teaching journalism "How to Get People to Read Your Newspaper," "Building a Quality High School Newspaper," "Getting News and Feature Stories with Emotional Content into Your Newspaper," "Localizing New York Times Stories in the High School Newspaper," "Guidelines for Writing Theater, Movie and Concert Reviews," "Rules of the Journalist's Road that Help Develop Accurate Perceptions of the World"
online journalism
- Being Right or First? Even professional news organizations get it wrong sometimes in their race to get a scoop. This article explores how a false report of Joe Paterno's death proved irresistible to retell.
organizing a school newspaper
- 10 We Agree Statements Toward A Free and Responsible Student Press by Randy Swikle
- Changing to meet the challenge (inspirational/motivational words for staffers)
- Editorial quality checklist
- It's important for both the students and the teachers to have written policies in place. This protects and guides everyone.
- Maximizing resources and covering the community on a weekly/semi-weekly basis
- Minimum standards
- Sample agreements for parents, advisers and student staff members regarding working on the paper from Becky Finegan of Battle Creek, Mich.
- Sample production schedules from the 2001 ASNE High School Journalism Institute
- Staff job descriptions from Candace Gibson of Cantonment, Fla.
- Tip sheet assignment from June Cavarretta of Carpentersville, Ill.
photography
reporting
- Covering a beat
- How a reporter can make a difference
- Math for reporters and copy editors
- Note-taking and interviewing tips from the ASNE High School Journalism Institute
- Robert Greenman's tips for teaching journalism "Topics for School Newspaper Coverage of the Student Government," "Guidelines for Interviewing for the High School Newspaper," "Finding Out the Truth in High School," and "ules of the Journalist's Road that Help Develop Accurate Perceptions of the World."
- The 2009 presidential inaugural, journalism and civics A sampling of lesson plans and sources
- Tips for interviewing by Dick Thien
role of the journalist
sports
- 10 tips for improving scholastic sports pages from Steve Row of Richmond Newspapers
- 10 tips for improving scholastic sportswriting from Steve Row of Richmond Newspapers
- 40 sports features ideas from Steve Row of Richmond Newspapers
- How to report final sports scores
story ideas
- 10 story ideas from Steve Row of The Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch
- 11 ideas for general school coverage From the 2010 Reynolds Institute at Kent State University
- 3 story ideas for extracurricular activities From the 2010 Reynolds Institute at Kent State University
- 9 story ideas for covering curricular activities From the 2010 Reynolds Institute at Kent State University
- Being curious No great story was ever written without first starting from a great story idea. But where do those ideas come from?
- New Student/8th Grade Newspaper Story List by Pat Graff of Albuquerque, N.M.
- School Food from IRE Journal
- Staff retreat agenda by Pat Graff of Albuquerque, N.M.
- Story ideas from the ASNE High School Journalism Institute
- Story ideas from the 2012 KSU Reynolds Institute Story ideas from teachers who attended the 2012 Reynolds High School Journalism Institute at Kent State University
- Tips for finding compelling community stories Good ideas lead to the kinds of stories readers remember, the kinds of stories that can galvanize a community, and more important, keep audiences coming back for more. Here are some ways to get those ideas organically.
- Title IX: Inequality in Sports from IRE Journal
team building
- Ice breakers and team building This is a collection of resources to facilitate teamwork, teambuilding, and community.
- Making People Feel Valued We know how important it is to make your staff members work as part of a team. Here are some tips and tricks for meeting those objectives.
writing
- Asimov's Dirty Dozen Elements of a Standard News Story
- Do you have style? Style guides have gone digital. Check out these links for questions about writing style.
- How to write and/or how not to write