Planning a yearbook class means you have the end result in mind before you begin. How do I want this collection of shared and individual voices from the classroom and campus presented as a completed creative work? Preparation! As the adviser, you create an adaptive framework to make the voices clearer and more poignant.
First Steps
From the beginning, set the expectation with your students to have planned moments to enable continuous communication. One form is a weekly meeting with student leadership to ensure they manage their teams and the processes. Together, you and the leaders can design interventions as needed. It is also wise to have individual meetings with leaders to clarify any needs. Assess how they are expressing themselves. Encourage the leaders to meet with their team modeled after the ones you had with them. When you hold the weekly all-class meetings, practice shared decision-making.
Facilitating Shared Decision-Making
During the first few weeks, important decisions are made about the appearance of the yearbook. You will need to define "shared decision-making", and explain why it is important to individual students and the whole group. They will need to learn to compromise, practice communicating their thoughts respectfully, and make decisions together in three major ways.
What is a yearbook and who is the yearbook for? Your students may be newcomers or returnees. Therefore, look through previous yearbooks, review sample yearbooks, conduct online research about yearbooks, and discuss the functions yearbooks serve. Examine who benefits from having a yearbook. Each new class must understand the importance of everyone being "seen" and "heard" so it is encapsulated in the yearbook.
Our Yearbook Mission Statement–Begin with students in small groups and then transfer to large group settings, where they will craft a clear concise, single sentence of their mission for the year. Design the final Mission Statement attractively and post it in the class for a reference throughout the year.
Our Yearbook Vision Statement–With the Mission Statement, students can clarify how it will be accomplished by making a vision statement. Artistically write the vision statement and post it in the class, alongside the other.
Yearbook Appearance
Once these preliminary steps have been completed, it is time to move to the fundamentals of the yearbook creation. Address the yearbook appearance first. Divide the students into small teams to create mood boards incorporating the elements of theme, style, color palette, and fonts they would like to use. Ask them to develop a pitch deck. Use advanced organizers and include specific criteria you expect for presentations and peer critiques. Explain what peer critiques are and how to practice them correctly. Students will vote for the best 2-3 ideas. Teams will rework their pitch deck and present it. They will continue to compromise and select their final choice. Give the student leadership the style guide, a record of all design and copy decisions, and they will design and print it for their classmates.
Preparing the Cover Case
After all the decisions about the yearbook appearance have been finalized, the work on the cover case begins. Let the students decide how to pursue the design and make customizations. This is another step in autonomy and shared decision-making. They will soon realize that deadlines are important.
A new school year holds so much promise. After a solid start, you have the makings of a successful, enduring legacy in your yearbook product. United Yearbook values the fundamental work of the first couple of weeks of the school year. In addition, there are resources such as curriculum and year-round workshops on this and other areas. Make sure to subscribe to our blog and our newsletter, and visit our website at www.unitedyearbook.net & our resource store to learn more! United Yearbook is available to assist you throughout the school year. Enjoy getting to know your students!
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Editor: Donna Ladner obtained a B.A. in Education and a minor in English from California Baptist University, and a M.S. in ESL from USC, Los Angeles. After she married Daniel, their family moved to Indonesia with a non-profit organization and lived cross-culturally for 15 years before returning to the U.S in 2012. Donna has been working as an editor and proofreader for TSE Worldwide Press and its subsidiary, United Yearbook since 2015.
Contributor: Lucy McHugh comes to United Yearbook Printing from a 39-year career in public and private school education. She was a former visual art teacher and yearbook adviser. She received a Bachelors of Science in Art from Columbia College in Columbia, SC, a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Nebraska in 2000, and in 2014 earned a Certificate in Catholic School Leadership from Loyola Marymount University. Lucy enjoys her family, making art and gardening.
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