Taking some ‘time out' from regular classes and doing something completely different can really help group dynamics and you may also give quieter or less able students a chance to shine. Making a class magazine is a project that will appeal to most groups as it allows individuals to work on what interests them. Starting a project from scratch can seem a little daunting to begin with so here's a simple step-by-step guide on how to make a class magazine.
Planning
- Bring in some magazines. Let your students have a look through them. You could do a class survey on magazines at this stage or simply chat to your class about the type of magazines they like.
- On the board brainstorm the different sections that magazines have. Try to include as much variety as possible so there's something for everyone. (Horoscopes, beauty tips, sports pages, film reviews, cinema news, fashion, photo stories, comic strips, puzzles, technology pages, music, interviews with famous people, recipes, jokes, problem pages etc. etc.)
- Ask your students if they would like to make a magazine in English. Hopefully they'll be keen to! Ask students for ideas for a name for the magazine and hold a class vote to decide on the name.
Organising the project
- Now you need students to choose who they want to work with (pairs or small groups) and what section they want to produce. Make a list of what everyone is going to do, in case you, or they, forget by the next class.
- Set the deadlines and plan the sections. Negotiate with your students about how long they will need to produce their section and allow sufficient class time for you to be able to help each group with their section and provide language input and error correction. You can also encourage students to look for information at home, on the internet etc. Set a date where everyone must bring their completed work to class and try to stick to it. Having said that, if your students get really into it and are producing good work you could always extend the deadline if you think their time is being well spent.
- Collect all the sections and work with your class to decide on the order they will go in. Students can now make a contents page and a cover for their magazine.
- Put the magazine together with a book spine or by stapling it. Before you do this you may want to make several copies of the magazine. If you have the facilities to do so, one for each student could be really nice and they can take it home to show their parents. If that's not possible, make a couple of copies and hang them in the classroom for other students to look at.
Exploiting the magazine
- If you teach several classes of a similar level you can take the magazines in to show your other groups and make some activities based around it or simply let the students read it and do the puzzle pages. You may even inspire your other groups to make one too.
- If you have access to a computer room you could really make a professional looking magazine but don't worry if you don't, a homemade looking one can be just as good.
- Having an end product to work towards can be really motivating for a class. Making a class magazine should be an enjoyable experience for you and the students and it will also give you a chance to stand back a little and observe your students in action. You should be available to guide them and offer support and advice but it will also give you a chance to find out more about their interests which will help you to plan for following lessons.
Language Level
Comments
Class Magazine
It truly is a great idea to motivate creativity, I especially like Omar's idea of illustrations and interviews. Thanks for sharing.
Class Magazine
Thanks for the article. It contains very insightful ideas and suggestions. I have experience in making a class magazine with my students. It is a great project for engaging students to research, collaborate, read and write and above all share. Students feel there is a purpose for doing what they are doing. It is the actual use if the language they learn beside the abive mentioned skills students develop.
Class magazine project is very motivating for students especially that they do not feel they are pressured to do the tasks they are doing. They do them with interest and enthusiast. The teacher discovers lots of talents and skills in their students that are virtually impossible to disciver in the conventional lesson teaching. Personally, I discovered some very introvert students have skills such as drawing, writing poems and short stories. Students also feel more independent when engaged in such a project.
In fact, it is a great thing to try with students in class.
School/class magazine experience
Thanks for the article. It really contains insightful ideas.
I believe that such a project is very benificial to both learners and teachers. It helps teachers motivate their learners to be active participants in the process of learning. It gives learners a purpose for learning the language by their actual engagement (writing, drawing, discussing, reviewing, interviewing, photographing, commenting, presenting, etc).
I had experience with my students in creating a class/school magazine. I did not follow the procedures suggested above in this great article. I just informed my students that we were going to make a class magazine. I told them that the magazine would contain short stories, poems, cartoons, cross word pazzels, summaries of stories students had read, etc. Students were excited. After about a week, I started recieving students' products. The magazine was devided into sections and students' productions appeared in the magazine.
In fact it was a great and rewarding experience. You can't imagine what learners can come up with provided you trust them and give them responsibility.
What a great idea! :)