This week TechnoKids released a new, innovative computer project in which students express their passion for a topic. In TechnoNewsletter, students make a fan club newsletter with a series of articles designed for a target audience. They learn how to create a professional-looking publication using Google Docs or Microsoft Office.
Integrate Language Arts with Word Processing
The activities in TechnoNewsletter make learning essential word processing skills fun. Students write three articles about their topic including a Top 5 list that shares an insight, Word Search of topic related terminology, and an Opinion piece that argues a viewpoint. In TechnoNewsletter, students:
- Design a publication for a target audience
- Organize ideas using a planning sheet
- Write articles expressing a viewpoint
- Reference information sources with footnotes
- Revise writing to correct errors
- Share a publication in print or electronically
Engage student interest. Design a fan club newsletter. Teach essential word processing skills.
Make Learning Meaningful to Middle and High School Students
TechnoNewsletter integrates into curriculum. Students connect with a fan base of readers that are enthusiastic about a topic. The newsletter could be about a pop culture icon, school club, sports team, historical figure, travel destination, environmental issue, novel study, or scientific discovery.
Teach Valuable Word Processing Skills
Students learn important and advanced word processing skills, including:
- format text to make it easy to read
- list ideas using bullets or numbers
- set line and paragraph spacing
- copy, paste, and find text
- crop, adjust color, and text wrap images
- arrange content using a table and set cell properties
- organize content using page breaks, page number, headers, and footers
- adjust page layout
- reference information sources
Challenging enrichment activities support learning. For example, students can co-author an article or engage in an online discussion.
View Samples for Inspiration
Included with the resources in this project are three sample newsletters. For teachers, the samples provide suggestions for curriculum integration. Students can study the samples to spark their own creative ideas.
- TechnoStar – a fan club newsletter based on a fictional pop culture character
- Amelia Earhart – a newsletter with a historical theme
- Composting – an informative newsletter about an environmental issue