Students will visually map portrayals of their communities in the news media. The result will be a graphic organizer of unique perspectives and story ideas.

Students create short presentations to learn about copyright and fair use on the internet.

Students will identify what they know and don’t know about their story’s topic. Once students know what they don’t know, they will use curiosity to guide research that will result in better developed stories.

Students will learn to turn their story ideas into fully developed pitches. A pitch enables students to explain their story succinctly and also keep their story focused during the production process.

Preparation and practice are the keys to a successful interview and amazing story. The goal of the interview is to get soundbites that connect with your audience, illuminate the topic and move your story forward.

In this unique set of video tutorials produced by Gil Garcia of Austin High School, students learn about the different roles associated with video production, how to scout a location and set up, best practices for audio gathering, lighting basics, the importance of white-balancing, how to approach interview process, and how to gather different forms of b-roll.

Students learn how to become a better visual storyteller by analyzing and creating their own video sequences.

Working in groups can be challenging for even the best students and so helping kids learn how to work well together can be an invaluable activity not only in journalism but in life.