By Madeline L., 7th Grade Student, Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Congregation
One of Krieger Schechter Day School’s (KSDS) many electives includes journalism. This class teaches students how to write effective news articles and then publishes them through Jmore, a local news outlet that covers mostly Jewish-related events. In this class, students improve their writing skills, including using grammatically correct sentences, expanding vocabulary, varying sentence structures, and ensuring that their works are organized and clear.
The journalism elective was initially offered to KSDS students about ten years ago. Back then, students wrote for the school newspaper, The Lion’s Den. Three years ago, the course was reintroduced to the curriculum, but this time in partnership with Jmore.
Journalism students are trusted to be independent; they have the freedom to select topics of interest and work studiously at their own pace to interview, write, and edit their works. Throughout the years, students have added their own personal twists to their articles to make them unique from other articles about similar topics.
The course also gives students a chance to address how they feel about certain topics and issues in the world. They have the opportunity to brainstorm interview questions and talk to different people in the community about their topics.
According to Vered Nusinov, KSDS English and Journalism teacher, “The best part of teaching journalism is watching students’ writing progress strengthen from draft to draft. It is also so exciting when students’ works get published on Jmore’s website. Their joy is contagious.”
While young writers definitely feel a sense of accomplishment in this course, there are some bumps along the way. “One of the hardest parts is teaching students the importance of editing and helping them accept changes without taking it too personally,” Nusinov said.
In addition, Nusinov explained that “I have learned that young journalists have so much to say and add. Their voices are powerful and valuable. It’s been a gift to learn from students’ writing.” According to Nusinov, “students write about an array of topics, from summer camps, after school activities, sports, and vacations to more serious subjects like stress, politics, controversial laws and policies, and so much more.”
According to Eitan B., a 7th grade KSDS student who is currently taking journalism, “I think it’s a good idea to teach kids how to write articles at a younger age. Journalism would be a really fun job to pursue, so when you get older and you need to write a good piece, journalism could really help you with that.”
According to Eitan, “If students were to become writers, the journalism class would be really helpful because Morah Vered, our teacher, shows us how to structure sentences, create interview questions, and become better writers.” Eitan added, “Researching [the topic] is my favorite part of the process because I get to learn more about the person or topic I’m writing about.” He also discussed the hardest part of writing for him, which is constructing sentences that flow. Eitan is working to strengthen this school in both his English and journalism classes.”
The KSDS journalism class has made a huge impact on students who attend KSDS and encourages them to become successful writers and maybe even journalists.
Madeline L. is a seventh grade student at Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation.
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