Sounds like and impossible project? Well, have
faith. Once it' s organized it can be a very stimulating
creative project that involves the entire class.
Begin the lesson by talking about the magazines they read. What
do they look for in choosing to buy a magazine? Do they want
information or do they want to be entertained?
What can be included in "their" magazine? Sports,
news, events, music, the latest about computer technology,
jokes. Let the students tell YOU:
Now the class can be divided into small groups. I
like to let them volunteer, choosing the material they wish to
work on.
Tell them you are interested in short
articles. They can look up information on Internet, but no
copying, please! They can even hunt up some
school-teacher-student jokes!
They will have to think up a brief title
for the magazine. Let each group present one, then the class can
vote on the one they like best.
Needless to say, after collecting all their
"articles", you as the teacher will have some work to do
correcting them. But it' s well worth it!
When all the articles are corrected it' s
necessary to make up an INDEX which includes the names of the
articles and the students who wrote them.
Last, but not least, they will need a cover,
which can be a photograph or a drawing.
Here they can use their creativity and of course
the computer! In fact, the articles can be accompanied by photos
too.
Put it all together and the finished product will
be a "magazine" to be proud of!
Each student will receive a copy and it' ll be a
creative experience they won' t easily forget. Who knows it may
even inspire a future career!
A Nice Thought
"One must learn by doing, for though you
think you know it, you have no certainty until you try."
Sophocles