High School Block:

Journalism 120

Information serves as the lifeblood that connects communities. Journalists, who act as architects of context, skillfully wield the written word across various mediums such as print, online posts, and tweets. They are the storytellers, breathing life into captivating narratives. With a mastery of multimedia tools, they craft impactful visuals, including videos, photos, and graphic visualizations, to bring issues and ideas to life. Journalism 120 serves as a gateway for learners to build journalistic skills through the realms of truth-seeking, change-making, and storytelling.

Within the framework of Journalism 120, learners cultivate expertise in concise and accurate writing, placing a strong emphasis on critical thinking. The course integrates the evolving role of digital reporting and media, acknowledging the transformative impact of the digital age on journalism. Highlighting the journalist’s duty to bear witness, document, and narrate society’s daily life in a fast-paced environment, learners gain a deeper understanding of the vital role well-informed and literate citizens play in upholding a democratic society.

In this digital age, Journalism 120 encourages learners to embrace critical thinking, collaborative work, and engagement with relevant issues. The course adopts an inquiry-based approach, with the educator serving as an editor and facilitator, moving beyond traditional instructional roles. Learners actively engage with digital tools, acquiring a comprehensive skill set directly applicable to the ever-evolving field of journalism. As the course concludes, learners emerge prepared to navigate challenges and seize opportunities, ready to make meaningful contributions to the continually shifting media landscape.

For Educators:

➔ PL Hub: English Language Arts

CONTEXTS AND CONCEPTS

Integrity

  • Ethics
  • Bias
  • Decision Making
  • Transparency
  • Accountability
  • Credibility
  • Diversity & Inclusion                
  • Representation
Craft

  • Multimedia
  • Storytelling
  • Interview Techniques                
  • Digital Literacy
  • Audience Engagement
  • Types of Journalism
  • Visual Data
Impact

  • Influence
  • Social & Political Awareness
  • Globalization
  • Cross-Cultural Impact
  • Technology
  • Industry Evolution
  • Career & Community Connections                
  • Learner Voice
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GRADE 12

Strand: Integrity

Big Idea: Historical Understanding

Skill Descriptor: Explore the history and evolution of journalism in Canada.

Global Competencies: CTPS

Achievement Indicators:

  • Explore a variety of major Canadian journalism outlets
  • Research the historical distribution of news
  • Research how journalism has evolved in response to digital media

Big Idea: Interaction

Skill Descriptor: Follow a code of ethics and understand legal obligations.

Global Competencies: CTPS, SASM, CM, CL

Achievement Indicators:

  • Discuss how information is gathered and communicated responsibly and ethically
  • Examine concepts and implications of slander, libel, plagiarism, copyright, protocol, and artificial intelligence in journalism texts
  • Co-construct and follow a code of ethics for journalism texts
  • Examine the role and impact of  governing bodies on ethical standards

Skill Descriptor: Participate collaboratively and cooperatively.

Global Competencies: SASM, CL, CM

Achievement Indicators:

  • Articulate personal strengths and those of others
  • Collaborate to plan, research, evaluate, and create a journalism text
  • Demonstrate cooperative participation and effective conflict management strategies
  • Engage with community to investigate local interests
  • Effectively convey appropriate expressions and responses in diverse, multi-cultural environments

Big Idea: Proficiency

Skill Descriptor: Meet deadlines with effective products.

Global Competencies: SASM, CM, CL

Achievement Indicators:

  • Apply time management strategies to meet deadlines, especially in a digital landscape
  • Discuss the importance of adhering to timelines and the implications or missing deadlines

Strand: Craft

Big Idea: Preparation & Planning

Skill Descriptor: Determine newsworthiness, purpose, audience and appropriate format, including considerations for digital media.

Global Competencies: CTPS, CM

Achievement Indicators:

  • Conduct research specific to an interview (i.e., cultural, regional, political, etc.)
  • Formulate effective questions (i.e., open and close-ended)
  • Examine and practice ways to “read” a situation and ask responsive questions
  • Discern what details to look for and demonstrate an ability to keep accurate records
  • Collaboratively establish criteria for showcasing empathy, respect, and a genuine appreciation for diversity while communicating with individuals from various social, cultural backgrounds, and identities
  • Critically analyze elements that determine news (i.e., timeliness, human interest, conflict, proximity, prominence, consequence)
  • Identify and pitch a potential story
  • Debate the pros and cons of specific platforms for different audiences
  • Investigate how to identify the purpose of the journalism text
  • Differentiate the relationship between the purpose, format, and dynamics of journalism text

Big Idea: Creation

Skill Descriptor: Produce and present stories in a relevant and engaging format across various journalism texts.

Global Competencies: CTPS, CM

Achievement Indicators:

  • Explore effective strategies for researching and verifying information
  • Exhibit strategies for concise communication considering the platform being used (I.e., inverted pyramid)
  • Use journalistic conventions and reference tools while following the creative process (planning, drafting, editing)
  • Justify choice of journalistic format to maximize impact
  • Create a portfolio of journalism texts using a variety of formats and diverse content

Strand: Impact

Big Idea: Analysis

Skill Descriptor: Demonstrate varied message interpretations, the inclusion/exclusion of values and perspectives, and the role of journalists in shaping beliefs, values, and behaviors.

Global Competencies: CTPS, SASM

Achievement Indicators:

  • Research strategies for the evaluation of content and determine if a source is reliable
  • Examine how language and structures are used to inform and influence the audience
  • Employ critical literacy questions while interacting with a journalism text
  • Determine the authority of journalists and investigate whether tone, mission, and intended audience are contributors to potential bias
  • Evaluate how journalism texts are curated based on algorithms, and how this leads to the creation of “echo chambers”
  • Determine the factors (social, political, cultural, etc.) that influence the information you receive
  • Examine portrayals of Indigenous and non-Western perspectives in journalism text

Big Idea: Power & Privilege

Skill Descriptor: Recognizes the impact of economic, social, historical, and political forces on journalism.

Global Competencies: CTPS, CM

Achievement Indicators:

  • Discuss how journalism is influenced by online platforms and citizen reporting, and articulate the implications
  • Critically analyze information to identify missing voices
  • Critique potential sources of privilege and power (e.g., propaganda disguised as news)
  • Discern the difference between objective reporting and perspective pieces
  • Exhibit empowerment by confidently expressing distinctive personal views that contribute unique insights and perspectives not easily replicated by others

Big Idea: Canadian Journalistic Landscape

Skill Descriptor: Examine the journalistic landscape in Canada.

Global Competencies: CTPS, SASM, CM, CL

Achievement Indicators:

  • Examine the distinguishing characteristics of Canadian journalism
  • Explore and reflect on past, current, and emerging technologies and how these have shaped society and human thought, perception, and practice related to journalism
  • Investigate the role of Canadian journalism organizations (National News Media Council, Canadian Association of Journalists, Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, etc.)
  • Explore various pathways to careers in journalism
  • Research various journalistic texts produced by Wabanaki and non-Indigenous authors
  • Analyze depictions of identity in Canadian journalism (Indigenous, Francophone, Black, etc.)
  • Discuss how Canadian journalistic texts shape and reflect our understanding of Canadian identity
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