Yearbook curriculum

• Don’t be one of those unorganized clubs that meets at irregular or sporadic times. Create a weekly or bi-weekly meeting, same day and time, and make it known that everyone needs to attend. The most accomplished clubs are the ones that set rules and expectations up front, so people know what is coming and there are no surprises. Create a contract that each committee member will sign when they join. It can be a simple document clarifying that being a part of yearbook committee is a commitment, and they will need to put in the work. You don’t need to come off like a dictator, you can keep it light and even humorous… but everyone needs to know that you mean business.
• Create an organizational chart to facilitate a chain of command. People shouldn’t feel like there is a pecking order, but there does need to be structure. Illustrating this diagram will show connections within the group – who will be working with whom, who will have the final say, and more. To keep things diplomatic, you can hold it to a vote when assigning team leaders. There could be a leader for each part of the yearbook, such as: photography, writing, design, layout, and so on. While there may be smaller groups, make it clear that you are one entity, and make sure to bring everyone together at the weekly meetings.
• It’s important to keep everyone busy and feeling like they have something to do. The moment someone gets bored or feels undervalued is the moment things start to unravel. This can have a chain reaction, and you may start to lose focus from the entire group. People may even start to drop out of the committee. Therefore, make sure that roles and responsibilities are clear. Similarly, when people are working hard without acknowledgment, their work can start to deteriorate. Always take an interest in what each person is doing and provide positive, sincere encouragement.
• Keep attitudes in check. The only thing worse than boredom is negativity or arrogance. This book is supposed to be fun, so don’t lose sight of that. There should be no tolerance for people copping bad attitudes with one another, trying to steamroll others, or becoming bossy. This will bring the whole group down and can bring the whole yearbook down, too.
• Create a culture, not a cult, within your committee. It’s okay for people to have wild ideas or become very passionate. That shows that they care and are committed to the cause. It’s guaranteed that your committee will have some pretty lively personalities, so let them shine. What one person sees as a crazy idea might just spark some insights within the rest of the group, so keep the creative ideas coming. This can help ideas flow, and ultimately lead to a supreme yearbook. Encourage friendship and teamwork within the group. Hold a “secret Santa” during the holidays, order in food for the team on Fridays (taking time to eat together can boost your bond and make members feel appreciated), take a field trip, etc. This will help create commonalities between the committee members and will foster bonding, which can only help your end product.
• Try your best for retention. Not everyone in the committee will be graduating seniors, so when you find a good group, try to hold onto them. Boost participation from year-to-year. Use strong committee members as a source of marketing material. Word-of-mouth is very popular in school, so encourage them to tell their peers about yearbook. Hold a meeting toward the end of the school year where you personally meet with students and talk about yearbook committee. You can make it more of a “party,” pass out food, prizes, play music… keep it interesting and fun.

Here are the yearbook challenges you can solve just by filling these yearbook committee positions:

Capturing the spirit of a school year within the pages of the yearbook is an art form, and like any craft, it requires a carefully constructed framework. The good news? It doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Let’s break it down into three easy steps: 

Yearbook Planning Step 1: Assemble your A-list

By nature, the yearbook creation process is interactive and collaborative. “Resourceful recruitment” is essential to building a cohesive team that highlights individual strengths. Whether you’re canvasing the school with “help wanted” posters or handing out yearbook staff applications, be sure to cast a wide net and consider these five specific personality types while curating your dream team.

Once you have staff members in place who are committed and excited to get started, you’ll want to elicit the best from each to maximize potential. With clear roles and responsibilities designed to cater to each group member’s expertise, you’ll allow for better overall communication and conflict resolution while enhancing individual growth. The outcome is a yearbook that shines as brightly as your star-studded team.

Yearbook Planning Step 2: Leverage Your Ladder

Imagine your yearbook ladder as the “visual Post-it note” guiding your narrative. This blueprint outlines the content for each spread and serves as a compass for your team. Use it to determine the book’s length, prioritize ideas for sections and stories, allocate space, and track - or change - the deadlines you’ve set for yourself. Even better, your ladder doubles as a reminder of your yearbook’s ultimate vision.

So gather the school calendar and past yearbooks, and embark on a ladder-constructing journey with your team. You can download a free one right here! 

Yearbook Planning Step 3: Calculate Your Page Count

Determining your yearbook’s page count is something important that you can quickly check off your to-do list (and doesn’t that feel great?). Schools typically rely on two methods to determine this: enrollment statistics (here’s a helpful guideline) and the yearbook ladder. We generally advocate for the latter as it offers a more nuanced approach tailored to your school's unique character. Additionally, schools that partner with Treering can increase or decrease their page count as the school year evolves. 

Laying the groundwork using these three steps will help kick off a successful yearbook experience each year while making the process streamlined for everyone involved. And lastly, don’t forget our unofficial, but equally critical, Yearbook Planning Step 4: Put the “Fun” in “Fundamentals.” Keep class engagement high by fostering a sense of lighthearted joy. Sharing laughs = happy staff!

-       Broad light, like that from a window, will produce a softer light.  This will create less shadow, but will also reduce contrast and texture.  If you are looking to use a window as your light source, position the student in front of one that doesn’t receive direct sunlight.

 -       Soft light will also come the closer the subject is to the light source.  If you are using lamps to light the set, position them in a manner that will be close enough to fully light your subject, but not wash them out.

-       If you are looking to achieve that soft light, but your source isn’t providing it – diffuse.  A cheap solution for windows is using a sheer white curtain.  If you don’t have a scrim for lamps, use gauze or some type of translucent, textured material.

 -       You don’t have to shine the light directly on your subject.  You can bounce it off of a wall or piece of white poster board to reflect and diffuse the light.  If you want to add some sparkle, crumble a sheet of aluminum foil, pull it out, and wrap it around a piece of poster board… then bounce the light off of it.

 -       If you want to achieve a darker background and really bring the attention to your subject, use a window to front-light the person and keep them as close as possible to the light source.

-       Keep in mind that front lighting will understate texture.  If you want to emphasize the texture, light from the side or from below.

-       Light from above, below, or to the side will cast shadows on your subject… and this isn’t a bad thing.  If you are going for a more dramatic portrait, position a light high above, slightly off-center of your subject, and then tilt it down.

-       Dawn will give a blue-light effect, and not cast any shadows.

-       Sunrise will cast long shadows of warm color, adding interest to the picture.

-       Morning light is very neutral and good for shooting until midday.

-       Midday is the worst time to shoot as the sun is high in the sky, and will cast dark shadows on the subject – sometimes even making people’s eyes look black.

-       Afternoon shooting is similar to the morning, but with warmer colors.

-       Sunset is okay, but must be timed just right as the best light does not last long.  It is, however, great for silhouette shooting.

-       Dusk will offer rich colors – transitioning from blues and purples, to orange and brown.

Where to Focus Your Yearbook Recruitment Efforts.

• Social media – They’re going to be on it 24/7, anyway, so why not reach out to students through what they love most: the Internet. Create a committee-recruiting page on Facebook, follow students on Twitter, and post pictures of past yearbooks on Instagram. You can even have some fun teachers help you create a quirky Vine video to spark interest. The more you are out there, the more buzz you’ll create throughout the school.
• Posters – Even with the rise of social media, nothing gets students’ attention more than a good-old-fashioned poster on the school walls. Create bright, colorful, straight-to-the-point posters and plaster them all over school. Write a call-to-action for the students, and encourage them to bring their creativity and leadership to the yearbook committee.
• Host an open house – Host an open house in the yearbook room. Put out past yearbooks, candid photos, and play graduation videos – getting people in the nostalgic mood. Once you have everyone there, you can talk more about the goals of yearbook and how valuable an experience it is to work on it. And don’t forget to advertise that there will be refreshments – people will do most anything for free food!
• Ask the staff – Email teachers and staff with some specific qualities you are looking for. Ask for recommendations of students they think would be good candidates for the committee. It's always helpful to have a team keeping an eye out!
• Target promising prospects – Flattery is everything, so find those students that are excelling in English, photography, graphic design, and more. Speak to each student personally, and explain that you have been impressed with his or her skills, and think they would make a great addition to the yearbook committee.
• Hold nominations – Alternatively, ask the student body to make anonymous nominations for those peers that have hidden talents. This way, students won’t have to be shy about coming forward themselves. They will be called upon by popular demand.
• Make presentations – Find other clubs or groups that possess skills essential for the yearbook – such as FBLA, spirit squad, newspaper staff, and art club. Ask to make a presentation at the next club meeting, and plead your case for why they should join the yearbook committee.
• Focus on Freshmen – Students new to high school are looking to find their footing in a new building, and a place they can call their own. So, what better way than joining what reflects the school most – the yearbook? Pitch to freshman classes and tell them all of the benefits to joining yearbook – they will meet new people, possess a voice in the school, and have a creative outlet.
• But don’t let Seniors slip away – A major portion of every yearbook is dedicated to seniors. So, pitch to every senior class that the yearbook is a reflection of them, and that their voice should be heard. If that doesn’t work, remind them that colleges love to see extracurricular activities on an application.
• Expand on the typical committee – A yearbook committee doesn’t have to be made up of student volunteers. Encourage students to do independent study in journalism, photography, graphic design, etc., and have yearbook be their credit for the course. Also, recruit staff members and teachers to the committee, and seek parent volunteers.
• Sweeten the deal – Bring out the swag bags! Hand out personalized school-themed tokens, such as pens, buttons, notebooks, and canvas bags. Get people excited about the school, and encourage them to be a part of it through yearbook.
• Don’t go it alone – Find at least one person that you think would be good at recruiting people. This could be “Miss School Spirit” or the next in line for Editor-in-Chief. Whoever it is, everything is better in pairs – so grab the right person and get them on your team.

Getting Involved

Teaches Crucial Life Skills

Provides Writing and Journalism Experience

Provides Creative Experiences

Great Addition to a Portfolio

Have you ever wondered about yearbook photography laws and whether you can take pictures somewhere? Fun fact: photographing the Eiffel Tower is legal during the daytime, but things get more complicated at night. Learn what is okay and what's not in our list of photographers' rights.

Everyone has a camera in their pocket these days, don't they?  It’s good to know that we can capture the moments that mean the most to us. But few of us think about or even know our rights or limitations in being able to do so.

I didn’t either until a store manager approached me one day. I was attempting to take a picture of my daughter and her friend in front of a display in the middle of the mall. The manager nicely explained that their store carries a stringent "no photography" rule and I would not be allowed to post my photo anywhere online.

I immediately complied with the manager for a few reasons. First, I didn’t consider it to be a big deal. It was just a posed photo - and I had taken a dozen more that day - so there was no importance to that particular shot. Also, I didn’t want to make more of a scene in front of the kids than had already occurred. And lastly, I needed to familiarize myself with yearbook photography laws and my rights as an amateur photographer.

To prevent finding yourself in a similar situation, read up on your rights to take and publish photographs. You can use this information to determine what is acceptable in your school's yearbook.

THE LAWS

Not all "no photography" signs are clear, so always be on the lookout.

The general rule is that if you’re in a public place and can see it, you can shoot it. So, if you’re at the park or beach, whatever you see is open for photographing. Taking pictures on government property is mostly considered okay but prohibited on military bases and inside government buildings. (So, photos at the Washington Monument are fine, but taking pics inside your local courthouse isn’t.)

The line blurs a bit regarding what is called expected privacy. You’re not allowed to take pictures on public property if there is an expectation of privacy. For example, public restrooms are off-limits from photography. Similarly, taking photographs inside someone’s windows while standing on the sidewalk on public property is unacceptable.

When you’re on private property, the rules are more defined. The property owner can dictate what you are and aren’t able to photograph. You can be cited for trespassing if you do not adhere to these rules.

You can take pictures of strangers in public places without their consent. However, you cannot sell them without their knowledge or permission. For example, you can’t snap a picture of a stranger walking past you on the street and then sell it for profit as an advertisement to Coca-Cola. But, when you take a picture of someone at the science fair, publishing it in your yearbook is okay.

ERR ON THE SIDE OF ETIQUETTE

Many public places like zoos and museums have photography rules posted directly on their website. But if you’re out on a school trip and can't find information about the photography regulations, ask someone who works there. Some locations allow and even encourage photography. Others allow photography as long as you don't use flash. Still others prohibit all photography, whether you intend to publish it or not. In the case of banned photography, management can ask you to leave the premises or, in extreme cases, have the authorities called. Again, save yourself the hassle and ask an employee.

When photographing other people, especially children, even though it’s legal to take their pictures in public, it’s still better –and more polite– to ask first.

At the beginning of the school year, students should receive a photography waiver for their parents to complete and return. This form allows families to decide whether their child’s photo can be taken and placed in school publications such as the yearbook. Make a list and keep it with you to avoid cross-referencing later.

The ACLU also recommends carrying this printable pocket guide of photographer’s rights with you in case someone approaches you despite being within your legal rights. Had I had such a document when that store manager spoke with me, I could have politely explained that malls are open to the public and I was within my rights.

HASSLE-FREE YEARBOOK PUBLISHING

Educating yourself on what is and isn’t acceptable in the world of yearbook photography laws can save you a lot of headaches when creating your yearbook. You’re already using Treering to make designing and publishing your yearbook easier, so following these simple rules will ensure you spend time on the fun aspects of yearbook creation rather than time-consuming hassles.

Are you still wondering what's up with the Eiffel Tower? The twinkle lights that come on at night are considered their own art installation and are still under copyright. Want the full coq au vin? Click ici.

Please note: this is not a legally binding guide. Photographers should always check the rules and regulations of all establishments and with parents before taking pictures.

Create A Yearbook Company

Organize By Editor Type

Chief Editors

Design Editors (2 Students)

Text Editor (2 Students)

Staff Editors

• Sports Editors
• Class Editors
• Activities Editors
• Club Editors

Nurture Your Team

Give The Students Ownership

t doesn’t matter if you’re teaching World Literature, AP Chemistry, or (you guessed it) a yearbook course, creating a syllabus can be a bit of a time suck.

There’s a fine line between including enough information to answer students’ questions and providing the kids in your class with an intimidating tome they’ll never glance at again. This presents a special sort of problem for yearbook courses, since the endgame isn’t a term paper or oral presentation or lab but, rather, a physical product.

If you’re a veteran yearbook teacher, you’ve probably got your syllabus ready to rock; a few tweaks here and there to reflect date changes and updated requirements and you’re all set. If you’re new to the game, though, where on Earth do you begin?

Why, right here. (Of course…)

Inside this post, we’ll share a free yearbook syllabus template with you and walk you through the most important components to include. That way, you’ll know exactly what your students need for a semester (or year) of success.

Use the information we’ve laid out in this post to fill in the particulars and your students will be ready to get to work on the best book your school’s ever seen.

Yearbook Syllabus Component #1: Course Description

We’ll start out with something simple: The course description, simply put, exists to explain to students exactly why they’ve stumbled into your classroom.

In your yearbook syllabus, that description should provide a quick snapshot of your course. Students should have already seen the course description when they decided to sign up during course selection, but including it here gives both participants and their parent/guardian an idea of what to expect without having to dig through your syllabus.

In the philosophy and goals sections that come after the course description, you’ll elaborate on the why and how of your yearbook class. Here, however, your goals is to simply impart what the course is.

If you structure your class in such a way that all students try their hand at everything, mention that here; if your class tends to run like a newspaper or publishing house, in which students identify a specialty and work towards their individual craft, that’s important to note, too.

Yearbook Syllabus Component #2: Course Philosophy

Your course philosophy is another important piece of your yearbook syllabus. While you may have included an instructional philosophy on syllabi for other classes you’ve taught, your approach towards creating one for this class in particular requires an additional layer of thought.

Why, you might ask?

Because you and your students are creating something that their peers will fawn over for days and then cherish for decades.

Your yearbook course philosophy should provide answers to the following questions:

• Why are students here?
• How will they accomplish the monumental task set before them?
• What will learning look like in this course?

The key here is brevity. While you could ramble across a dozen pages explaining the intricacies that underpin every assignment the majority of your students would either ignore them or flee at the very sight. Keep it simple.

Yearbook Syllabus Component #3: Course Objectives

The final introductory component of your syllabus, before we get into the technical stuff, is your list of course objectives.

The trick here is formatting: Think back to your own educational experiences, the path you took to becoming a teacher. Remember those pedagogy classes you had to take before standing in front of a classroom? We sure do. (Yup; some of us here at Treering were education majors.) And the thing that’s stuck with us best is the scientific-sounding SWBAT, or “Students will be able to” format in which our professors insisted we frame course goals.

By creating between five and ten goals, laid out in a numbered or bulleted list, you make it clear exactly what your students will walk away with. You know, other than a yearbook.

Since yearbook classes have such potential for variance on a student-by-student basis (a graphic designer, a journalist, and a copy editor will have vastly different, albeit equally important, semesters) there are a couple of ways to approach goal creation. You might choose to make your goals broad enough to capture the experiences all members of your course will have. You could use each goal to highlight what you expect from photographers, writers, designers, and so forth.

Spend some time thinking about which method will work best in the context of your course, and don’t be afraid to modify goals (using student feedback) once your yearbook is published.

Yearbook Syllabus Component #4: Resources

While it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be leaning on a clunky textbook to impart yearbook wisdom on your students, there will undoubtedly be a set of materials and resources that are necessary for both student success and yearbook creation.

Again, there will be variance here based on the roles each student assumes on your yearbook staff. It might be helpful to divide your “Resources” section up into sections based on these roles (for example, a journalist isn’t going to need a camera, but they will need a notebook and pen and perhaps a voice recorder to ensure accurate quotes and a record of useful details that will bring the retelling of a school event to life).

If your school provides students with laptops—or if you’ll be using a computer lab—be sure to spell out exactly which pieces of software they’ll be required to use in order to perform within their given role. If your school doesn’t possess some of the fancier, more expensive resources, like professional design software or professional-model cameras, get creative by discovering free browser-based tools and leveraging the power of the smartphones nearly every kid has in their pockets to create great content.

(Note: don’t forget to include a note on lost or damaged school property!)

Yearbook Syllabus Component #5: Student Evaluation

Ah, grades… every student’s favorite subject.

Spelling out exactly how your students will be assessed is a really important part of establishing expectations for the upcoming semester. While you might not want to come right out and say “to get an A, you need to do…”, it is important to break down the factors that contribute to student evaluation. If participation and attendance account for 20% of a student’s grade, mention that; if attending out-of-class events for the purposes of content creation is necessary in order to earn an A, make that clear, too.

You’ll notice in the syllabus template that the “Student Evaluation” section has been left blank; that’s because every school uses a different set of standards by which to measure student success. If your school uses a rubric-based grading system, include an example, detailing the various levels at which students are to be evaluated (and what success should look like for each one).

Yearbook Syllabus Component #6: Course Rules & Requirements

Laying out exactly what’s expected of students in terms of behavior is foundational to their academic progress and your yearbook’s success.

If you tend to run an open classroom, spell that out; if students can come and go as they please, which may very well be the case given the nature of a yearbook course, tell them. Conversely, if you’re looking to foster a more structured environment, one with more instruction than content generation, you might want to explain the role of participation and importance of active listening.

While it may seem redundant to spell out behavioral expectations, it can’t hurt to hammer home how students should act in class. A yearbook course teeters somewhere between a traditional academic environment and a publishing house; respect for ideas and the structure you establish is paramount. This goes without saying, but don’t forget to highlight the importance of academic honesty. It’s one thing to plagiarize a book report; it’s another thing entirely to steal from uncredited source material and then publish it in a yearbook.  

Yearbook Syllabus Component #7: Attendance Policy

While “come to class” should seem obvious, there’s always some smart alec who will consider using “it didn’t say so in the syllabus” to weasel his or her way out of showing up.

It’s likely that your school has its own attendance policy; if this is the case, simply copy, paste, and call it a day. In the event it’s up to you to decide on an attendance policy, carefully weigh how many tardy arrivals and absences you’re willing to afford your students.

There’s one specific area in which an attendance policy for your yearbook course will differ from that of calculus or chemistry or any other subject for that matter: out of class time is necessary. Students will need to spend time at school events or working on completing your book as deadlines approach; be sure to spell this expectation out in your syllabus.

Yearbook Syllabus Component #8: Course Calendar

Your course calendar is the scaffold for the semester, the year, and your yearbook production cycle

While it may very well be subject to change based on the pace at which your students learn and subsequently complete the work, you’ll want to make sure that your course calendar includes:

• Weekly goals and subjects covered in class
• Important publishing-related suspenses
• School events that will require coverage
• Required after-school workdays

Yearbook Syllabus Component #9: Parent / Guardian Acknowledgement

This final component of your yearbook course is an affirmation that both your students and the people at home are on the same page as you. While this is standard for a syllabus at the high school level, it’s extra important that parents/guardians understand the importance of the out-of-school component of your course.

Ready to create your own yearbook course syllabus? Does the thought of staring at a blinking cursor on an empty word document incite procrastination or fear (or both!)? Thankfully, you don’t need to start from scratch. Download our free template and use everything you just learned to jumpstart your yearbook course syllabus creation.

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Retro yearbook theme packages offer a nostalgic twist to your yearbook, bringing back the charm of past eras. They can transport you to different times and evoke a sense of nostalgia. Nostalgia in design is powerful. Fueled by shared experiences and moments with others, it reinforces feelings of connectedness and belonging. Embracing these themes can give your yearbook a bridge between past and present for your collective memories.

What Is Retro Graphic Design?

Retro yearbook themes use elements that are typically associated with non-contemporary looks. From vintage illustrations to classic color palettes, we’ll break down each decade in design below. Consider this the Eras Tour of Treering.

The Treering yearbook theme highlights Y2K aesthetic with futuristic elements and nods to retro design styles from the 1990s and earlier.

Could a OS-inspired theme be more early 2000s?

This retro futurism yearbook theme looks especially turn of the century when done in silver foil.

2000s and Y2K Aesthetic

Since retro typically refers to events 20 years past, we begin with the advent of internet-influenced design. Remember when we stockpiled groceries and awaited the digital doomsday? A yearbook influenced by the turn of the millennium is characterized by a distinct blend of futuristic and traditional elements layered:

• High-energy color palettes, metallics, and iridescent shades
• Digital distortions and drop shadows
• Abstract and geometric shapes

The 1990s embraced an eclectic mix of styles, often blending influences from different decades and cultures.

A pop culture-inspired theme is one way to add a retro look to your yearbook.

1990s Design for your Yearbook

With the rise of technology, artists began to explore digital mediums to create interactive and multimedia artworks. The themes of the nineties centered around identity. In pop culture, it was the era of Friends and TGIF, and design often incorporated references to these cultural phenomena. With desktop publishing becoming more available to consumers, emerging designers pushed the boundaries of traditional design rules to use asymmetrical arrangements and overlapping elements.

A Throwback Theme From the 1980s

Famously, the bold colors and gestural brushwork of Neo-Expressionism dominate eighties design. It’s also the period that saw the rise of digital technology, a pop culture explosion, and a distinct visual style that continues to be recognized and celebrated during spirit weeks across the nation.

It’s not a 1980s-inspired retro yearbook theme if it doesn’t include some of these:

• Neon colors
• Geometric shapes, preferably layered with a glow effect
• Airbrushing and gradients
• Maximalism and excess
• 8- or 16-bit art

The 1970s’ Influence on Design

Graphic artists of the 1970s made ideas and concepts the focus over traditional artistic mediums. Artists often challenged the notion of art as a physical object. The color palette of the time featured earthy and warm tones, including browns, oranges, yellows, and olive greens. These colors were reflective of the era’s emphasis on nature and a more relaxed, organic aesthetic. While disco culture inspired illustrations with a sense of movement and rhythm, typography also showed some personality with exaggerated serifs, curves, and swashes.

Consider your distribution party for your retro-themed yearbook a piece of performance art.

The 1960s embraced bold and vibrant color palettes, including electric blues, neon pinks, and acid greens.

The retro yearbook theme inspired by the London Underground emphasizes clean lines, simplicity, and a focus on essential elements.

Customize the colors of Geometric Bold’s shapes in the page editor.

Taking it Way Back to the 1960s

This was the decade of contrasts. Pop art and its bright colors celebrated mass culture, consumerism, and everyday objects at the start of the 1960s. Remember the soup cans? Later, major socio-political shifts impacted design and this period became synonymous with breaking away from the norm.

A yearbook with a counter-culture theme might want to incorporate retro elements inspired by

• Mod influences from the Beatles and the subsequent British invasion
• Op art: those wavy lines and swirls you associate with 1969’s iconic music festival, Woodstock
• Eclectic or maximalist approaches to convey a contrast

Future Implications

Consider this: your grandkids will produce a retro yearbook theme using key design trends from the 2020s: eco-conscious and minimalistic with sensory-friendly and accessible design.

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A yearbook grading rubric is the perfect way for teachers to give students the grades they deserve and the feedback they need to make a better yearbook.

Heck, even if you’re working with a bunch of volunteers and want to formalize your process around feedback, a yearbook grading rubric is pretty much the way to go: it’s the most holistic way for you, the adviser, to provide critical feedback to your staff. For the younger students you’re working with, this will lead to growth; by their senior year, these kids will be ready to skip right over college and head straight to Sterling Cooper.

To help give your grading and feedback game a jump start, we’ve developed two free yearbook grading rubric templates that you can use for your class or club. One’s focused on yearbook copy, the other’s focused on yearbook design.

Before we jump into the templates themselves, though, we’ll break down why we’ve structured the rubrics the way we did and what you can gain from using them. So, read on.

Anatomy of a Yearbook Rubric

If you’re a teacher, you’re probably familiar with rubrics. (In fact, if you’re a teacher who uses rubrics, you’re probably more familiar with them than we are; you’re also probably able to skip this section.)

If you don’t know rubrics, though, this section here is a short crash-course for you. I’ll be helpful for understanding the templates we’ve put together for you.

Generally speaking (and specifically speaking in terms of our yearbook rubric templates), a rubric consists of three core areas: Scale, criterion, and performance level descriptions. Let’s break each of them down.

Scale

The scale represents the total number of points available in each category as well as the aggregated total (the final grade). Instead of just applying numerical values to each level of performance, pair each possible point on the scale with a narrative equivalent. For example, if the maximum number of points that can be earned in a given criterion is 4, then 4 = Exceeds Expectations. Conversely, in the same scenario, a 1 would be equivalent to “Does Not Meet Expectations.” You can play around with the actual wording in the scale you choose.

Criterion

Where the scale represents the number of points, criterion are the categories by which a piece of student work is assessed. They can be altered , as long as you can clearly distinguish between the levels of accomplishment on your chosen scale. For example, if we’re assessing a student’s ability to write a headline for a page, there should be a way to objectively measure what an “A” headline looks like versus what a “C” headline looks like. If there isn’t, reconsider including it as a criterion (perhaps it can be combined with one or more other facets of the page instead).

Performance Level Descriptions

A rubric is broken into quadrants. In the examples we’ve provided, the vertical headers represent the criterion and the horizontal headers represent the scale. The points of intersection are the Performance Level Descriptions, or PLDs. These are the characteristics that make up a grade. Try to use highly-specific language so that students are clear on what separates good work from work that will truly blow you away.

If your PLDs are fully fleshed out, we suggest giving your students your yearbook rubrics in advance. This gives them an idea of what they need to do in order to earn the grade of their choosing, which can positively impact the quality of their work.

Miscellany

Don’t forget to include:

• The student’s name
• Page numbers, or spread, being assessed
• Total points

With that quick review out of the way, let’s dive into the actual yearbook rubrics.

Yearbook Rubric For Grading Copywriting

When it comes to yearbook copy, striking a balance between originality and uniformity is key: Too rigid and your yearbook won’t engage. Too much creativity expression, and it could end up looking like an anthology of erasure poems.

In the downloadable template we’ve created, the categories for assessing yearbook writing are: headlines and subheads, body copy, captions, adherence to style guide, and originality. Let’s take a closer look:

Get the Treering Yearbook Copy Grading Rubric here.

By assessing the writing on each page, you achieve two things. First, you give your students a tangible grade for their hard work. Second, you can vet the copy on every page of the book, which gives you an idea as to how everything fits together tonally and whether the book as a whole adheres to your established style guide.

Yearbook Rubric For Grading Design

While assessing writing is straightforward, design can feel subjective; we can’t all be trained art critics, creative directors or teachers, after all.

In the downloadable template we’ve created, the categories for assessing yearbook page design elements are: typography, color, photographs, adherence to style guide, and cohesiveness. Let’s take a closer look:

Get the Treering Yearbook Design Grading Rubric here.

As a result, you might be tempted to break the elements of design into a handful of granular rubrics (one for photography, another for layout: you get the picture). While there’s nothing wrong with doing this, developing a rubric that takes everything into account is a better approach.

Here’s why:

Ensuring that the individual elements work in concert is as important as the quality of those elements in their own right. For those for those classes where the principles of design are just beginning to be explored, this is important. Focus on the whole first, then the specifics later.

If you’re teaching a yearbook course and need to grade your staff on their work, rubrics are the perfect way to do it. If your staff is composed of after-school volunteers who won’t be graded on their work, rubrics like the one’s we’ve included above can be a fantastic way to provide actionable feedback and ensure high quality design and copy on every page.

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A yearbook staff application might seem like an overly formal, entirely unnecessary step when recruiting students to help with the yearbook on a volunteer or after-school club. It’s not.

Sure, an after-school yearbook club creates a low-stakes environment for students to unleash their creative energy and to learn some awesome new skills, but it can also create problems: One, you could end up with more students than any sane adult could ever hope to manage; two, without a grade hanging over their heads, students could lose the motivation to finish their work. In some cases, you might end up dealing with both.

That’s why you need to use a yearbook staff application.

A yearbook staff application is essential to putting together a dedicated, enthusiastic team of student volunteers, and it lets you achieve four key things related to your yearbook recruitment and planning before you even have your first meeting:

• You identify the yearbook club roles you need, and how many people you need to fill them.
• You limit the size of the staff you need to complete the book.
• You attract students who are actually interested in doing the work needed for the yearbook.
• You find out what your students are good at and interested in before getting started.

Read the rest of this post, and you’ll know exactly when you should use a yearbook staff application and what to look for in student volunteers. The payoff? A yearbook staff that’s exactly the right size and that will stick around until it’s time to hand out the yearbooks.

When to Use a Yearbook Staff Application

In a perfect world, yearbook club would be an open door, where anyone who wants to participate could just walk in, take a seat at a computer and start plugging away at whatever needs to be done. But we know that can’t always be the case.

Here, then, are the times you’ll probably find yourself needing to use an application process as you recruit your students:

• Demand outweighs supply. As in you have too many students interested in the yearbook. We’ve seen this happen at schools where the yearbook is a big part of school culture. So many students are geeked up about the yearbook that it seems like nearly everyone at the school is itching to help make it. But if you have everyone help and there’s not enough work to really go around, you can end up with disgruntled group. Not fun.

• Eager starts end with empty seats. As in you have the right amount of students at the beginning of the year, but they drop off, one by one, until you’re left with a few dedicated (and soon to be overworked) students. If you’ve ever experienced this situation, you know how stressful it can be.

• Everything feels like a disorganized mess. As in you know what you need to get done—and you’ve got the students to help you—but you don’t know who’s going to do what or how anything’s going to get done. It’ll sort itself out, like it always does, but for a few days, maybe even weeks, it’s a nerve-wrecking beginning to yearbook club.

In these situations, a yearbook staff application can sort of serve as a bouncer at your open door.

You’re not necessarily using the application to weed through students and pick your dream team; you’re using it to find out who’s really into the yearbook and who isn’t. By giving students a little extra work up front, you’ll more easily find those students who are ready to do the work and you’ll more easily know which parts of the yearbook they want to help with.

Sure, it’ll reduce the number of student volunteers, but it’ll also increase the likelihood of you having a highly motivated team.

The 3 Things to Look for in Yearbook Staff Applications

Just because the yearbook staff application is serving as a “bouncer,” it doesn’t mean you should review them. There’s lots of good stuff in there, and it can help you better understand your students and their motivations for joining the club.

So, you should read them. And, when you do, look for these things:

Did they complete the application?

This is fairly basic, but check over the whole application to make sure it was actually completed.

If a student scoffs at the idea of applying to work on the yearbook, or they crumple and toss the application into a backpack abyss, what are the chances that they’d be a committed contributor?

Sure, you could have an incredible photographer in the building who shuns formalities like “applications” and “attendance” in the name of art. By and large, though, an application is a great way to gauge future commitment and get to know your staff.

How do they fit the puzzle?

You need a diverse yearbook committee. Roles you need to fill include (but are by no means limited to):

• Photographers
• Designers
• Sales & Marketing Pros (those kids tweeting in the hallway between classes are about to become your best friends)
• Editor(s), for written work and images
• Interviewers/journalists in training
• Jacks & Jills of all trades

These students are going to be the lifeblood of yearbook, and getting to know their strengths and weaknesses at the beginning of the year can save you major stress down the road.

On your application, make sure you create a space for students to designate any skills or interests they might have. It’s also helpful to ask students which skills they’d like to develop.

Not only does this help you get to know your staff: it give you an idea of the roles underclassmen could fill the following year, too.

Is yearbook a priority?

Students are spread pretty thin. With stuff like school work, sports, Pokemon Go, and part-time jobs and at-home chores, it can be hard to commit to another activity.

Your yearbook staff application should ask students to be honest with the amount of time they can give. Just because a kid is busy doesn’t mean he or she can’t contribute in a unique and useful way. By using the information provided on the application you can set realistic expectations on an individual basis, ensuring a well-rounded, happy staff.

Set the Tone on Day When Distributing Applications

When students come to you for applications (you know, that time in the day when you tell them just how fun yearbook club is), be sure not to sugarcoat the experience.

You should absolutely highlight the fact that working on the yearbook is rewarding and allows for the application and development of skills (photography, editing, design, interviewing, and so many more), but this shouldn’t be an outright sales pitch. Be open and honest. Your goal should be to build enthusiasm amongst your prospective staff members while also making it clear that creating a yearbook takes work.

If you think that attending every club meeting is important, make that clear; if you want students attending as many school events as possible, tell them upfront; if you’re willing to be flexible on attendance, but expect work gets done at home instead, let them know that, too.

Setting expectations, in terms of attendance or general contributions, is a great way to establish which students are going to take things seriously and who’s on the fence before you even hand them an application.

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