Syllabus for YEARBOOK A

Course Syllabus

Thank you for joining Yearbook! You are a going to be a part of something really special this year.

https://youtu.be/QfO_7cHBDRg (Links to an external site.)

Yearbook is both a class and a club where students work together to make the school yearbook! It is an entirely student lead class where you get to use your creativity everyday.
You get to create something that lasts a lifetime and leaves a legacy.
You make great friends and you get to learn so much about you fellow classmates and the Hazen community.
You play with photography, graphic design, interviewing, and leadership skills every day.
Have questions? Need anything? Reach out to amy.charles@rentonschools.us

Yearbook Class Syllabus

Instructor: Amy Charles Email: amy.charles@rentonschools.us

Course Description: In this course students will gain skills in page design, advanced publishing techniques, copywriting, editing, and photography while producing a creative, innovative yearbook which records school memories and events. There is an emphasis on journalism skills in this class. Participants gain useful, real-world skills in time management, marketing, teamwork, and design principles. In the second, students will have an opportunity to earn college credit with Bellevue College. In the third year, Editor Practicum, students will earn leadership credit.

Instructional Philosophy: Students will be given challenging real-world projects and assignments typical of the graphic design and publishing industries. High quality work is expected, and students will be given opportunities to redo work until it meets standards specified during instruction. Classroom activities will include reading, research, projects, and problem solving. Students will often work in teams but will be expected to complete individual assignments in relation to the team's work. Assessment methods will include written exams, tests, and quizzes; oral and written research reports; reading assignments; and projects.

Course Goals:

Students will learn publishing industry terminology and become familiar with publishing software.
Students will learn copywriting techniques.
Students will apply elements of design and graphic design

4.Students will work with various types of print production equipment including digital cameras, computers, and scanners.

Students will apply computer skills and design principles to the production of yearbook pages.
Students will learn large project management skills

Course Outline:

Program Area 1: Introduction to Graphic Design and Publishing Industries

Students will be introduced to the graphic design and publishing industry through magazines, internet, etc.

Program Area 2: Introduction to Equipment

Students will use multimedia elements to create the yearbook with graphic design software. Students will be introduced to each piece of equipment tied to page production: computer, scanner, printer, camera, etc.

Program Area 3: Elements and Principles of Design

Students will learn about design elements through production of a finished yearbook. Students will learn about color, shape, space, balance, eyelines, contrast, variety, emphasis/dominance, harmony, repetition/pattern, and unity.

Program Area 4: Journalistic Writing

Students will learn about journalistic writing (story and caption writing) through the production of a finished yearbook.

Program Area 5: Typography

Students will maintain a consistent typographic theme throughout the yearbook production process. Students will learn about typefaces, typographic measurement, typographic standards, typographic guidelines.

Program Area 6: Creating and Editing Images for Print

Students will learn when to use particular image formats for yearbook. Students will learn about formats, resolution, ethics, and copyright laws.

Program Area 7: Leadership

Students will participate in leadership activities such as: good attendance, school involvement, time management and organization, and will perform other leadership tasks within the classroom and school.

Text & Materials: Students will work extensively with an online publication site by Jostens called Yearbook Avenue (YBA). They will also become familiar with the Adobe Creative Suite design applications Lightroom and Photoshop.

Work Expectations

❏ Students are expected to work on yearbook assignments during class time. There is always something to do. When students engage in the course work fully, they will leave this class at the end of the year with journalistic, marketing, Photography, graphic design and production skills.

❏ Deadlines are non-negotiable. If you repeatedly miss deadlines, you may be subject to dismissal from yearbook class.

❏ Tardies and excessive absences are not permitted. In order to complete this amazing publication, students must be present in class to meet deadline goals. The work we do in this class is collaborative and student driven. Students must work together to plan, create, and reach the goals of the work. If you are excessively tardy or absent, you may be subject to dismissal from yearbook class at the trimester.

❏ Work doesn’t stop when class ends. Students are expected to participate in outside-of-class activities. To produce a complete yearbook, students will be required to attend school activities to take photographs and gather information to be used in the yearbook. Due to the nature of publishing deadlines, students will be expected to work periodically before or after school and on weekends as needed to meet publishing deadlines.

❏ Yearbook is a marketing and production class and we want to create and sell the best product. It is your responsibility to make certain that you have put every effort forward to create and sell the best quality product we can create. As such, students will:

❏ Show up to cover clubs, sports, student activities when they are assigned to do it. If something comes up, get someone to cover you.

❏ Follow class protocols for how and where to store photos and interview notes.

❏ Enter all photos and quotes within a class period or within 24 hours so that the students and editors who rely on those quotes have what they need to so their job.

❏ Complete all assigned pages.

❏ Include names of every person on every photo (tag photos with names)

❏ Ensure that 100% of names are spelled correctly.

❏ Design to the proper specifications (follow the magic checklist).

❏ Follow the correct theme.

❏ Take pictures as assigned in a variety of activities during and beyond the school day.

❏ Complete all miscellaneous assignments and projects.

❏Communicate with editors and staff about your progress

❏ Professionalism is worth 10% of your overall grade and you are assigned weekly points for it. This is a CTE class and employability skills are a large objective in the work we do in this class. Think about this class as a business and work in this class like you would in a business. You are expected to work within our business in a way that will help us thrive and reach our goals. Your actions in my classroom and outside of my classroom should show that you take our business seriously. These components go under professional expectations:

❏ Electronics:

❏ Your cell phone needs to be put away (smart watches should be on airplane mode), headphones and airpods put away during group and collaboration time, and you need to use your Chromebooks and computers for class content only. (No games, sporting events, no social media, etc.)

❏ A Phone violation (notice there is no 's') or misusing your Chromebook, Air pods, etc. will result in the complete loss of your Professionalism and participation points for the week. I won’t give warnings other than this one. This is non-negotiable.

❏ Time out of class Expectations:

❏ There will be many times this year, when your work for yearbook happens outside of this class. When you are out getting interviews, I expect you to be on task and not to be traveling in groups. Get out and get your quote, photo, etc and come right back. You should always be in class in the first and last ten minutes unless there is a coverage reason that we have discussed prior to class.

❏ When getting go gets or quick quotes we need for a deadline, come back 15 minutes early to record your information in the drive or Yearbook Avenue. If you are gone for long periods of time and do not enter the work or communicate about how it will be entered with an editor, you will lose your professionalism points for the week. You cannot earn these points back if you lose them.

❏ Represent this program everywhere you go. You are the ambassadors of this program. Our integrity as a publication rides on your reputation. If people, don’t see you acting respectably and responsibly in the hallway or at school events, they tend to think the work we do together is not respectable or responsible. When you have a yearbook job or a yearbook camera especially, be your best self and make us proud of you.

❏ Daily classroom procedures will be explained to you

IMPORTANT LINKS TO HELP WITH DEADLINES:
Club Contact information

The sign up form and Page Ladder (coming soon!

Fall Sports Calendar/ Sign up to take photos (coming soon!)

FILL OUT THIS FORM IF YOU ARE SIGNING OUT A CAMERA
FILL THIS FORM OUT IF YOU ARE SIGNING IN A CAMERA

If you are experiencing stress, anxiety, or thoughts of self-harm call Teen Link at 866-TEENLINK (866-833-6546) and ask to talk to a peer. The phone line is open 6 p.m.– 10 p.m. and chat is available 6 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. daily. https://www.teenlink.org/