Virtual Yearbook Lesson Plans

Are you looking for a little extra help and guidance in setting up your classroom?

View these 10 great lesson plans to help you in your classroom.

Virtual Lesson Plans

Are you ready to dive into creating the yearbook? We’re here to help with the following Virtual Lesson Plans, which will cover all the basics advisers and staffers need to know in simple, digestible mods.

Each mod, or lesson, below covers a basic building block of yearbook and includes a short instructional video to watch along with supplemental digital materials ranging from PowerPoint presentations to student activities and evaluations and much more. Plus, each week students can answer a trivia question to win a prize!

About your instructor

Blaze Hayes has spent more than 30 years in the yearbook business, currently as a field trainer for Walsworth Yearbooks. Prior to that, he was an area sales manager and yearbook sales rep for Walsworth. But Blaze also knows his way around a classroom as a former assistant principal and award-winning yearbook adviser. He has been a guest workshop speaker in 37 different states during his career. A native of North Carolina and diehard Tar Heel fan, Blaze knows what first-year advisers and teachers are going through.

Mod 1 - Getting Started and Building a Team

Meeting the staff, learning exactly what a yearbook is and setting the foundation for the year - it's all on tap in Mod 1.

Mod 2 - Coverage and the Ladder

Learn what to cover and how to cover it, plus what everyone is talking about when they go on and on about that mysterious ladder!

Mod 3 - Photography (Storytelling Images - Part 1)

Yearbook photos should be memorable and tell a story, not just be the same old posed group shots. Let's take a look at how to make that happen!

Mod 3 - Photography (Storytelling Images - Part 2)

You thought learning how to take storytelling images would fit in one video? Time to watch part two...

Mod 3 - Photography (Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO - Part 3)

It's time to get technical. There are camera settings you need to know in order to achieve greatness.

Mod 3 - Photography (Cellphone-ography - Part 4)

Yearbook staffers might not even realize it, but many of them already walk around with a state-of-the-art digital camera in their pocket - their phones.

Mod 4 - Beginning Online Design

In this two-part Mod, the basics of Online Design are covered. That includes how to upload and work with images, as well as all the most important tools, palettes and menus available in Page Editor.

Mod 5 - Marketing

Your staff goes through all the hard work of creating the yearbook - now you need to sell it. In Mod 5, we dive into business goals, sales campaigns and bringing your book to social media.

Mod 6 - Basic Design

In the two-part Mod 6, your staff will learn the basics of design. That includes how to lay out a basic spread, how to work with columns and grids, how to identify an eyeline and much more.

Mod 7 - Words and Writing

It's time to learn the importance of writing in the making of your yearbook and that's what we'll tackle in Mod 7. From the value of a strong lead, to how to write great headlines and captions, we'll cover it all.

Mod 8 - Colors, Fonts and Infographics

In Mod 8, we'll explore the meaning of colors, the different types of fonts, the importance of graphics and how they all work together in well-designed yearbooks.

Mod 9 - Theme Development

If you're looking to create a unified yearbook, with a theme that ties the entire book together, then dive into Mod 9. We'll get into everything you need to know about theme development.

Mod 10 - Journalism and Ethics

There are ethical principles of journalism that are important for your yearbook staff to learn. In Mod 10 we'll review the First Amendment, copyright and more.

Get great photos with Yearbook Snap

Crowdsource photos from your school community using Walsworth’s Yearbook Snap mobile app!

Photo by Braylen Garren