CSMA Adviser Update

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/22/learning/free-writing-curriculum-with-nyt.html

The first unit, on personal narrative writing, is live now, and the other six units will get live links as the year progresses.

Whether you are teaching seniors with years of reporting experience or the rawest rookie, personal narrative writing is a great way to highlight the importance of PEOPLE in our reporting.

And what better resource for young writers than their own stories and anecdotes?

It's a short hop to teaching personality profile writing, which, at its heart, is interviewing others about THEIR personal narratives.

PRO TIP: Subscribe to Seth Godin’s daily blog. https://seths.blog/

He has blogged every day for a decade and it’s a quick read that often relates to our classrooms and to advising student media.

JEA President Sarah Nichols tweeted this reaction to Seth’s Aug 19 post https://seths.blog/2019/08/make-a-habit-vs-break-a-habit/ :

Advisers: The habit to be formed is for you. Teach every day. Don’t rush to the deadline in “production only” mode and find yourself surprised at the same weak spots in students’ work.

Many professional journalists do NOT use that final comma between “blogs” and “websites,” and the AP stylebook recommends not using the Oxford comma unless leaving it out leads to confusion.

CSMA recommends that you have the argument pro or con Oxford comma once, and then make whatever you decide part of your publication style rules.

We recommend that all student media use some sort of stylebook, which can avoid confusion and unnecessary arguments. We usually start with the AP Stylebook, and then add in our own “local” rules (how to refer to teachers and coaches, for instance, or how to identify the current grade level for a student). CSMA recommends that you have at least one copy of a recent AP stylebook in your news room.