[Jerri3]

I need guidelines, layout/design samples, EVERYTHING!!! Would someone please help me?

Thanks tons!

[Suzydiana]

My son started a newspaper that I sponsored at our school.. We would have the children write the articles and I typed then out on my microsoft word under newspaper. Sometimes we had them professional printed and other times I ran them on our dopier. The kids loved it. We even got a few businesses to have ads and sponsor us.

[sunshine1]

I remember making a school paper in middle school as a student, AND trying to do it in my class. First step...Who's doing what? Make out a LONG list of jobs that you would find in a normal paper. Ex. (editorial, wanted, tavel, horoscope, etc). Then have the students draw their job. I only suggest a drawing because everyone wants to do the interviews and sports sections. This allows you to be non-biased. Explain each job in detail. For really big jobs, like photography, research based, interviews, etc. have multiple students. Also, have a group that is in charge of typing, layout and keeping others on task. Hope this helps you get a start.

[GB]

Is this a teaching class you're attending?

Go to teacher created materials or peruse a teaching store that has newspaper creation ideas. Have students look through newspapers and include columns that they like, too. Have 2-3 students work per part and culminate your paper. They could do weather, cartoons, interviews and articles with a coach or principal, sports, etc. etc. etc. Do articles on other grades or all-school projects, too. Do an article on school history or on the mascot. Good luck. Have the students do pagination, then fillers for extra space (make up ads or scan in designs).

wasn't as fancy as the ones I'm reading about here. They sound very nice. I did a newspaper this year, but I admit to taking an easier road. I hung up construction paper around the room, each with a job (reporter, weather, fashion, gossip--you have to monitor this one--reviews--of movies, video games, cars--sportswriting, comic strips, want ads--one kid wrote the most hilarious ads, and puzzles--they loved making puzzles!). I told them they could sign up for as many as they wanted, and that there was no limit on how many could do a job. It was completely choice-based. I contacted the DIRC (district instructional resources center) to publish it for us, and got a check from PTSA to cover the cost.

This is where I took the easy road: I just had them write their articles on white, unlined paper, in ink, no green, pink, or red allowed (it won't copy). They had to submit 8 rough drafts, and from those, they chose two to polish and go in the newspaper (this was a newspaper for the whole core--100 kids--so I had to limit them to to two). Then I just sent everything to the DIRC to be copied and bound. So it doesn't look like a newspaper--the layout is different and so is the look. I thought that might disappoint them, but they loved it! And when I did my feedback sheet at the end of the year, so many kids said they LOVED the newspaper. When it came back from the DIRC, I had to can my lesson for the day. All they wanted to do was read their newspaper and see what the other classes had contributed. It was very successful and done on the cheap and easy.

They ran all around the school for two weeks, interviewing teachers, lunch ladies, janitors, the adminstration, office ladies--everyone in the school was very kind and helped us out tremendously.

[Jerri3]

Thanks, Everyone!

These are some great ideas! One of you asked what this was for...classroom or school. I am moving from 4th to 3rd grade this year, and the principal asked me to "sponsor" and guide the 5th grade students to create a schoolwide newspaper. It sounds like fun to me---but challenging and TIME consuming.


Thanks again!
Jerri