Literary Magazine Curriculum Guide
Brief Course Description
Literary Magazine is a composition and design course that combines the elements of a creative writing course with the publication of the magazine. Students are asked to continue to improve their own writing as they work to judge the submissions of others. Some assignments will be structured and may include feature stories and film reviews as well as the traditional poetry, narratives and other expected prose pieces. Of course, students will also work on the publication of the magazine, involving themselves in all aspects of the production. These responsibilities will include writing, editing, evaluating, judging, designing, fundraising and working within the community. Students who participate in Literary Magazine for multiple years will utilize advanced strategies in design and writing and develop leadership skills as work with younger staff members. Literary Magazine is strongly aligned with CCSS standards because of its consistent sustained emphasis on writing and reading standards, as well as the standards of speaking & listening and language. CCR standards require students to carefully consider task, purpose and audience while writing and to “produce complex and nuanced” texts by combining “elements of different kinds of writing” (W Note). Literary Magazine offers students the opportunity to explore creative avenues of expression while continuing to improve skills required of a college-and-career-ready student who will need to perform well in an age that values creativity, innovation and the ability to view the big picture.
Course Essential Questions
· How can student leaders guide staff member and create a document that captures the artistic vision and voice of the student body?
· How do task, purpose and audience influence the development and organization of a particular writing task?
· How do the elements of design enhance and guide the reading experience?
· How can writers and designers use structured conversation, feedback and criticism to improve their work?
Discipline Specific Vocabulary
- Writing process
- Prewriting
- Drafting
- Revision
- Peer review
- Editing
- Publishing
- Reflection
- Narrative
- Poetry
- Prose
- Feature
- Review
- Design
- Layout
- Spread
- Typeface
- Font
- Byline
- Credit line
- Editorial Policy
- Colophon
- Dominant image
- Theme
- Gutter
- Folio
- Lead
- Initial letter
- Pull quote
- Columns
Course Organization
There is no official CMS text for the Literary Magazine course. The text recommended and listed in this document is the fourth edition of Magazine Fundamentals, published by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. The text can be ordered directly from the organization, and contact information for CSPA is included in the resources under Unit 1.
While some literary magazine staffs focus on soliciting content from the student body, an instructor working with an official class may want to actually initiate assignments. The sections on writing poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction are reprinted from the Creative Writing Curriculum Guide. The texts listed in those sections are purchased by CMS for use in the creative writing courses so an instructor in this course should be able to share resources and coordinate with creative writing instructors.
Although the course is divided into units, instructors should consider the guidelines fluid and overlapping. Since the ultimate goal of the course is the publication of the school’s literary magazine, instructors will need to plan instruction while considering their printing deadlines, financial constraints, class experience and school culture. Topics introduced early may continue to be points of emphasis in other units, and instructors might pull a topic from a later unit and introduce it earlier in the course. Units can be divided and revisited. Because course objectives will consistently target CCR standards for writing, reading, speaking & listening and language, the organization and emphasis is flexible.
Several of these activities require a supply of magazines, and these can be referenced throughout the year as a source for design inspiration. I recommend keeping a generous source file in the classroom. These can come from a variety of sources—teachers, students, libraries, etc. They should be magazines that focus heavily on design and not just content. (You might find, for example, that financial magazines do not offer much in the way of innovative design.) They magazines should be somewhat current (not years old), but caution students against swiping Mom’s latest O Magazine before she has read it! J
The units do not list summative assessment options since the publication of the final magazine can serve in that capacity. Advisers can certainly utilize portfolios and other methods to critique student performance throughout the course.
Unit 1
Organization of Staff and Tasks
Unit 1 Essential Questions
· How is a staff selected and organized?
· Is staff participation a right or a privilege?
· How does a staff decide on the content of a magazine?
· How does a staff create a stylebook?
· How can professional organizations help a literary magazine staff?
Unit 1 Vocabulary
· Critiques
· Submissions
· Staff
· Editorial policy
· Copy
· Layout and design
· Cover
· Endsheets
· Spine
· Title page
· Masthead
· Table of contents
· Bylines and credit lines
· Colophon
Unit 1 Activities and Resources
· Magazine Fundamentals
“Chapter One: Organizing Staff, Organizing Tasks” will provide information about most of the activities below.
· Activity: Mission/philosophy/editorial policy
o Read samples as a class and discuss.
o Editorial policy should include how works are selected, how the staff works, whether the book is completed as a class activity or as a volunteer activity, etc.
· Activity: Organize Staff
o Some small staffs work without editors, and some work with rotating committees.
o Some staffs have to main editing slots, such as text and technology or text and visual.
o Other suggestions for possible staff positions:
§ Editor: the editor of the magazine must possess good grammar skills and must have an eye for detail. The editor will plan the magazine and be vital in the decision making process of content.
§ Assistant Editors: These editors take on a part of the editor’s job. Sometimes if you have two assistant editors, then they can oversee specific sections of the production of the magazine.
§ Layout Editor: This editor will be the one who makes final decisions of layouts. This editor must possess artistic skills and must have an eye for detail.
§ Art Editor: Chooses and makes decisions as to what types of artwork and where the artwork will appear.
§ Photography Editor: This editor oversees the photography for the magazine. This editor sets deadlines and makes sure all photos are in and ready for the magazine.
§ Fiction Editor: This editor will edit the fiction that will appear in the magazine. Organize a writing contest and he/she will look over and make decisions as to what will appear in the literary magazine.
§ Features Editor: this editor will work with members of the class to decide what types of feature articles will be done. Also, this editor will edit and make decisions as to which article will appear in the magazine.
§ Poetry Editor: This editor will edit poetry and organize a school wide poetry contest. This editor will make sure that all poetry is in and edited for the literary magazine.
§ Business Manager: Helps to brainstorm ideas for fund raising, maintains records and budgets. This person will handle the smooth running of patron letters (mailing, designing, etc)
§ Publicist: This person will work with everyone to publicize the magazine and to help coordinate fundraisers and contests.
· Activity: Create a Stylebook
o Helps foster consistency and collects tradition and knowledge of previous staffs.
o Possible items to include:
· A listing of the staff positions with the duties of each staff member CLEARLY defined.
· Specifics for the title page: Name of the Magazine, Theme, School Name, Phone number, Price, etc. Document here anything that will always go on the title page.
· Specifics for the table of contents spread: document your staff policy, and decide if the table of contents will list the staff members and colophon.
· List in the Style book any specifics that your staff will need to know about layout: the amount of picas between copy, font point for titles, captions, credits, etc. Again, anything with layout that will remain constant should be listed in the style book.
· List guidelines for photography, art and the literary selections that you will include in the magazine; list the types of articles and content that will appear in the magazine Again, these are general guidelines or standards that students may refer to in developing the magazine.
· Include some sample layouts to refer to in designing the magazine.
· A stylebook in essence should include all of the aspects of the magazine that are standard or consistent.
· Resources: State and National Organizations
o State and national organizations offer valuable information, critique services, staff and adviser training, workshops, publications for purchase . . . some of the top organizations are listed here:
o North Carolina Scholastic Media Association
UNC Chapel Hill, North Carolina
919-962-4639
http://ncsma.unc/edu/
o Columbia Scholastic Press Association
Columbia University, New York
212-854-9401
www.columbia.edu/cu/cspa
o National Scholastic Press Association
Minneapolis, Minnesota
612-625-8335
www.studentpress.org
o Journalism Education Association
Kansas State University, Kansas
785-532-5532
www.jea.org
o Student Press Law Center
Arlington, Virginia
703-807-1904
www.splc.org
Unit 2
Introduction to Design
Unit 2 Essential Questions
· How do advertisements influence design trends?
· What elements of design are pleasing to the eye?
· How does design work in concert with content to achieve purpose?
· What design elements appear consistently in modern publications?
Unit 2 Vocabulary
· Contrast
· Color
· Spot Color
· Dominance
· Black & white
· Typography
· Humor
· Images/Photos/Artwork
· Unity
· Variety
· Balance
· White Space
· Shapes
· Lines
· Text
· Movement
· Asymmetry
· Perspective
· Pattern/Rhythm Display head—designed titles.
· Headline deck typeface (subtitle)
· Byline
· Body text typeface
· Cutline
· Photo credit/art credit
· Graphic
· Dominant art/photo
· Sidebar/infographic/alternative story form
· Jump line
· Reverse type
· Cutout
· Two-page spread design
· Single-page design
· Extra leading
· Logo/standing head
· Subhead/story break
· TOC organization
· Mondrian
· Gallery
· End mark
· Spot color
· Pull quote
· Tool line
· Drop cap
Unit 2 Activities and Resources
· Magazine Fundamentals
“Chapter Three: Creating a Concept, Designing the Look”
· Activity: Introducing Design with Advertisements
o Ask students to look through a variety of magazines and select three advertisements that appeal to them. It is important to clarify that they don’t actually have to select advertisements for products that they would actually buy—in fact, if they are drawn to advertisements for products that they wouldn’t buy, their selections will help illustrate how the elements of design can be used to draw in a reader (when those same concepts are carried over to page design).
o Students can select three advertisements, mount on construction paper, and make notes about what they notice on the back.
o Students will go around the room and present their ideas. Each student can do one advertisement at a time to make sure that everyone presents at least once. They can turn in all the work in case everyone does not have time to present all three advertisements.
o While students are presenting, one student (or the instructor) can keep a running list of elements on the board. They can also put marks beside those that are mentioned multiple times so that there is a record of those elements that present themselves more consistently. These elements might include but are not limited to those items listed in the first column above.
o As a sort of homework assignment, ask students to look at magazines and see if they notice any of the same components in the design of pages for traditional articles.
· Activity: Developing a Design Vocabulary
o The instructor will present two different two-page spreads for the students to consider. For the purpose of this assignment, there should be significant contrast in the styles of the spread design.
o Without any discussion of vocabulary or design concepts, students will write for ten minutes about which spread they prefer. Again, the choice should not be made based on content or on what they would actually read based on personal interests, but on which spread makes them WANT to pursue the article.
o After students have completed their assessments individually, the class can discuss as a whole. This will lead to a discussion of design vocabulary.
o Present Power Point with design vocabulary that includes elements of literary magazine design. The information included can include the vocabulary listed above and items from Magazine Fundamentals.
o While going through the Power Point presentation, students can use the magazines from previous years to illustrate the terms discussed in the presentation. Editors and returning students can pair with new students to serve as mentors and make sure everyone is on the same page.
o The presentation can be completed as the introduction to the following lesson if not finished on this day. Pacing can be determined by the instructor’s assessment of how well the new students are picking up the material.
· Activity: Idea File
o The instructor should make a list of items for the Idea File and give to students. Those items can be taken from the vocabulary list above.
o Students will work with a partner to find examples of the items on the sheet. Working with a partner, they should try to identify two examples of each item.
o Students will cut out the examples and paste onto paper.
o Students can share examples after they are finished . . . or halfway through the activity as a way to check for understanding. The discussion should include questions about what would and would not work in our magazine.
o The files can be put together in the Design Idea File that is maintained by the design editors. Students can add to the file throughout the year, and they can reference the file when they are looking for inspiration.