Aaron Kashtan taught three sections of ENGL 1102, the second course in a mandatory first-year writing sequence with a heavy multimodal focus, during his first semester as a Marion L. Brittain Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Literature, Media and Communication at Georgia Tech. The specific subject matter for these sections was handwriting…

The Effective Instructional Strategies Series is a collection of six booklets based on the components used in Pacific Communities with High-performance In Literacy Development (Pacific CHILD), a principles-based professional development program consisting of research-based teaching and learning strategies proven to help improve students' reading…

Discusses techniques for making student magazines more appealing. Examines design and format techniques. (HTH)

Notes that the planning of an effective entertainment page in a school newspaper must begin by establishing its purpose. Examines all the elements that contribute to the makeup of a good entertainment page. (RL)

Suggests that headline writers explore graphic possibilities of feature stories. (AEA)

Describes the four basic information graphics: fever, bar, pie, and map. Provides five tips for creating visuals for graphs: (1) plot the numbers first; (2) set the numbers horizontally; (3) make it accurate; (4) use artwork that fits; and (5) use appropriate type. (MS)

Discusses how to design an effective center spread in a newspaper (in which two vertical pages are combined into one visual horizontal unit). (SR)

Noting that spring delivery of yearbooks often leaves instructors with several months of spare time, this paper presents activities that allow teachers to use the experience of senior editors to provide a base for immediate preparation of the next yearbook. The first part of the paper provides 12 specific jobs that can be handled in the spring,…

Provides three assignments to teach the basics of layout. Provides examples of the different combinations of white space, alignment, rules, and typography. (SRT)

Describes how to teach the stages involved in creating good advertising layouts. (JL)

Presents a list of general qualities that might turn a good yearbook into a great one. Discusses photojournalism, visual elements, editing concerns, personalized coverage, and broad general concerns. (SR)

Discusses how to use features in WordPerfect 5.1 to have technical writing students design a page of a manual. (SR)

Suggests that yearbook designers streamline their designs to maintain the elegance of simplicity. (HOD)

Suggests the use of a calculator to scale photographs for the printer. (HOD)

Describes five common headline styles, how to place them properly, and their advantages and disadvantages. (SRT)