COURSE TITLE:      MS YEARBOOK

TEACHER:                Ms. Moriconi            

ROOM:                      B 2.11 (SECOND FLOOR, BLUE POD)

E-MAIL:                                                  Christina_Moriconi@eu.odedodea.edu                         

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to give the students the experience of digitally preparing a school yearbook for production.  Students will be involved in all aspects of the preparation such as planning, research, photography, copy writing, and page layout. They will also be involved in the after-production aspects such as advertising, sales, and distribution.  The emphasis will be on student-orientated activities and will encourage a hands-on approach in those individual and cooperative activities.  The page layout will be done completely on the computer using a layout software compatible with the chosen printing company.  Digital and print photographs will be used and skills in cropping and formatting of photos will be developed.  Treated as a serious journalistic effort, a school yearbook presents the opportunity for students to acquire knowledge they will use in many areas of their lives, such as the skills necessary for effective oral, written and visual communication and for successful people and time management.  Students’ initiative, creativity, organizational skills, and the ability to work in groups will be encouraged.  Students will learn to apply these skills in their assigned sections of the yearbook and in their completion of feature articles.

 

COURSE GOALS/OBJECTIVES/STANDARDS: Upon completion of the yearbook production course, students should be able to:

·        Produce a quality yearbook in a timely fashion.

·        Provide accurate accounting for all funds collected/disbursed.

·        Present the school in a positive manner.

·        Discover and nurture talents and interests in photojournalism.

 

SCOPE AND SEQUENCE

August-September

Planning, organizing, surveying, and photographing

 

October-December

Photographing and layout of class and individual pictures,

 

January-February

Soliciting and fund-raising

 

March-April

Editing and preparing the final CDs for publishing and sales

 

May-June

Final sales and distribution of yearbooks and CDs; creation of multimedia presentation for 8th grade graduation.

 

CONTINUOUS SCHOOL PROGRESS

AFNORTH International Middle/High School’s CSP (Continuous School Progress) goal is, “All students will improve their written communication skills across the curriculum.” The 6 + 1 trait is the model selected to improve school-wide writing in all subject areas. The 6+1 Trait writing framework is a powerful way to learn and use a common language to refer to characteristics of writing as well as establish a common vision of what “strong” writing looks like. Teachers and students will use the 6+1 Trait model to identify areas of strength and weakness as they continue to strive towards continued writing improvement. Success of all students requires that the 6 + 1 Trait become a consistent and integral component of each course taught at AFNORTH International Middle/High School. Students, therefore, in Middle School Yearbook, will become familiar with the six traits and apply them to feature writing. 

 

COURSE GRADING/ASSESSMENT

There are no tests, quizzes, or exams in this course.  The students will be required to fill out a daily log sheet describing the work they are currently working on and the projects they are involved in.  The completion of this log will contribute to their attendance and class work for the day and are worth 80% of their grade.  The final grade will be based on attendance, class participation as well as quality and timeliness of work.

 

CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS/CONSEQUENCES

Students are expected to follow all rules set forth in the student handbook.  I will be prepared to give you my best and I expect that you will be, too. Class begins and ends on time.  I expect you to be in your seat before the appointed time for class.  Racing to beat the clock will result in a tardy if you are not in your seat with materials and prepared to begin. Please demonstrate respectful behavior and speech for others in class and on campus.  Within the classroom especially, when one speaker –student, guest, or teacher—has the floor, remain silently attentive until the speaker has finished and then you may respond.  Consequences for a poor choice will be determined by the severity of the situation; however, there is zero tolerance for any behavior that interferes with student learning. Insubordination, disruptive behavior, and behavior that interferes with others’ safety will result in an immediate trip to the office to see an administrator and a parent phone call.  Lesser infractions or inappropriate behavior will result in eating lunch in the classroom. Serious breaches of conduct not addressed above or repeated misbehavior will result in a parent call, a parent/student/teacher conference, and/or an after-school detention.  Common sense, courteous behavior, including speaking one at a time and not engaging in private conversation during group discussions, will make our classroom pleasant for us all, provide an atmosphere conducive to learning from one another, and minimize the number of rules we need.

 

 

TEXTBOOKS

Craghead, Kathy. A Guide for the Yearbook Copywriter

 

Kennedy, Linda.  In Print: The Text for Yearbook Journalism

 

 

SUPPLIES: All supplies will be provided for by the school.

 

HOMEWORK POLICY: All work is to be done in class as most of the work will be done on the computers in the classroom or in working groups.

 

MAKE-UP WORK POLICY: Work cannot be made up because it is done in class and usually in groups, however, the student may be assigned a special project to work on to make up for missed work due to illness or a family or school-sponsored trip.  It is the students responsibility to make arrangements for missed work.  As deadlines are extremely important for the publications of the yearbook, you are expected to check your two-week assignment sheet, but you still should check with me before school, after school, or during designated seminar time for getting help, to gather any missed materials or assignments.   You should get class notes and information from your classmates.

 If you know in advance that you will be absent, check with me to obtain assignments and work which will be given during your planned absence.  If the absence is unplanned due to illness, then you will have to make up your missed assignments as soon as possible, according to submission deadlines.