YEARBOOK

This full-year course offers students an introduction to the basic elements of visual communication and the print world. Students will learn the fundamentals of photography as they document important events from the school year. Students will develop their pre-collegiate communication skills via reporting, writing, class discussions, presentations, and publications. Students will create the yearbook and a variety of narrative projects that show how photography and the written word combine to inform society.

New Students: Students will learn basic skills to create our printed yearbook. This includes the basics of photography, camera usage, and compositional skills. We will also focus on layout and page design. Writing assignments will include interviewing techniques, caption writing, and printed story methods, including polls, surveys, feature stories, and headline construction. In addition, we will focus on ethics in journalism, including libel, copyright, and proper use of trademarked materials. A special emphasis will be on staying organized, teamwork, critiquing, editing, and meeting authentic deadlines. Assignments will be within the school and extend into the community.

Continuing Students: This is for students that hope to take a greater leadership role on the yearbook (editor or editor-in-chief). Editors will take a larger role in theme selection, page layout and creation, decision-making, and developing teamwork amongst their fellow students. In addition, students will develop more effective camera skills, advanced writing and editing techniques, and take a greater role in sales decisions and marketing.

Goals / Objectives:

To research award winning yearbooks as a guideline for creating a publication.
To learn about censorship, copyright, libel, trademark, and fair use.
To complete writing exercises including feature stories, opinion articles, polls / reviews, sports stories, etc.
To develop strong research and note taking skills as they learn to become reporters.
To strengthen their computer skills as they use various programs to create publication.
To research the historic role of graphic design and photography in publication.
To work together to design a theme for the yearbook.
To design a cover and page layouts to visually support the theme.
To learn about color theory and typography and understand the importance of both in marketing & mass communication.
To learn to become a photojournalist. Students will learn the finer points of photography and writing as they capture captivating and narrative photos rather than mere candid photos.
To take on various professional-type roles in production.
To produce a yearbook in full color by the end of March.
May learn about advertising, business strategies in marketing, budgeting, fundraising, and selling the yearbook.
To identify the use of different literary elements and their overall effect on the story.
To meet deadlines, learn how to multitask and prioritize, and produce a finished, edited product quickly.

For more information, please contact the yearbook adviser, Mrs. Julie Wood at wood.julie@tusd.org.