Classroom newspaper

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Home : 2005 : October : 20

Classroom newspaper
By Susan Dee

I was a high school newspaper adviser for four years. We published bimonthly, but our newspaper was 12-16 pages long. How often you publish will depend upon several things: how many pages your newspaper will be, how dedicated
your newspaper staff is, the funding to produce the cost of each issue, and how successful you are at delegating responsibility. Here is some advice:
1. Start simply and expand. You should set a goal to publish four to six times during the first year and if successful, expand.
2. Treat your class newspaper as a professional enterprise. Make sure that each member has

a duty. (editor, sports editer, news editor, features editor, copywriters, newspaper designer, columnist, sports reporter, etc.)
3. Set and enforce deadlines.
4. Make sure that you allocate time to edit the final paper before it is printed. Let your students know that until the paper is put to bed there is no such thing as a final copy.
5. Be on the lookout for successful ideas.
6. Don't try and reinvent the wheel--model your program after an already successful middle school newspaper.
7. Have lots of fun and good luck!