How To...Create Exciting Brochures

For Reproducible click here. PDF 38KB

February may be the shortest month of the year, but it is rich with persuasive promotional opportunities: Children's Dental Health Month, American Heart Month, Black History Month, Groundhog Job Shadowing Day (February 2) and Galileo's Birthday (February 15). Use these calendar events to get your students involved in creating brochures as a community service project – or just as a way to integrate technology into a cross-curricular desktop publishing activity. Here are a few basics to get you started.

Types of Brochures
The first step is to decide on the type of brochure: informational, one which informs, educates or persuades, or a 'how-to,' which would explain or instruct. Your content will help determine the type. If your curriculum goal is to research a person, place or event, then the informational brochure is probably your best choice. If your goal is to encourage students to learn the steps or detail the process, then you should use a how-to brochure.

No matter what type of brochure your students are creating, they will include these basic elements:

• Title panel. The headline should create interest and grab the reader.


• Information panels. Use subheadings to outline content with short, descriptive paragraphs and use diagrams and graphics to highlight key points.

Choosing a Layout
The two most common brochure layouts are the 'z-fold' and the 'tri-fold.' The tri-fold is the traditional fold. The accordion or z-fold works best for sequential, step-by-step guides. Both have six panels, if using letter-sized paper, and eight if using legal-sized paper.

Lessons and Ideas
There are numerous resources on the Internet for lesson plans that use the brochure as the final product. Here are a few I discovered for February topics.

1. American Heart Month. Try this "travel brochure" on the circulatory system. What a great motivator for learning more about the heart!

   Circulatory System Travel Brochure
   www.education-world.com
   There's a detailed lesson guide with rubric, highlighted vocabulary and key elements for eight body systems.

   A Tour Through the Circulatory System
   www.create.cett.msstate.edu

2. Children's Dental Month. Create a brochure teaching children how to brush or floss. Another idea is to make a country brochure for using the K-3 World Tour site at Colgate.

   Children's Dental Health Month
   www.ada.org
   Classroom lessons for Dental Health Month with related links for health and nutrition to build strong teeth.

   Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures
   www.colgatebsbf.com
   Go on Dr. Rabbit's World Tour to research countries and their customs for your brochure.

3. February Famous People. Choose from Galileo, the Presidents and famous Americans from African-American History, or create your own short story brochure.

   Brochure Maker Activity
   Short Story Brochure document
   This lesson plan is a guide to writing a short story using a brochure format.

   ReadWriteThink Printing Press
   www.readwritethink.org
   Online tool for creating brochures with lessons for integrating technology.

For Reproducible click here. PDF 38KB

Linda K. Lindroth is Technology Editor and Web Coordinator for Teaching K-8. She is also a Technology Resource Teacher in a K-5 computer lab in Lexington, KY.

February, 2005, Vol.35, No.5