back to Technology

The Hewitt-Trussville Middle School newspaper is created through the use of a wiki. Our wiki can be found at www.huskypawper.wetpaint.com. It is our first wiki and is a constant work in progress. The students are very excited to use 21st Century tools to publize the news of Hewitt-Trussville Middle School.

Lesson Plans / Units

 My students are divided into five major departments:  Sports, Clubs, Fine Arts, Reviews, and Spotlight.  Each student is responsible for his/her individual wiki page.  Each student must update his/her page on a weekly basis.  Each page should include articles, graphics, and photographs.  The assistant editor for each department is responsible for ensureing that each student edits his/her page on a weekly basis. The assistant editor is also responsible for assigning students to cover particular school events.  It is the responsibility of the student to take pictures and notes of each event.  I use a rubric to assess students wiki pages.  This is truly a student-run newspaper.  I act as the editor-in-chief and only intervene if problems arise.

Online Resources

The Husky Pawper:  www.huskypawper.wetpaint.com

National Elementary Schools Press Association: http://www.nespa.org/  Membership in this organization requires a small one time free but provides invaluable handouts and tips for student newspapers. Workbooks are also avaliable for purchase for student reporters to use in the field.

Free Kid-Friendly Email Provider:  www.gaggle.net

Rubric maker: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

Teachers to Connect With