What I would be saying to rising eighth-graders tomorrow about my new journalism class — if I weren’t taking a sick day, that is.

This course will use the basic instructional principle of “Learn to do it by doing it.” That’s not to say there’s no direct instruction, nor is that to say that it’s a free-for-all. And it certainly doesn’t mean it will be an easy course.

This class will be responsible for creating content for the Hughes Academy web site in the form of articles, audio stories, and photographs.

• Most basically and most importantly, you will learn how to find and develop stories as well as how to write and research according to journalism industry standards. (In other words, you will not only learn what the AP stylebook is, but you’ll also have large segments of it memorized from constant reference.)
• In addition, you will learn how to take compelling photographs to accompany your stories. (In other words, you’ll learn how to take your photography skills beyond simple point-and-shoot and selfies and learn all the components that go into taking photos and how to manipulate them for the desired effect.)
• Finally, you’ll learn how to make NPR-style audio stories that incorporate on-site reporting with interesting commentary. (In other words, you’ll learn how to take 15-20 audio clips and put them together into one, strong story.)

Students interested in this class need to be highly self-driven as you will (with prior instruction) be responsible for finding your own stories to research and to write. In addition, most of the assessment will involve self-assessment with self-generated goals and rubrics (also with prior instruction and continual teacher guidance). Finally, students will have to be able to work under tight deadlines and to be the type of student that simply doesn’t give up when obstacles appear. On average, you will write at least one 500-word story per week and create at least one 4-5 minute audio story per quarter. That sounds easier than it is: the real difficulty comes from the incredibly high standards necessitated by the simple fact that all our content will end up on the Hughes web site.

What are the upsides of all this hard work? The first would be the simple pride in the fact that you are doing a job that has traditionally been reserved for adults: you will be the public, digital spokespersons for Hughes Academy, and that’s what I meant by “Learning by doing.” It’s an incredible feeling knowing that what you’re writing is for an interested audience that will make comments and give feedback, much more rewarding than just writing for a teacher.  You’ll begin creating content for the site during the first class session, and by the time the year is done, you will have an impressive portfolio of published work that you can use for future reference. Additionally, because of the nature of this class, there is a lot of freedom during the class period. During a typical class, some students will be working together on an audio project while other students head out to interview a teacher or an administrator about this or that while still other students are editing others’ work while yet other students go to photograph subjects for their articles. In short, it’s not a “sit down and take notes” class, but it is in fact the ultimate in project-based learning: student driven, student assessed (with help of course), and student published.

It won’t be easy, but it will be fun, and you’ll finish the year with greatly improved writing skills.