Making a Class Newspaper

Lesson Plan #: AELP-JNL0004

An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan

Submitted by: Sandra Siu
School, or Affiliation: Kahaluu Elementary School, Kancohe, HI

Date: 1994

Grade Level(s): 5, 6

Subject(s):

Language Arts/Journalism

Objectives:
1. To produce a class/school newspaper.
2. To communicate class and school activities to other students, teachers, and parents.

Materials:

One or multiple computers; printer
Software: word processing, spreadsheet, database, desktop publishing, graphics
Copy machine
One ream of 11x17 xerographic paper
Advertising layout graph sheets from an art supply store (or 2 sheets of graph paper pasted side by side on a 11x17 oaktag)

Time Required: 18-24 class periods

Activities and Procedures:
Take the students to visit a local newspaper agency. Have them study the newspaper to become familiar with the sections. Give them a variety of opportunities to write for different purposes, such as news articles, editorials, and advertising.

Determine as a class the scope of news to be covered. Divide the class into news departments, each responsible for gathering its own news. Each department should have an editor responsible for proofing others' articles.

Have all reporters use the word processor to type their articles. Have the editors do layouts. Have student representatives solicit subscriptions and determine the number to produce.

If advertisements and donations are solicited, the students can keep track of the money, using the spreadsheet or database software, and create the ads, using the graphics software.

Have the students create cartoons and captions.

Have the students use the desktop publishing software to produce the final copy of the newspaper. Have the students print the number of copies needed. Have the "Circulation Department" collate, fold, and distribute the papers.