My solution became the mock newspaper . I focused on American Western writers, using the Homestead Act of 1862 as a pivot point, although any historical period could be used. Garland was a logical choice for use because he was a notable writer of our state of Wisconsin. At the beginning of the unit, I distributed the mock newspaper, shared student models from previous years, and explained how we would be do several activities that former students had found interesting and worthwhile. One advantage of this format is that it addresses all learning styles.
Students also have a chance to work with software that is normally used only in graphics classes.
At the same time, the students are far more eager to read assigned literary selections so they can begin their newspapers. That kind of enthusiasm rarely predominates in the English class. The Project Outlined The entire project takes four to five weeks. The Project Takes Shape Over the years, neat things have happened. Class members have formed cooperative pairs or trios for the project and immediately taken ownership and actually helped expedite class readings ahead of scheduled discussion dates.