In this lesson, lets understand the third, very important step of  how to design a layout for your newsletter.

Keep the following points in mind and make a list:

1) Decide on the number of pages that your newsletter will contain.

2) Design a logo for your newsletter.

3) Take a sheet of paper and, using a pencil, roughly mark the places where you want the logo to appear, where you want the name of the newsletter to appear, and where you want the page numbers to appear.

A newsletter usually contains two columns for the write-ups.

Headings for articles are bolder and bigger than the rest of the writing. These should be neatly enclosed in a box drawn with a ruler. Collect jokes, trivia etc., and use them to fill up small spaces in the newsletter. You could also ask around if anyone wants to place a small advertisement in the newsletter. Ask them what size the advertisement will be, so that you can fit it in a column. If possible, offer to design the advertisement for them.

Finally, decide how many articles you want to write about and allot the number of columns for each. This is necessary so that you don’t end up with one extremely long article and another, which is very short! People will get bored! Short and interesting articles are very popular.

The next step is to use a fat notebook to make a rough copy of the newsletter. On the first page, make a table of contents in which you will write down the headings of all your topics. If you have time, number the pages and write the corresponding page number in front of the topic in the table of contents. This will make it easy for you to find an article without having to flip back and forth through the notebook. Take a topic one at a time and write an article on it. Refer to the material you have gathered in order to cover most of the points that you scribbled. Keep the language simple and clear and avoid using long, complicated words…you don’t want someone to sit with a dictionary while reading your newsletter, do you?

Editing your articles is very important before making the final copy. Check for spelling mistakes, grammar, and repeated sentences. The best way to edit it is to ask your mom or dad to read the articles and correct the mistakes. After editing, make a fair copy of the articles and let your mom and dad read it once more. Get the final copy printed on a computer printer and if possible, make photocopies and staple neatly. Then distribute the newsletter among your friends and neighbors.

If you have, we can go ahead and take the next step in preparing your Newsletter, which is gathering material. The best way to gather material is to ask friends to contribute articles on a variety of subjects. One could write about endangered animals, another could write about the latest events happening in school and so on.

Talking to older people, like your dad, mom, uncle, aunt, grandpa or grandma can be very helpful in getting information. Grandpa or Grandma could tell you about life in olden days, how they studied, whether they watched movies or not, what modes of transportation they used for going to school…and a lot of other things.

Take down rough notes in an exercise book.  Write an article like ‘Amazing facts about the year 1936’, or whatever else you can think of!! Your grandparents could also help you make a family tree and help you trace your ancestors. Wouldn’t it be fun if you got to know that you are, somehow, related to Isaac Newton? Think

Your neighborhood uncles and aunts could help you find out about the society you stay in, the society club, the facilities that your society offers etc. Information about your society could help everyone know about any important events that are scheduled to take place in your colony, or any important meetings for the adults that is going to take place.

The other way to gather material is to refer to encyclopedias, science magazines, and other types of books. Encyclopedias give detailed information on any topic. Read the topic and write an article on that topic in your own words. Wherever you can, draw pictures to add a little bit of life to the newsletter. The Internet also provides detailed information on any topic, but it can be a little expensive. Joining a library or using your school library is a cheaper and better way of gathering material.

Whatever method you use, be sure to stick to it till you think you have gathered enough material for your newsletter. Remember, your newsletter is going to represent YOU.

So, make sure you write interesting articles and make people want to read them again and again!

First of all, what is a Journal? A journal could be a newspaper, a magazine, a periodical, a ledger, a newsletter… and so on.

Preparing a Newsletter involves a lot of things. Start by choosing a topic. After you have thought of a topic, decide what age group you wish to write for and what extra activities you can put in the newsletter to make it interesting. These things could be games, quizzes, crossword puzzles, and so on.  It is important to plan a layout for the newsletter in order to arrange pictures and articles neatly and symmetrically.
This newsletter will be your own newspaper cum magazine. Ask your friends or your family to assist you in preparing the newsletter.

Follow these instructions carefully:

Decide on a name for your Newsletter. Once you have decided on a name for your newspaper or magazine, the first thing obviously is to decide what you are going to prepare it for. A few things you can prepare aNewspaper or Magazine for are:

1) Your school

2) Your family

3) Your building, your society, or the colony you stay in.

4) Topics of interest that you share with your friends, family and neighbors, like movies, sports, pets, nature, toys etc.

5) Topics that you wish to draw other peoples attention to, like the harm caused to the environment due to plastic bags, how you feel you should keep your surroundings clean, and so on.

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