How to Make a Class Magazine for Students

Starting a class magazine for your students is a great assignment for a journalism unit if you are an English teacher. A classroom magazine will help your students understand how magazines work and give them the opportunity to learn about your school and community through article research. Making an effective and informational class magazine can take a great deal of time and organization, so it's important to let your students know about your plans well before you start the project.

Decide on the type of class magazine you'd like to create. As of 2010, most magazines are available via the Internet and in paper form. Ask your students which method they'd prefer for the classroom magazine. If they opt for an Internet magazine, several online hosts allow you to create free websites.

Ask students to bring in their favorite magazines. Question students about some of the articles found in the magazines. Use your classroom discussion to establish articles for your publication. For example, if a student suggests a fitness article from a health magazine, plan to assign an article about the school PE class or a sports team.

Assign magazine duties. Because you're the teacher, it's a good idea to establish yourself as editor-in-chief of your class magazine. The Education and Research Consortium of the Western Carolinas advises that you assign each student a page for the magazine. If you have a large class, split your students into teams of two and three people. Avoid arguments among students about assignments for your publication by having them draw article choices from a hat. If you have students who are enrolled in a photography class, ask them if they would like to take pictures for the magazine.

Make a deadline for assignment submissions. Ensure that your students know how soon they need to turn their articles in. Ask for submissions to be submitted digitally via a disk or email. Give your students time to work on their assignments during your class. If your students need help setting up interviews with members of the school staff and faculty, assist them.

Edit the class magazine. Try to edit submissions as they are received to avoid getting overwhelmed once the project due date arrives. Print copies of the class magazine and distribute them to your students. If your class magazine is web based, ensure that each student has a chance to view the website.