Content
Through this project, students will be able to conduct research and take notes from different sources, generate questions in order to clarify information, and write news stories based on their previous research, all while working collaboratively with others. An important component of this project is that it focuses on informational text, as students will be creating a newspaper based on true events. From my experience in the classroom, many students become reluctant learners when it comes to reading informational text. This becomes apparent when I am teaching an informational reading or writing unit. Many students become tired of reading, writing and examining informational text, as they would much prefer fictional reading and narrative writing. They often sigh or groan when I inform them that they will be reading about an informational topic. However, according to the Common Core State Standards, in order to meet the standards in K-5, reading fiction and informational text should be completely balanced, meaning 50% of the text students read should be fiction, while the other 50% should be informational. It is difficult to motivate my students to read informational text 50% of the time. I am hoping that through this learning experience, my students will be more willing to read and learn about informational text, as they will be working as journalists, editors and publishers through this process, rather than just fourth grade students.