Yearbook Syllabus- Mrs. Kubitz C203
http://blog.dearbornschools.org/kubitzm
Course Description:
Yearbook is a year-long course and an extra-curricular activity for self-motivated students. It is journalistic in nature and allows students to participate in the production of the school yearbook. Individual responsibility is essential toward completion of assignments for deadlines. Students will also have the opportunity to accept leadership positions and develop new skills as they build the yearbook.
Yearbook requires a huge time commitment. Yearbook basically has to be "your life" in and outside of the school day/week. If you are involved in a lot of after school/weekend activities, sports, extra-curricular activities; if you are not able to travel, attend school functions, or are allowed to go out in the community to sell advertisements, etc., then this course would not be a good fit for you.
You must commit to the class for the whole year. The coursework for this class begins in the spring once the prior year's yearbook has gone to print.
This course is unique in that it operates as a real business, giving students practical experience in all aspects of a business, including meeting deadlines and marketing. The expectations for this class are extremely high. You will be under a great deal of pressure to get things finished by deadline, and to the highest standards and quality to produce the best yearbook.
Course objectives:
Students will:
· Develop leadership skills.
· Design aesthetically pleasing layouts: placing the dominant photo and subordinate photos; establishing an eye line; placing headlines, story copy and captions; properly using white space; and enhancing layouts with the use of graphics.
· Take great photos using the rule of thirds, line, contrast, and composition.
· Manipulate digital photographs, text, and backgrounds in Adobe PhotoShop or Jostens online site.
· Make use of the Yearbookave organizational system of deadline folders and software plug-ins that arrange links and pages.
· Understand and employ the ethical decisions inherent in making a yearbook.
· Meet all deadlines in a real-world application.
Skills This Class Will Teach:
There will be no other single class that teaches you all of the following skills:
Life Skills Journalism Skills Business Skills Technology Skills
-Communication -Concept brainstorming -Budget planning -Business software apps
-Leadership skills -Reporting -Promotion & advertising -Desktop publishing
-Time management -Researching -Marketing -Photo-editing software apps
-Project management -Editing -Selling -Online design
-Problem solving -Photo editing -Customer relations -Online research
-Writing -Graphic arts -Market research
-Photography -Public relations
-Team building -Media law
-Conflict resolution -Design & layout
-Public speaking
Grading:
Your grade will be based on a weighted system. Your grade is made up of two components:
Summative (80%), includes advertising sales, yearbook sales, page spreads, and meeting deadlines. Your final exam will count for 15% of your summative grade. Formative (20%) includes daily homework, classwork, quizzes, participation, and bellwork.
Late work will result in a loss of a half a grade for each day it is beyond the deadline.
Scale: A = 100-93 A- = 92-90 B+ = 89-88 B = 87-83 B- = 82-80 C+ = 79-78 C = 77-73 C- = 72-70 D+ = 69-68 D = 67-63 D- =62-60 E = 59 or less
Page Grades:
Once a page has been submitted for a deadline, you will be graded on the quality of your work. This includes layout design (including precision), photography, graphics, use of color, saving the page and links in the correct place, coverage, writing (content, style, and conventions in particular) and ethics. You will also be expected to cover the story of the page well. For example, if you are doing a sports page, you should attend at least three games (one being away so you can cover the bus ride) and one practice. Coverage also includes equitable and fair coverage of grade levels, gender, and the student body. Putting your friends on your assigned page is unethical and unfair to all who buy the book. You will be asked to remove yourself or friends from the page and you will receive a deduction in points. In addition, each error on a page (spelling of words and/or names, grammatical errors, format errors) will result in a lost point per error.
Groups:
Part of being in yearbook means that you are working with a group of your peers to complete a real-world task (similar to what you would do in a real-world job). You will often be given a group grade for work completed in this manner. It is your responsibility to motivate the other member(s) of your group to ensure that a page is completed in a quality and timely manner. Only the adviser reserves the right to adjust group grades based upon performance.
Meeting Deadlines:
It is imperative that you meet your deadlines that are set for you. Not making deadlines means less unique opportunities for the yearbook. Missing a deadline means that your grade will severely suffer. You should weekly critique your page and honestly evaluate if you think you will/will not make your projected deadline. Ask for help from the editor, advisor, or other staff members if you think you may not make a deadline.
Behavioral Expectations:
First things first. You are expected to be on time. Punctuality and meeting deadlines are the most crucial aspects of a successful yearbook. In order for you to accomplish your pages, you will on occasion have to leave the classroom. This, I have to be able to trust you not to abuse this privilege in any way. Pairs or groups are not necessary when leaving the classroom. If at any time you abuse your privileges, you will lose them. In such a case, any interview or photograph will have to be done on your own time. It will also mean that your grade is affected. If you have time to goof off, either you haven’t set appropriate goals for the week or you will not be accomplishing them. Remember, any extra time you have is spent helping others.
Binder Set-up:
1st tab: Bellwork
2nd Tab: Captions/Stories
3rd tab: Coverage/Design
4th tab: Photography
5th tab: Grades PapersDetailed Break Down of Graded Work Deadlines:
Completion Points: 300
Each element of a deadline will have a specific due date. You will be docked 20 points per day for each missed due date. You will be graded on the following, along with other components:
Coverage/Planning 50
Photo 50
Copy 50
Final 100
Proofs 50
Please sign and return the bottom portion of this syllabus by Tuesday, September 13th, 2015. You can receive 5 pts Extra Credit for this document.
I have read and understand the course syllabus above.
Student Name (printed) ______Date______
Student Signature______
Parent Name (printed) ______Date ______
Parent Signature ______