ASNE Lesson Plan outline:

Subject:

How to create an infographic

Description of School and Students:

South Mountain High School Journalism students created an online newspaper called Southwinds.com. Southwinds also receives contributions from the schools broadcast and yearbook classes. Communication/Multi-media is a magnet and CTE program at SMHS. The Phoenix (AZ) Union High School district instituted the magnet program in the 1980's to comply with the federal government's desegregation rulings.

Generative Topic:

How are infographics created and why are they used in association with a news story. Give examples.

Generative Objects:

The site that students will use to create their infographic is www.easel.ly

Understanding Goals:

The goal is to demonstrate how to convert sometimes hard to decipher facts in a story to a more easily readable infographic. Or, how to use infographics to ad content to a news story in an exciting and visual way.

Essential Question:

Why are infographics contained in most publications today (online and otherwise)?

Critical Engagement Questions

Would most people rather look at type or an interesting picture?What is the best way to explain a fact to people who are poor readers?Can you turn an average news article into a work of art? Action plan/activities

The teacher will ask the engagement questions then show examples of several very good infographics. The class will read the story out loud, then

he will ask several students to explain what the infographic shows. Does it add to the story? Is it illustrating facts already contained in the story or adding new information not contained in the article? Both are the purposes of an infographic.

Pass around an article from the morning paper that contains several facts that can be illustrated given the proper time and thought. Call up easel.ly and select a template. Go through the steps to create a graphic based on facts the class agreed would be better understood if illustrated.

Complete the illustration then pass out a number of other articles. Allow students to narrow in on the facts they want to use and illustrate and tell them they have most of the class to finish their infographic.

Assessment

Collect the infographics and assess them according to a prescribed rubric that was passed out with the second story. The rubric will outline qualities of a good infographic. Also, as the students are leaving the class they need to write down one purpose of an infographic. That's their pass out of class.

ResourcesASNE lesson plan

easel.ly/the local paper/student notebooks