Extra Credit Media

50 points of extra credit are offered each week in the form of essay assignments to students in all regular level classes. Although extra credit assignments are optional, participants must follow directions and academic guidelines just as they would for required assignments.

E.C. ARTICLE: Earn 25 points of extra credit by summarizing and interpreting a recent newspaper, news magazine, or cable tv article from the internet. Earn 50 points for two articles.

Choose a news article published within the last 7 days before the due date that focuses on a global issue (something that interests people all over the world, not just here in Los Angeles or in the U.S.A.) No sports, editorial, humor, or encyclopedic reference articles permitted.

Where to find the articles: A current issue of the Los Angeles Times or the San Gabriel Valley Tribune is a good resource. A current issue of Time magazine, U.S. News and World Report will work. Many links to periodicals and news sources are found under the RESOURCE LINKS button in Beeken.net.

Step 1: Read the article, then follow the steps below. Cut out / print out the article.

Step 2: Title your paper E.C. MEDIA #X according to the assignment board . After skipping a line cite the following information: Author, Title, Publication, Volume-page (for magazines only), and Date. If the article is from the internet, the name of the website is the publication. An example is provided below for a magazine, newspaper, or internet article.

            Waller, Douglas.   "Global Warming and World Trade."   Time. (Vol. 146, #10, Page 41.) Sept. 4, 2009.
                Iratani, Evelyn. "Uneasy Ties That Bid Across the Pacific." Los Angeles Times.   Sept. 7, 2009.
                Author Unknown. “Atlantic Fisheries Depleted” CNN.com.    August 28, 2009.

ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS:

Summary: In one paragraph, explain in your own words -- Who the article is about? --What happened? -- When did it happen? -- Where did it happen?-- Why did it happen?

Interpretation: In the next two paragraphs, answer the following questions:

1. How did this article change your thinking about the world and its people?

2. Why do you think this is a global issue?

3. Do you think this is an important issue for Americans to learn about why?

4. Do you think high school students in particular should know this information and why?

5. Do news articles like this one promote positive change in this country? How?

Step 4: Make sure the report is in Essay Format, one and a half pages minimum length.

Step 5: Staple the article to the back of the essay page. If the article is printed from the internet, make sure the URL and date appear on the margin of the paper.