Both the Grade 5's and 6's have been working this week to put together a brochure. For the 5's, the brochure should explain the citizenship process using information from their textbook, while the 6's have each chosen a country to research. Their brochure will persuade the Canadian government to begin or increase trade with that country. Most students seem to be progressing fairly smoothly with the research, but are looking to make their brochure look as good as possible.
We went over a few key points in class together about brochures in general:
--The importance of the title page to attract the reader and give the main idea
--The final page should conclude by summarizing main points, making a call to action or by asking a question
--Brochures need a word/picture balance to communicate without overwhelming
--Brochures are a persuasive medium so it is important to remember your audience and your purpose
Then we headed to the computer lab today, where we looked at some key features in Word, like using columns and adapting margins, different types of bullets and font choices, etc.
Tomorrow, we have a double library period, which should prove useful in getting our work together.
Here are my suggestions for how to proceed:
1. Gather data
2. Decide on your topic headings and titles as well as basic layout (4 column? 6 column?)
3. Add main text information
4. Play with font size and wording to find the best fit for the space available
5. Decide on images and order of information
6. Review the outline and rubric: Is there anything you have forgotten?
7. Fine-tune font and colour choices, play with backgrounds and other fun stuff.
Of course, you can also choose to do part or even all of your brochure by hand, but a typed brochure automatically looks more professional and polished, so try to get your information typed in, if nothing else. Good luck and see you in the morning.
