Commentary Brainstorm

1.
Upbeat - My Birthday on the 24th
Nervous - Geography test on Thurs.
Relieved - Given rain boots

2.
Getting a better grade on a test/worksheet than I anticipated
Making my parents proud/happy/laugh
Finishing homework

3.
Having to do homework on the same day
When I see a car crash on the road
When my friends get worried

4.
Figuring out there was homework due late/on the same day
Having a teacher that doesn't teach
Ending a show with a cliffhanger

5.
Good grades
Better geography teacher
Air conditioning in school hallways

6.
Students not turning in homework
Students talking while they talk
Students not expressing why they aren't doing good

7.
Whens students participate frequently
When their students do what they need to do
When their students graduate

8.
Many good teachers that care about the students' education
The 'late work' policy
Where the school is located

9.
Some students openly carry around electronic cigarettes
The ID situation
Very crowded

10.
Students listening to music frequently

Prompt Shoot #1

Metal

Square

Happy

Bowie

Rule of Thirds

Balance

Avoiding Mergers

Framing

Simplicity

Lines

Commentary Evaluations - Opinions

Story 1 - Ideacide and you: the guide to avoiding self-censorship

1. Nobody's name is shown for who wrote the story, so it is most likely a general opinion of the staff

2.  It's about the changes in Bowie High School and how students don't have a say in any of it

3. "...there still lies an unconscious tendency in most people to hold back their thoughts and opinions, often referred to as self-censorship." Teenagers may be given the opportunity of having their individual thoughts and opinions, but more likely than not, they won't be taken seriously because of their lack of experience compared to adults.

4. They did not touch on the the other side of the story as much as they should've, but they did include that they should respect adults when necessary and not disregard them at all times.

5. They went back and forth, but not too much to overtake their first opinion. Most students would agree with what the story is trying to convey.

6. No quotes

7. 1st Person p.o.v.

Story 2 - Letter from the Editors

1. Cianna Chairez and Abby Ong

2. What the Dispatch's goals are and how they make their news 'real' for the viewers.

3. "Our purpose as a student led newspaper is to serve the student body through informing, challenging, and highlighting different parts of the school."

4. There wasn't much of a main opinion, but they did discuss the consequences of using fake or bad news in an authentic newspaper.

5. There wasn't too much of an opinion to start with, just statements made by the editors about The Dispatch

6. No quotes

7. 1st Person p.o.v.

Story 3 - Understanding political perspectives

1. Carter Scruggs

2. The story is about how people are starting to express their political opinions since the 2016 elections.

3. "...since the 2016 election, it seems that the levels of political activeness has increased by tenfold, a fact can be seen everywhere in our daily lives."

4. Not too much, but they did touch upon everyone having their own separate opinion and how nobody should judge them for it.

5. No, they mainly stuck with their original opinion throughout the entire story

6. No quotes

7. 1st/3rd Person p.o.v.

Story 4 - IDs spark debate: purpose vs plastic

1. Ian Miller and Jake Brien

2. The opinion on whether or not the IDs for the school was a good implementation to Bowie's customs

3. Ian believes that the IDs are for the better and that the IDs are just a small thing everyone should remember to increase security around the High School. Although Jake thinks that the IDs couldn't have been the only security measure the school could've taken.

4. They separately stated both the opinions for the story on opposite sides of the paper.

5. The article clearly shows separate opinions side-by-side so no confusion can be made about the two

6. No quotes

7. 1st Person p.o.v.

Story 5 - College applications cost more than just your personal time

1. Natalie Aman

2. The article is about how we should not have to pay just to apply to our future colleges and how the opportunity should be free instead.

3. She is not in favor of paying any sort of money to apply to anything. "...I was shocked when I found out how much just applying to college costs... fees combined is costing me over a whopping $400"

4. They never mentioned a different perspective on the topic

5. The author has her opinion straight since the start of the story, never flip flopped her thinking anywhere in the story.

6. No quotes

7. 1st Person p.o.v.

A. What do you think the major differences between a hard news story and an opinions piece? 

    A hard news story contains more facts with no opinions listed unless it is in a quote. An opinions piece doesn't (normally) contain photos, most of the time does have back up evidence for their reasoning, and more often has more than one opinion in the article.

B.  Why do you think there aren't very many photos on this page?

    I doubt that you would need a photograph to help persuade the reader to read the article. These kinds of articles aren't in the same category as most stories, so they don't need to follow the same rules.

C. What are three topics you think would be good to write an opinions piece on?

    A controversial one would be the major sports games, or the major High School sports games, choosing a side and explaining why they did better. Another would be their opinion on politics, whether this side was valid, and the other did horrible, that would be talked about. Colleges would be great for the demographic, helping the students decide between the many options for their future based on the article could do good for the students.

News Evaluations

Story 1 - Accountability Ratings in Texas Education Agency Releases Grades by Campus

1.

   Who- Texas Education Agency, students, and teachers

   What- Accountability ratings for Bowie/AISD

   When- 2018 (this year)

   Where- Austin AISD District area

   Why- It represents how good a school Bowie HS is since they earned an overall score of 97

   How- By having good attendance, over-average STAAR scores, and having a good average performance in core classes 

2.

     The accountability scores were just released, giving Bowie HS a high overall score of 97. Bowie aspires to have an environment where the students can perform to the best of their ability, come on time, and be prepared to take the STAAR test once it comes. 

3.

Mark Robinson, DQ
Cade Blagdan, DQ
Ruth Ann Widner, DQ
Cindi Carroll, DQ
Melania Dobson, DQ

4. I don't see any strong opinions in the story

   a. N/A

5. Yes

   a. N/A

6. No

Story 2 - Painted Paring Spots Stir Up Debate About Criteria

1.

   Who- Complaining students who qualified for a parking space and strict administration

   What- What's being inferred in the parking spot paintings

   When- This Year

   Where- Bowie High School Parking Spots

   Why-  A disagreement of a design choice made by a student pointing out other flaws in designs

   How- There are specific rules to what can and can't be painted on the public parking lot

2.

   The administration won't allow a students request of having a bible verse on her parking spot because it went against their rules of not pushing religion on the students. Even though the student had an argument against their rules with proof.

3.

Mark Robinson, IQ/DQ
Simoon Saiyed, DQ
KXAN, IQ
Kennedy Hartman, IQ/DQ
Wesley Kelly, DQ

4.The only opinions are from the teachers and students

   a. The admin. doesn't think that yin-yang and the taj mahal is religious when the student(s) think it is.

5. Yes

   a. N/A

6. Yes

Story 3 - Crazy Climate Calls For Air Conditioning

1.

   Who- Teachers and students impacted by the school's temperature and climate

   What- Lack of AC in the classrooms overall

   When- During the 2018-2019 Bowie HS year

   Where- Bowie High School

   Why- The temp. in the classrooms are starting to become unbearable for the students and teachers

   How- Broken air conditioning and temperature control

2.

   The overall climate inside Bowie High School school has been unbearable for the staff and students and needs to be repaired immediately.

3.

Mark Robinson, IQ/DQ
Jeni Garcia, DQ
Viviane Harle, DQ
Miranda Cardenas, DQ

4.  Yes, I saw a small opinion

   a.  The author had a positive mood against air conditioning in school, not that that is an unpopular opinion.

5. It wasn't the best choice for a title

   a. The title is very vague and doesn't indicate that they're talking about Bowie or any High School.

6. Yes

Story 4 - New School Counselors Come to Lend Helping Hands

1.

   Who- The counselors

   What- Hiring 5 new counselors

   When- 2018

   Where- Bowie HS

   Why- Several counselors left for personal reasons

   How- New counselors ad applied over the summer to then be chosen

2.

   After several beloved counselors have left, Bowie needed to recruit more for the students. Now they have hired 5 counselors, more than before.

3.

Laura Loza, DQ
Heather Gallier, DQ
Anna Ippolito, IQ/DQ
Avery Arnold, DQ
Taina Gomez, DQ
Nona May, DQ

4. I don't find any opinions on the article.

   a. N/A

5. Yes

   a. It shows that there are 'New School Counselors' and that they are helping students, very good for an opening title.

6. No

Story 5 - Construction Creates Congestion

1.

   Who- Staff and students stuck in the Austin traffic

   What- Construction on the Slaughter and MoPac intersection

   When- Construction began January 2018

   Where- Slaughter and MoPac intersection (South Austin)

   Why- To help the traffic flow instead of going by one highway

   How- By adding new highways to the intersection so the students can arrive faster

2.

   There is much construction happening in the MoPac and Slaughter intersection meant to help decrease traffic, but instead making it slower for students to arrive to school on time.

3.

Claire Richardson, DQ
Sarah Rolan, DQ
Jessica Davis. DQ
Darcy Kanneman, DQ

4. Also don't see any opinions in the story.

   a. N/A

5. Very good title

   a. Short, straight to the point, and has a general idea of what the story will be about, but doesn't tell you that it's about construction on roads, 'construction' could mean anything anywhere.

6. Yes