: WikiReporting

WikiReporting

Work together to identify the most relevant information

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

As members of cooperative learning groups, students will integrate three journalistic accounts of a singular news event into one article, using a wiki to organize, write and edit the composition.

SET UP

• Assign the students to read three reports emanating from a single news event. Example: The 2009 crash of an airliner into the Hudson River, accounts of which can be found in The New York Times, New York Daily News and New Jersey Star-Ledger.

• Divide the class into small groups of three to five students. Use a free wiki application (wikispaces.com, for example) to create a blank wiki page for each group.

LEARNING ACTIVITY

•After completing the assigned readings students will independently identify the “5 Ws” and at least 10 additional elements they feel are most important to the telling of the story, then post their individual lists to their group wiki.

•Communicating through the group wiki, students will come to a consensus on the “5 Ws” of the story and agree upon 10 additional elements they feel are most important to the telling of the story, ordering all elements by importance in preparation of telling a story in traditional/inverted pyramid style (key information is relayed at the beginning of the article, with subsequent information unveiled in a logical order of importance.) Students will include a wiki history note briefly describing the changes they have made with each edit.

•Working collaboratively through the wiki, students will begin to construct a story narrative, including the crafting of an engaging “lead.” The article will be formatted in traditional/inverted pyramid style. Students will include a history note briefly describing the changes they have made with each edit.

•Students should come to a consensus on the basic order and structure of the story and should be working on perfecting the lead, transitions and quotes, students will include a history note briefly describing the changes they have made with each edit.

•Students will finish editing the story, ensuring that there are no spelling or grammatical errors and that all information has been factually attributed. Students will include a history note briefly describing the changes they have made with each edit.

•The completed story will be e-mailed to the instructor.

SCORING BENCHMARKS

On Task: The student completed readings and participated in group activities ahead of each day’s deadline.

Participation: The student contributed meaningfully group progress by participating, through the group wiki, in the organization, writing and editing of the article. The student included a history note briefly describing the changes they have made with each edit.

Information: The completed article factually identifies the “5 Ws” and at least 10 additional fact/elements that are important to the telling of the story.

Composition: The article is constructed in traditional/inverted pyramid style, flows logically, and is free all spelling and grammatical errors.