Final Story

Getting to travel different parts of the world is a dream of most. Whether they are able to act on that dream or not, there is a place in the world everyone wants to go.

Laurie, Michael, and Martha Clark were able to live and experience that dream on a European tour in March of 1997. One of those places was Paris, France.

“We had a tight schedule with the tour because you had to get up when they said, leave when they said which was frustrating and you weren’t free to do what you want all the time,” Laurie said.

Paris is a very popular place to go, especially on a European tour, it cannot be missed. Michael said why they wanted to go to Europe and a reason why they were excited for Paris.

“All the history that is there in Europe and Paris especially with the Arc de Triomphe,” Michael said.

The Arc de Triomphe is a beautiful monument that honors the ones who fought and died for France in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. It started being built in 1806 and was finished in 1836. It is around 178 years old.

There was a tight schedule of being able to make it to the places they wanted to go but they were able to make it. They went to the Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars, the Louvre, Montmartre, and the Arch de Triomphe.

The first night they got there they went to the Eiffel Tower and got to go up in the tower and look over Paris.

“My favorite place was the Eiffel Tower because it was so beautiful to visit,” Martha said.

There are so many different places to eat in Paris. When it comes to food Laurie told a story about her first meal in France.

“I was scared to eat the food at first, so my first meal was McDonald’s. We ended up going to cafes and eating breads, cheeses, wine, and more,” Laurie said.

There are so many different kinds of food to try and enjoy in Paris.

“The mushrooms were the best because they were different and the sauces were really good with them,” Michael said.

There was some different things that Laurie and Michael found out in Paris that they didn’t know.

“There isn’t a lot of air conditioning in hotels and people would open windows. I was shocked when we got there and our hotel didn’t have air conditioning,” Laurie said.

“Since everything was older there were no escalators and no elevators to use. I realized Paris was cosmopolitan and was pretty diverse, definitely not what I had imagined,” Michael said.

Paris is known for their shops and of course their fashion. Champs de Mars is one of those places, because it is a famous shopping center with many stores.

“Champs de Mars. It was fun to window shop because there were lots of expensive stores to look at,” Laurie said.

There was something that surprised her about Paris that she wouldn’t have thought was true prior to her trip.

“What surprised me was how close the countries were and the different languages and cultures around us,” Laurie said.

There are many different ways to travel in Paris. The ones they took aren’t the only ways to travel and sightsee in Paris. There were difficulties in Paris and they told us about transportation.

“There was a lot of traffic and very narrow streets which wasn’t the best,” Laurie said. “We had a tour bus and but would also take a taxi and even the subway.”

Paris is a place of many buildings that are famous and are built all so differently and for different reasons in history.

“I loved the architecture and how old it is because it is so beautiful and we don’t get to see that in the U.S,” Laurie said.

“The food is very excellent, the museums are very interesting, and the Buddha Bar which is a popular restaurant/bar/lounge,” Michael said.

These are some fun places that he thought people who have never been to Paris would enjoy. For example going to museums for Paris’ history, the Arc de Triomphe, The Louvre, and the Montmartre.

The Louvre is one of the world’s largest museums and is also a historic monument. This monument is located right by the Seine River, which is the river that flows right through Paris.

“The Louvre was my favorite because it is a museum of art and all the history in it is amazing,” Michael said.

"The architecture was wonderful and just seeing all those places were amazing." Martha said.

Architecture was a big hit for them in Paris because of all the old buildings dating back many years ago.

When they were at the airport ready to head home, they hit a little speed bump because they were late arriving to their flight.

“We missed the flight home and was frustrating but turned out awesome because we ended up flying business class,” Laurie said

After being on the trip they talked about 2 other places they would like to go. They were allowed to pick anywhere they want

“Florence and Barcelona because I haven’t been there and they are well known to be beautiful and rich history to learn about,” Michael said.

He wants to go to Florence, Italy and Barcelona, Spain, which are also in Europe along with the places he already went.

“I would love to go to Rome and Athens because they are both filled with history and wonderful places to visit,” Martha said.

Martha chose another place in Italy and then Athens in Greece. Rome is a very popular city to go to that many people visit and hope to visit.

“I would love to go to Rome and Berlin because I didn’t get to go there on the tour,” Laurie said.

There are many tourists during different parts of the year combining with the different weather conditions in the year.

“It wasn't crowded or touristy but I would prefer to go late-spring or early-summer when it's warmer,” Laurie said.

Even though they didn’t go the best time of year, they still got to go and do everything they wanted. Paris is a really history rich, beautiful place to visit.

Fall Final Exam Review

1. Timeliness- Newness of the facts.

2. Proximity- The nearness of a story to your place of publication

3. Human Interest- Drama that surrounds people involved in an emotional struggle.

4. Prominence- The newsworthiness of the person.

5. Conflict- A disagreement or fight between 2 opposing forces.

6. Interviews- A meeting including questions to use quotes for a news story.

7. Research- Learning facts about the story you are writing or interviewing about.

8. Quotations- Using the words another person uses to 

9. Yes-no question- Questions that only require a yes or no answer.

10. Follow-up question- Question that elaborates on a previous question based on the answer.

11. Objective writing- Write only the facts with no bias opinions or injecting your own opinion.

12. Transition paragraph- A paragraph that helps transfer between two different ideas.

13. Hard news story- A factual approach on the story.

14. Soft news story- To entertain or advise in the story for the reader.

15. Inverted Pyramid- Shows how information should be organized and prioritized.

16. Third-person point of view- Using the pronouns he, she, it, or they.

17. 5 Ws and H lead- The first and second paragraph of a new story with the main facts about the event.

18. editing- Checking for error and revising work.

19. attribution- The identification of the source.

20. paraphrase- Expressing what you want to write using different words to mostly increase clarity.

21. fragmentary quotation- A single word or short phrase used by a source that is included in a paraphrase.

22. direct quotation- A quote that directly came from that person.

23. partial quotation- A combination of a direct quotation and a paraphrase.

24. Uses of quotations- They make a story stronger and have a source to back up the information.

25. When to use quotations- After a statement that coincides with the statement also at least in a hard news story.

26. When quotations are unnecessary or not desired- Not desired in the lede with the main information or in an opinion piece.

27. Editorial- A newspaper article written by an editor that gives an opinion.

28. editorial page- A page reserved for the Editor/Publisher

29. columns- Small groups of sentences to fit on a page.

30. editorial that criticizes-  An opinion that negatively talks about or attacks something.

31. editorial that explains- Gives information of a topic that gives a full explanation.

32. editorial that persuades- Tries to get the reader to agree, disagree, or do something that they write about to be right.

33. letter to the editor- A letter sent to the editor giving their opinion or views on a topic they wrote about.

Feature Story Editing Notes

• Point of View- Needs to be in 3rd person- No I, We, My, (except commentary pieces)
• Tense- Feature stories for our case at least should be past tense.
• Names- use 1st name last name to start. From then on last name only. People with the same last name, Ex. Ted Reeves, Reeves, Reeves then Jerry Reeves and you use the first names Ted or Jerry then Tom Reeves so its Ted, Jerry, or Tom. If a Sr. or Jr. comes in you refer them to that.
• Quote/Transition Style- The statement should go before the quote always. Statement->Quote. 
• Storytelling- Don't want the story of the interview. Want the story about the topic. Don't insert questions or take away from the story. Have them tell the story with you backing up with small facts of what happened.
• "Said"- you want to use "said" almost every time. Saying "exclaimed" or "wondered" is interjecting your opinion of how they said it into the story.
• Simple & Concise- No run on sentences. No more than 4 commas on prepositional phrases. No paragraphs that are more than 2 sentences. 4 to 5 sentences in one is wrong. Statement & Quote in different paragraphs always. 25- 30 word sentences.
• Word Use- Write so a 6th grader could understand. The average newspaper reader reads at an 8th grade level. Big word use can be bad, be careful.
• Formatting- Always have separate paragraphs for statements and quotes.
• Spell Checks & Grammar- No excuses for spelling things wrong if using spell check. Work on grammar. Helpful tips: For Grammar, read it out loud. For spelling, read it backwards.

Edit Marks-

• WW- means Wrong Word. if word is crossed out and squiggles are above it, its probably WW.
• backwards S with quote marks- switch
• Box Z- switch the words.
• L-  new paragraph
• SP- spelling error
• check mark- remove
• slash- lowercase
• check mark on exclamation point- take it out.
• Brackets- Something wrong with part/entire sentence or paragraph.
• 2 Vertical Lines- Extra space or needs space.

Feature Story Rough Draft

Getting to travel different parts of the world is a dream of most. Whether they are able to act on that dream or not, there is a place in the world everyone wants to go.

Laurie, Michael, and Martha Clark were able to live and experience that dream on a European tour in March of 1997. They went to 5 countries total: France, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, and England.

“We had a tight schedule with the tour because you had to get up when they said, leave when they said which was frustrating and you weren’t free to do what you want all the time,” Laurie said.

Paris is a very popular place to go especially on a European tour it cannot be missed. Michael said why they wanted to go to Europe and a reason why they were excited for Paris.

“All the history that is there in Europe and Paris especially with the Arc de Triomphe,” Michael said.

The Arc de Triomphe is a beautiful monument that honors the ones who fought and died for France in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. It started being built in 1806 and was finished in 1836. It is around 178 years old.

There was a tight schedule of being able to make it to the places they wanted to go but they were able to make it. They went to the Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars, the Louvre, Montmartre, and the Arch de Triomphe.

The first night they got there they went to the Eiffel Tower and got to go up in the Eiffel Tower and look over Paris.

“My favorite place was the Eiffel Tower because it was so beautiful to visit,” Martha said.

There are so many different places to eat in Paris. When it comes to food Laurie told a story about her first meal in France.

“I was scared to eat the food at first, so my first meal was McDonald’s. We ended up going to cafes and eating breads, cheeses, wine, and more,” Laurie said.

There are so many different kinds of food to try and enjoy in Paris.

“The mushrooms were the best because they were different and the sauces were really good with them,” Michael said.

There was some different things that Laurie and Michael found out in Paris that they didn’t know.

“There isn’t a lot of air conditioning in hotels and people would open windows. I was shocked when we got there and our hotel didn’t have air conditioning,” Laurie said.

“Since everything was older there were no escalators and no elevators to use. I realized Paris was cosmopolitan and was pretty diverse, definitely not what I had imagined,” Michael said.

Paris is known for their shops and of course their fashion. Champs de Mars is one of those places people love to shop at. Laurie tells us about her shopping experience.

“Champs de Mars. It was fun to window shop because there were lots of expensive stores to look at,” Laurie said.

Champs de Mars is a famous shopping center with many stores that are very pricey to people. It is a big place that has many stores for people to shop in.

There was something that surprised her about Paris that she wouldn’t have thought was true prior to her trip.

“What surprised me was how close the countries were and the different languages and cultures around us,” Laurie said.

There is many different ways to travel in Paris. The ones they took aren’t the only ways to travel and sight-see in Paris. There were difficulties in Paris and they told us about transportation.

“There was a lot of traffic and very narrow streets which wasn’t the best,” Laurie said. “We had a tour bus and but would also take a taxi and even the subway.”

Laurie talked about what she liked best about Paris.

“I loved the architecture and how old it is because it is so beautiful and we don’t get to see that in the U.S,” Laurie said.

“The food is very excellent, the museums are very interesting, and the Buddha Bar which is a popular restaurant/bar/lounge,” Michael said.

These are some fun places that he thought people who have never been to Paris would enjoy. For example going to museums if you are into Paris’ history, the Arc de Triomphe, The Louvre, and the Montmartre.

The Louvre is one of the world’s largest museums and is also a historic monument. This monument is located right by the Seine River, which is the river that flows right through Paris and is a big tourist attraction to go by boat to tour Paris completely.

“The Louvre was my favorite because it is a museum of art and all the history in it is amazing,” Michael said.

"The architecture was wonderful and just seeing all those places were amazing." Martha said.

Architecture was a big hit for them in Paris. Paris is a beautiful city that is the most visited place in the world. It is a very touristy place for people to go.

When they were at the airport ready to head home, they hit a little speed bump because they were late arriving to their flight.

“We missed the flight home and was frustrating but turned out awesome because we ended up flying business class,” Laurie said

So even though they were to late to catch their original flight they got to fly in better seats, business class seats.

After being on the trip they were all asked 2 other places they would like to go. They were allowed to pick anywhere they want

“Florence and Barcelona because I haven’t been there and they are well known to be beautiful and rich history to learn about,” Michael said.

He wants to go to Florence, Italy and Barcelona, Spain, which are also in Europe along with the places he already went.

“I would love to go to Rome and Athens because they are both filled with history and wonderful places to visit,” Martha said.

Martha chose another place in Italy and then Athens in Greece. Rome is a very popular city to go to that many people visit and hope to visit.

“I would love to go to Rome and Berlin because I didn’t get to go there on the tour,” Laurie said.

They went to Koln in Germany on their tour but never got to go the Berlin. She also wanted to go to Rome, Italy like Martha. Her final thoughts for the best time of the year was to go.

“It wasn't crowded or touristy but I would prefer to go late-spring or early-summer when it's warmer,” Laurie said.

Even though they didn’t go the best time of year, they still got to go and do everything they wanted. Paris is a really history rich, beautiful place to visit. There is the Eiffel Tower, a big part of what they are known for and what everyone knows. There are many places to learn about their history and just get to try everything out they have in Paris.

C.E. #3.4

1. What did downtown shooter Larry Steven McQuillians have written on his chest when he was killed? 
He wrote the the phrase "let me die" on his test.
2. Why did Bill Cosby step down from his Temple University board position? 
He stepped down because there was accusations on him drugging and sexually assaulting women.
3. How much did Cyber Monday sales increase this year? 
It rose 8.7 percent
4. What is Alyssa Kuykenall's favorite animal?
Her favorite animal is an elephant.
5. Of the 24 movies listed here, what is your favorite? Page D1 "24 ways to stay home..."
My favorites are Home Alone, A Christmas Story, Holiday Inn, and Elf. I love to watch all those Christmas movies on that list!


Short Answer:Read the entire story about Larry McQuillians shooting rampage downtown on Page A1 - "Hate drives gunman..."

That does make me nervous because he is not the only guy like that. A shooting is really scary nd it happened in our city which scares me a lot. I would've given him life in prison for shooting innocent people in the government building and for the fact that he had a map of locations he was going to go and shoot. Society should have more police officers or protection for everyone when something occurs like this. I think you should be free to believe what you want but showing that through violence is never and effective way to spread your beliefs to others. I think the state and federal government should be involved to help because shootings are happening all around us and we are their people and they are supposed to help us stay safe. The only problems is the restrictions they might put on us or having cameras in more places which to some people might be overstepping the boundaries but the government would need to let them know that it is to protect them from other people.

Feature Story Notes

Main Subject: Mom
1. What date did you go?

We went in March of 1997

2. What important places did you go to?

We went to the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Champs de Mars, and the Montmarte.

3. Who all did you go with?

Mike, my husband and his mom Martha who was the one who came up with the idea to go on the European Tour.

4. How long were you there for?

We were there for about 3 days because we took a whole tour so we didn't have much time.

5. Do you think that was the best time of the year to go? Why or why not?

It wasn't crowded or touristy but I would prefer to go late-spring or early-summer when it's warmer.

6. What was your favorite thing about Paris?

I loved the architecture and how old it is because it is so beautiful and we don't get to see that in the U.S.

7. Was there anything strange and weird that you saw? If so, what was it?

At the time I thought it was strange that we had to pay to use the toilet.

8. What kind of food did you eat when you were there?

I was scared to eat the food at first so my first meal was McDonald's . We ended up going to cafes and eating breads, cheeses, wine and more.

9. What was the occasion to go to Paris?

Martha took us as a treat to experience Europe with us.
10. Why did you decide to go to Paris?

We had never been out of the country and wanted to go on a trip and see Europe!

11. What was the most frustrating or hardest part of the trip?

We had a tight schedule with the tour because you had to get up when they said and leave when they said which was frustrating and you weren't free to do what you want all the time.

12. Did anything go wrong that seems funny now?

We missed the flight home and was frustrating but turned out awesome because we ended up flying business class.

13. What are one interesting thing about Paris that the average person doesn't know?

There isn't a lot of air conditioning in hotels and people would open windows. I was shocked when we got there and our hotel didn't have air conditioning.
14. What are some fun things to do in Paris?

Going to museums, go up the Eiffel Tower and look over Paris, and shop on the town!

15. How was transportation? How did you get places?

We had a tour bus but would also take a taxi and even the subway.

16. Was there anything there that you didn't like about Paris?

There was a lot of traffic and very narrow streets which wasn't the best.

17. Paris is known for shopping and fashion. Did you go anywhere good to shop at?
Champs de Mars. It was fun to window shop because there were lots of expensive stores to look at.
18. Did you go anywhere else besides Paris? If so what did you do there?
We went to 4 other countries, Germany, England, Switzerland, and the Netherlands

19. Was there anything that surprised you to be really cool? Why or why not?

How close the countries were and the different languages and cultures around us.

20. Now that you've been to Paris, what are two other places you would like to go?

I would love to go to Rome and Berlin because I didn't get to go there on the tour.

Supporting interview: Dad
1. What was your favorite place in Paris and why?

The Louvre was my favorite because it is a museum of art and all the history in it is amazing.

2. What food did you like to eat?

The mushrooms because they were different and the sauces were really good with them.

3. What are some strange or different things you saw there?

Since everything was older there were no escalators and no elevators to use. I realized Paris was cosmopolitan and was pretty diverse, not what I had imagined or expected.

4. Why did you want to go to Paris?

All the history that is there in Europe and Paris especially with the Arch de Triomphe.5. What are some fun things to do in Paris?

The food is very excellent, the museums are very interesting, and the Buddha Bar which is a popular restaurant/bar/lounge. 

6. What are two places you want to go after being to Paris and the other places on your European tour?

Florence and Barcelona because i haven't been there and they are well known to be beautiful and rich history to learn about.

Supporting Interview: Martha (Grandma & Dad's Mom)

1. What was your favorite place in Paris and why?

My favorite place was the Eiffel Tower because it was so beautiful to visit.

2. Were you excited to go on the tour? 

Yes because I had never been and it was really amazing to go and see so many places.

3.What was the place you wanted to go to the most?

I wanted to go to Koln most because my ancestry goes back to Germany so it is a special place for me and your father.

4.Did Paris live up to what you imagined? Why or why not?

Yes it did. The architecture was wonderful and just seeing all those places was amazing.

5.What 2 places do you want to go since you've now been to Paris?

I would love to go to Rome and Athens because they are both filled with history and wonderful places to visit!

C.E. #3.3

1. Why did Bowie student Jack Guy design Grade Buzz? 
Jack Guy designed this to make it more user-friendly and easy to access. The app uses the 2 main points students go to my.austinisd.org, grades and FIT.
2. After the huge snowstorms hit Buffalo, NY last week, what is the next major concern for the region? 
The next big concern is the snow melting and the threat of flooding.
3. What point is cartoonist, Chan Lowe, trying to make in the political cartoon on page A11?
Chan Lowe is trying to say that all these sales can end up with you being broke or losing even more money because there are so many sales you buy a lot more stuff.
4. Why is Alexis Alpha suing the San Marcos police department? 
He aggressively physically assaulted her while arresting her.
5. Why are theme parks struggling to attract new visitors? 
The overpowering amount of electronics people have today keep them from going to theme parks and they need a ride that will get you off your butt and get you there.


Short Answer: What impact does Capitol Metro's decision to raise fares by $.50 in January potentially have on the people of Austin?
This impact could change the way people choose to get to their jobs and around Austin. This does benefit the Capital Metro industry in their money making which is what they want. This can affect those not able to pay for a full time car and need bus transportation to get to work to support themselves. This raise in bus fares can change how many times they can even ride the bus every day and might change how they can even get to their jobs or anywhere faster than walking.

Feature Story Example

1. When you read the headline, were you at all interested in the story?
Yes I was very interested. 
2. After you completed the story, what were two things you learned about that you did not know before
At Iwo Jima, where 6,000 Americans died, 1,800 of them in a single day.
What Honor flights really were and how they were taking WW2 veterans to the memorial to thank them and let them reflect.
3. Was the story better than you expected after reading the headline?
Yes it was such a good story.
4. What person was the story written in?
3rd person point of view.
5. Did the chronological format help the story in your opinion?
I think it really helped you understand how Honor Flights work and get the true story behind the men also.
6. How many different people did the writer quote in the story?
Around 15 different people. 
7. What was the thematic element the writer used throughout the story?
Time being a thief.
8. How did the quotes help the story?
You got to hear true words and stories from veterans and it really connects to your heart.
9. Was the story written in a very strict, quote-transition format?
No it wasn't. 
10. How is this story different than the hard news pieces we have written in the past?
This is a more emotional piece and has imagery to bring the piece to a whole different stand which you don't see in hard news pieces.