Submitted by: Erin L. Daniel
School: Center for Communications – Varina High School
Summary
This project was won an Honorable Mention Award for the 2010-2011 Henrico 21 Awards.
Students will create an idea for a start-up magazine, determine the content and design the front cover of the first issue, then pitch the idea to the class. The class will determine in which magazine they would like to invest. Students must choose an idea that would work well in the market today. To determine this, they must research other similar magazines to decide what magazines they will compete with. If there are no similar magazines, they must determine whether or not a market exists for their idea. They must specify a demographic and know who would buy their advertising space. They must create a plan for the first issue that includes story ideas for all sections of their magazine (departments, feature well, back of the book). Then using their story ideas and any graphic elements of their choosing, they must design the front cover in a way that would appeal visually to their target market. They will pitch their idea to the class to try to have their magazine concept chosen for publication.
TIPC Ratings
Ideal/Target – Students are required to research using a variety of skills and resources. The teacher makes suggestions for possible ways to research effectively, but does not require any specific research methods. Students need to find only the information that helps them develop their magazine concept. Ultimately this research goes to creating a successful magazine concept and a plan for the first issue – a real world application.
Ideal/Target – Students are using their research to form conclusions about what magazine ideas would succeed in the current market. They need to think about their original design to understand why it would or would not succeed. They are able to adapt their idea as they find research that helps them determine the success of their idea.
Ideal/Target – Students are encouraged to ask questions after each presentation about the different magazine concepts. The students must then decide as a group which magazine would be the most successful and the best investment.
Ideal/Target – Students are using different research methods to gather information that they can then use to evaluate their original ideas and determine its success. They must use the constraints presented by the real-world market of magazines to create an idea that would be successful. They have to decide on a concept, but also put together a plan and design a front cover for the first issue of the book.
Student Artifact
