How to Create a School Newspaper in Elementary School

Keep students, teachers and parents up to date on academic and extracurricular activities by starting a newspaper for your elementary school. The endeavor is not only informative and engaging, but can also teach the reporters, editors and production "staff" how to create, organize and write.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Talk to the school principal to uncover any regulations that might prohibit a school newspaper. Ask what resources are available for use in creating the paper like school computers, copiers, printers and camera equipment.
2. Ask for parent or community donations to obtain necessities like pens and notepads for reporters, colorful printing paper and photo-developing services. Get a computer-savvy volunteer to design a simple template for the newspaper using a common software program like Microsoft Word.
3. Find student and teacher volunteers. You'll need people to envision stories, write them, type handwritten stories into the templates, take and print photos, design the paper and help with production and distribution.
4. Schedule time at recess or after school to work on the paper. Have the participants' parents sign permission slips for the extracurricular activity to ensure they have the extra time available.
5. Cover news and events like school, community and district news, school rules, student polls and fundraiser information. Consider adding a "Principal's Message," teacher and student profiles and tips on studying, good eating habits and making friends. Create puzzles using teachers' names or simple academic terms for a fun twist. (See Resources)
6. Take photos of school activities to help break up the text. Capture honorees at awards assemblies and images from after school clubs, field trips, fundraisers and family night activities.
7. Have teachers or parent volunteers edit and proofread the paper for style and grammatical errors. Correct them and ask the Principal and other administrators to do a final proofread (and "sign off" on the paper) before printing, copying and distributing it to students.