My Name is Bre Pratl I am attending UMSL
to seek a degree in Middle School
Education and Educational Counseling. I
plan student teaching in spring 2012 and
graduating in May 2012.
The picture on the top right is of my
boyfriend Eric and me at his graduation
from the fire academy.
The picture below that is of my little
cousins and me on Easter, with ridiculous
Easter hats we wear proudly for our
grandma. Family is very important to me
and I am very grateful for my family and
the times we share.
“If you have built castles in
the air, your work need not be
lost; that is where they should
be. Now put foundations
under them.”
Henry David Thoreau
The picture on the bottom is my volleyball
team. The picture was taken in Florida at a
tournament last fall. These girls are like my
second family and the greatest group of
friends anyone could ask for.
I am very excited to start student teaching
next semester, and even more excited to
graduate and begin my teaching career.
“Don’t waste time being unhappy, follow your heart and chase your dreams”
Muckrakers-Progressive Era: Time Period Newspaper
8th Grade Language Arts
Bre Pratl
Fall Semester/2011
Overview
Rationale: Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a
broad audience in a timely manner. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to
inform the intended audience. In America, the history of journalism is inextricably intertwined with
the history of the country itself. Many newspapers of the time were not objective or neutral in tone like
the papers we know today. In this unit students will explore print media through newspapers, journals,
and magazines. There is a huge importance for students to understand how print media delivers news,
and what components are needed in an article to convey and important message to the reader. In this
unit students will be introduced to the progressive era and muckrakers through old articles and cartoons
from the time periods newspapers. Students will identify what goes into writing a good article and the
types of writing styles used by journalists (ie. Argumentative vs Informative) differentiate between the
two. Students will write their own articles and create their own newspaper to be published. Hopes of
this lesson are for students to understand and develop argumentative and informative writing skills
while learning about muckrakers and the origin of the progressive era.
Summary: Overt the course of 10 days students will complete a variety of assignments introducing
them to muckrakers and the origin of the progressive era. Though this, students will examine
newspapers from that time period through today finding the key questions of the articles along with the
argument presented and how the author was able to share that information with the reader. The students
will create their own newspaper that will be completed with articles written by each individual student.
The students will show their knowledge of the progressive era by demonstrating their journalistic
writing skills.
Objectives:
-Students will describe the origins of the Progressive movement (the press).
-Students will define and understand muckraker and spoils system
-Students will define thesis and identify the thesis and the components of an essay from editorials in the
newspaper.
-Students will demonstrate how to write an argumentative essay
-Students will identify the Key Questions from multiple forms of print media.
-Students will create their own article answering the key questions
-Students will demonstrate the ability to differentiate between fact and opinion, and argumentative and
informative writing.
Materials:
Teacher
Newspapers
“The Jungle”
Paper
School:
White board
computers
Student:
Pencil
Highlighter
Culminating Activity/Assessment:
Newspaper:
The culminating activity for this unit is a time-period newspaper. The students will go back to the
progressive era and create a class newspaper that could have been published in that time period. Each
student will be assigned to write about a topic that we have covered in the unit that they found
particularly interesting. The students will then research that topic and write a newspaper article that has
a clear main idea or argument, and use supporting evidence to back up their argument. Students will be
encouraged to play the role of the "muckraker," when investigating their topics. The students should
focus on a problem or dilemma and propose a solution. After each student has finished their individual
articles they will also be responsible for organizing the layout of the newspaper and for the publishing
of the newspaper. The finished product will be assessed according to a rubric that will assess each
individual student’s article and the project as a whole. The students will print the newspaper and
distribute it to the rest of the school and families.
Sun
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Discuss student
handout/expectations
for unit
9
Notes- fact
and
opinion
Differences
worksheet
19
Press and
Progressivism
11
Argumentative
writing
12
Key Questions
Fill out graphic
organizer
13
14
15
Introduction to
newspaper activityexpectations
16
Lab day
Article
writing
17
Lab day
Article
writing
18
Assemble class
news paper
19
Publish/
distribute
20
21
22
23
24
Half
Day!
25
Thanksgiving
26
No School!
27
28
29
30
Assignments!
November
Monday
Tuesday
2011
Wednesday
1
8
Notes-Fact
and Opinion
HWdifferences
worksheet
14
15
Introduction to Article
newspaper
writing
HW-meet in lab
brainstorm
HWarticle topic
brainstorm
21
22
Thursday
2
29
Sunday
6
10
11
Argumentative
Key Questions
Writing
Graphic Organizer
HW Finish Essay HW-NONE
12
13
16
17
18
Article Writing
Assemble class
Publish/distribute
-Meet in lab
paper
HW- NONE
HW-NONE
HW-NONE
19
20
26
27
9
Press and
Progressivism
HW-Finish
Response
23
3
Saturday
5
Half Day!!
28
Friday
4
7
Discuss
Handout
Expectations
for unit
HW-NONE
Differences worksheet- Due
11/9/11
Response- Due 11/10
Essay- Due 11/11
FINAL NEWSPAPER- DUE
11/17
24
25
NO SCHOOL!!
30
Lesson Plan 1: The Press and Progressivism
Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the news media of the progressive era.
Students will examine Thomas Nast cartoons and read an article about muckrakers and the influence
they had in the progressive era. Students will compare the print media of the progressive era to the
media we have today and compare muckrakers to todays reporters/ journalists.
Objectives:
Students will describe the origins of the Progressive movement (the press).
Students will define and understand muckraker and spoils system
Students will analyze and interpret political cartoons by Thomas Nast
Process:
Step 1- Class Discussion: Students will come up with definitions for muckraker and spoils system
Step 2- Reading Ideas and Movements: Progressive Era--”The success of progressivism owed much to
publicity generated by the muckrakers, writers who detailed the horrors of poverty, urban slums,
dangerous factory conditions, and child labor, among a host of other ills...”
Step 3- Jigsaw: Students will be broken into groups to interpret and analyze a political cartoon by
Thomas Nast. They will then report back to their home group to share their analysis and interpretation
of the different cartoons.
Step 4- evaluate- students will write a response to what they found interesting about muckrakers and
how they influenced the progressive movement. Students will also be asked to compare muckrakers to
the media today
Jigsaw activities will be collected to determine if the students were able to use analytical and critical
thinking to interpret the cartoons
Lesson Plan 2- Arguments
Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to help students understand the importance of a thesis and its
supporting details. This lesson demonstrates the power of argumentative and persuasive writing and the
effects it has on readers. This lesson will help the students to develop well written and detailed articles
to sway a readers opinion.
Objectives:
- Students will describe the unsanitary conditions in the meat packing plants during the 1880's.
-Students will define thesis and identify the thesis and the components of an essay from editorials in the
newspaper.
- Students will write an argumentative essay based on the novel, "The Jungle," by Upton Sinclair.
Process:
Step 1- Students will get into groups and read selected editorials from the newspaper.
Step 2- Students will identify the author’s thesis statement (argument) and their supporting details
Step 3- Students will develop a definition of a thesis and components of an argumentative essay based
on the editorials they have read.
Step 4- Class discussion of editorials and findings
Step 5- Students will break into groups and read sections of “The Jungle.”
Step 6- students will write a short essay in which they develop an argument (i.e. the conditions in the
Chicago meat packing plant were unsanitary) and cite evidence to support their argument.
Step 7- Evaluation based on development essay argument and supporting details
Lesson Plan 3: Key Questions
Purpose: The idea of this lesson is to show all the necessary parts of a news article or any informational
media. The key questions: who? What? When? Where? Why? How? The students will understand the
importance of these key questions in journalism.
Objectives:
Students will identify the Key Questions from multiple forms of print media.
Students will create their own article answering the key questions
Process:
Step 1- Discussion: as a class we will talk about the importance of answering key questions in a news
article
Step 2- Students will examine newspapers, magazines, and journals identifying the key questions and
fill out the key questions graphic organizer
Step 3-Students will write their own article about something that happened in school that day (an event
at lunch or in another class) answering all of the key questions
Step 4- Students will trade papers with a partner and identify the key questions in their partner’s article
Step 5- Turn in written article with the names of both partners for review
Key Questions Graphic Organizer
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
How?
Time-period Newspaper Rubric
(Individual student)
CATEGORY
10-8
7-5
4-2
1-0
Articles - Purpose
90-100% of the article
establishes a clear purpose
in the lead paragraph and
demonstrate a clear
understanding of the
topic.
85-89% of the article
establishes a clear purpose
in the lead paragraph and
demonstrate a clear
understanding of the
topic.
75-84% of the article
establishes a clear purpose
in the lead paragraph and
demonstrate clear
understanding of the
topic.
Less than 75% of the
article establishes a clear
purpose in the lead
paragraph and
demonstrate a clear
understanding of the
topic.
Articles - Supporting
Details
The details in the articles
are clear, effective, and
vivid 80-100% of the
time.
The details in the articles The details in the articles The details in more than
are clear and pertinent 90- are clear and pertinent 75- 25% of the articles are
100% of the time.
89% of the time.
neither clear nor pertinent.
Articles - Interest
The articles contain facts,
figures, and/or wo choices
that make the articles
exceptionally interesting
to readers.
The articles contain facts,
figures, and/or word
choices that make the
articles interesting to
readers.
The article contains some
facts or figures but is
marginally interesting to
read.
The article does not
contain facts or figures
that might make it
interesting to read.
Who, What, When,
Where & How
All articles adequately
address the 5 W\'s (who,
what, when, where and
how).
90-99% of the articles
adequately address the 5
W\'s (who, what, when,
where and how).
75-89% of the articles
adequately address the 5
W\'s (who, what, when,
where and how).
Less than 75% of the
articles adequately
address the 5 W\'s (who,
what, when, where, and
how).
No more than a couple of
spelling or grammar
errors remain after one or
more people (in addition
to the typist) read and
correct the newspaper.
No more than 3 spelling
or grammar errors remain
after one or more people
(in addition to the typist)
read and correct the
newspaper.
Several spelling or
grammar errors remain in
the final copy of the
newspaper.
Spelling and Proofreading No spelling or grammar
errors remain after one or
more people (in addition
to the typist) read and
correct the newspaper.
Total_______/50