Brochure Lesson Plans and Resources for the K-12

Classroom
Lesson Plans by Jacci Howard Bear, Your About.com Guide to Desktop Publishin
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Notes to the Instructor:
Brochures
The brochure can inform, educate, persuade, explain, or
instruct. Lesson " has a team o- students writin and desinin a
brochure describin a speci1c place or orani2ation. 3his may be a
contemporary, historical, or 1ctional time and place. 4n Lesson ) the
students must create a brochure describin a speci1c process or
pro5ect 6assined by the teacher or o- their own choosin7 such as
8How to Dissect a ,ro9 or 8Description and Assembly o- a Basket o-
,ruit9. Lessons can be applied to a :ariety o- aes and sub5ect areas
includin Lanuae Arts, 3echnical ;ritin, History, <ocial <tudies,
=athematics, and <cience.
Lesson 1: Create a Brochure Describing a Place or Organization
(Informs, Educates, Persuades
3his pro5ect could be assined to indi:idual students or to teams o- ) or more
students. You may want to assin speci1c topics or pro:ide the class with a
list o- appro:ed or suested topics. <uestions include.
;here you li:e 6city, county, state, country7'
An entire country or speci1c reions or cities that tie in with your
current unit o- study 6contemporary or assin a speci1c time period,
such as London, England in the 1860s7'
A 1ctional location 6The Land of OZ7'
=ars, <aturn, the =oon, etc.'
An orani2ation or roup related to your current unit o- study 6The
Sons of Temerance, !n !merican Indian Tri"e, the #higs7'
A local or school orani2ation 6,3A, the Art >lub, the school -ootball
team, the Junior ?otary >lub7.
4n e:aluatin the brochures, you may want to ha:e classmates not in:ol:ed
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in that particular brochure pro5ect read the brochure then take a simple @ui2
6written or :erbal7 to determine how well the brochure writers/desiners
presented their topic. 6A-ter " readin could most o- the students describe
what the brochure was about, what key points were made, etc.7
Lesson !: Create a Brochure about a Process or Pro"ect (Educates,
E#$lains, Instructs
3his pro5ect could be assined to indi:idual students or to teams o- ) or more
students. You may want to assin speci1c topics or pro:ide the class with a
list o- appro:ed or suested topics. 3his type o- pro5ect is ood -or 8how%to9
sub5ects. $o% to &a'e and (ead a Sundial, $o% to )etermine the )iameter
of !n* +ircle, or $o% to &a'e a (ain"o% %ith (ed, ,ello%, and -lue. 4t is also
a ood -ormat -or eAplainin how or why somethin works. $o% a .rism
#or's, #h* the North .ole is +o/ered in Ice, or $o% the T%o0.art* S*stem
)e/eloed in the 1nited States.
4n e:aluatin the brochures, you may want to ha:e classmates not in:ol:ed
in that particular brochure pro5ect read the brochure then take a simple @ui2
6written or :erbal7 to determine how well the brochure writers/desiners
presented their topic. ,or a how%to brochure you miht ha:e some o- the
students try to -ollow the instructions and recreate the pro5ect or per-orm the
task.
ttachments!
! 0 -rochure +hec'list. List o- items commonly -ound in brochures. Bot e:ery
item will or should appear in all types o- brochures.
- 0 .lace or Organi2ation +hec'list. Applies only to Lesson ". 4ncludes
@uestions to help uide the student in decidin what type o- in-ormation the
brochure needs to include.
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Lesson 1:
Create a Brochure "escribin# a Place or
$r#ani%ation &'nforms, (ducates, Persuades)
'ntroduction
!ne way that people learn about places, people, or thins that they do
not know is by readin about them. But what i- they donCt ha:e time to
read a whole book or they 5ust want a @uick o:er:iew o- the sub5ectD
Businesses o-ten use brochures to in-orm, educate, or persuadeE
@uickly. 3hey use a brochure to rab the readerCs attention and et
them interested enouh to want to know more.
A brochure -or a new con:enience store miht ha:e a map and list o-
all the locations around town and a brie- description o- the types o-
-ood products it sells. 3he brochure -or an Animal <helter may i:e
-acts about abandoned animals, pet o:erpopulation, and the
importance o- spayin and neuterin prorams. A tra:el brochure may
show beauti-ul pictures o- eAotic placesEmakin you want to :isit that
city or country.
3hese types o- brochures tell enouh about a place or an orani2ation
to et your interest and make you want to know more.
Tas*
>reate a brochure about FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
6PLA>G/!?GAB4HA34!B7 that in-orms, educates, or persuades. 3he brochure is
not an in depth study o- a topic but it should i:e enouh in-ormation
to rab and keep the readers interest -rom start to 1nish.
A brochure may co:er a broad topic but it shouldnCt contain so much
in-ormation that it o:erwhelms the reader. >hoose ) to I key points
about PLA>G/!?GAB4HA34!B to describe. 4- there are other important
elements, consider listin them in a simple bullet list or chart
somewhere in your brochure.
4n addition to what your brochure says, you must decide the best
-ormat to present your in-ormation. DiJerent -ormats work best -or
brochures with lots o- teAt, lots o- pictures, small blocks o- teAt, lists,
charts, or maps. YouCll need to 1nd the -ormat that works best -or your
in-ormation.
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Resources
Brochure >hecklist 6attachment A7.
Place or !rani2ation >hecklist 6attachment B7.
<uested =inimum ?esources
>ollection o- brochures -rom -amily, -riends, local businesses. 63ra:el
brochures and brochures -rom local clubs are ood eAamples.7
Brochure desin books and port-olios 6optional7.
>lassroom or Library ?e-erence =aterials.
Access to 4nternet ?esources 6optional7.
Pae Layout <o-tware 6with Brochure 3emplates i- possible7.
<canner, clip art books, raphics so-tware 6optional7.
Plain or color paper, staples 6i- doin booklet style brochures7.
Laser or ink5et printer able to handle chosen paper stock.
K + Brochure Lesson Plans About.com Desktop Publishin + http.//desktoppub.about.com
+teps
1. ,irst, write down what you currently know 8oJ the top o- your head9
about your topic. 4- it is a place, describe the location. ;rite down
any key landmarks, interestin tourist spots, or historically
sini1cant locations that you now know about. 4- it is an
orani2ation, write down what you know about that roup, itsC
mission or purpose, itsC membership.
2. Look at sample brochures you or your class ha:e collected. 4denti-y
those that ha:e a style or -ormat you miht like to imitate or borrow.
<ee how much detail each type o- brochure includes.
3. ?esearch your topic. (se the materials pro:ided in the classroom or
-rom other sources to ather more details about your topic. ,rom
these materials and what you already know about the topic start
pickin out L to M sini1cant or interestin -acts that you think you
will want to hihliht in your brochure.
4. (se the Place >hecklist or the !rani2ation >hecklist -or @uestions
and ideas on what to include in your brochure.
5. (sin the Brochure >hecklist, list the ma5or components o- your
brochure. =ark out any components you wish to omit -rom your
brochure. ;rite headlines and subheads. ;rite the descripti:e teAt.
=ake lists.
6. <ketch out some rouh ideas o- how you want your brochure to look
E includin any raphics you think you want to include. 6Your
so-tware may come with a collection o- clip art' i- you ha:e access
to a scanner you may be able to scan artwork -rom clip art books' i-
you ha:e access to raphics so-tware you may be able to draw your
own raphics.7 3ry out diJerent -ormats to 1t your teAt. Gdit your
teAt to 1t your layout. GAperiment.
7. (sin the pae layout so-tware a:ailable to you, trans-er your rouh
sketches to the computer. Your so-tware may ha:e templates or
wi2ards that will pro:ide you with e:en more ideas.
8. Print your 1nal desin and -old as necessary.
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(,aluation
Your teacher and your classmates will use the criteria listed in the
checklists accompanyin this lesson 6Brochure >hecklist and Place or
!rani2ation >hecklist7 to see how well you ha:e presented your topic.
You will be usin the same criteria to 5ude the work o- your
classmates and pro:idin input to your teacher. Bot e:eryone will
aree on the eJecti:eness o- a sinle brochure but i- you ha:e done
your 5ob well, most readers will aree that your brochure i:es them
the in-ormation they want and need, is easy to -ollow, and makes them
want to know more.
Conclusion
3he brochure as an in-ormati:e, educational, or persuasi:e de:ice
must present in-ormation in a clear, orani2ed manner. 4t should i:e
enouh in-ormation that the reader wonCt be le-t wonderin 8whatCs
this really about9 but should also be a 8@uick read9 so that the reader
doesnCt become bored be-ore reachin the end. Because it doesnCt tell
the whole story, it should contain the most important parts o- the story.
Gi:e the reader the most sini1cant, most interestin -actsEthe
in-ormation that will make them want to 1nd out more.
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Lesson !:
Create a Brochure about a Process or Pro-ect &(ducates,
(xplains, 'nstructs)
'ntroduction
<ometimes you donCt need a whole book to tell you how to do
somethin. >ompanies o-ten write simple instruction sheets or
brochures that outline how to assemble their product or how to use it
properly.
3hese types o- brochures tell how to do somethin or eAplain how
somethin works usin simple descriptions, diarams, or lists o- steps.
3hey are intended -or readers who donCt need to know absolutely
e:erythin on a sub5ect but do need the basics.
Tas*
>reate a brochure about
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF 6,4LL 4B <GLG>3GD !?
A<<4GBGD P?!>G<</P?!JG>37 that educates, eAplains, or instructs. 3he brochure
is not an in depth study o- a topic but it should i:e enouh
in-ormation that the reader can per-orm the task or understand the
process.
4n addition to what your brochure says, you must decide the best
-ormat to present your in-ormation. DiJerent -ormats work best -or
brochures with lots o- teAt, lots o- pictures, small blocks o- teAt, lists,
charts, or maps. YouCll need to 1nd the -ormat that works best -or your
in-ormation.
$ + Brochure Lesson Plans About.com Desktop Publishin + http.//desktoppub.about.com
Resources
Brochure >hecklist 6attachment A7.
<uested =inimum ?esources
>ollection o- brochures -rom -amily, -riends, local businesses.
64nstruction booklets -or watches, assembly instructions -or small
toys, and brochures -rom your local utility company eAplainin
water conser:ation practices, etc. are ood eAamples.7
Brochure desin books and port-olios 6optional7.
>lassroom or Library ?e-erence =aterials.
Access to 4nternet ?esources 6optional7.
Pae Layout <o-tware 6with Brochure 3emplates i- possible7.
<canner, clip art books, raphics so-tware 6optional7.
Plain or color paper, staples 6i- doin booklet style brochures7.
Laser or ink5et printer able to handle chosen paper stock.
& + Brochure Lesson Plans About.com Desktop Publishin + http.//desktoppub.about.com
+teps
1. ,irst, write down what you need to accomplish with your brochure.
;hat process are you eAplaininD ;hat task should the reader be
able to accomplish a-ter readin this brochureD
2. Look at sample brochures you or your class ha:e collected. 4denti-y
those that ha:e a style or -ormat you miht like to imitate or borrow.
<ee how much detail each type o- brochure includes.
3. ?esearch your topic. (se the materials pro:ided in the classroom or
-rom other sources to ather more details about your topic. 4- you
are eAplainin a process, decide what backround in-ormation the
reader will need. 4- describin a task, will you need a list o- parts or
suppliesD =ust the steps in the pro5ect be completed in a certain
orderD
4. (sin the Brochure >hecklist, list the ma5or components o- your
brochure. =ark out any components you wish to omit -rom your
brochure. ;rite headlines and subheads. ;rite the descripti:e teAt.
=ake lists.
5. <ketch out some rouh ideas o- how you want your brochure to look
Eincludin any raphics you think you want to include. 6Your
so-tware may come with a collection o- clip art' i- you ha:e access
to a scanner you may be able to scan artwork -rom clip art books' i-
you ha:e access to raphics so-tware you may be able to draw your
own raphics.7 3ry out diJerent -ormats to 1t your teAt. Gdit your
teAt to 1t your layout. GAperiment.
6. (sin the pae layout so-tware a:ailable to you, trans-er your rouh
sketches to the computer. Your so-tware may ha:e templates or
wi2ards that will pro:ide you with e:en more ideas.
7. Print your 1nal desin and -old as necessary.
# + Brochure Lesson Plans About.com Desktop Publishin + http.//desktoppub.about.com
(,aluation
Your teacher and your classmates will use the criteria listed in the
Brochure >hecklist 6attachment A7 accompanyin this lesson to see
how well you ha:e presented your topic. You will be usin the same
criteria to 5ude the work o- your classmates and pro:idin input to
your teacher. Bot e:eryone will aree on the eJecti:eness o- a sinle
brochure but i- you ha:e done your 5ob well, most readers will aree
that your brochure i:es them the in-ormation they want and need and
is easy to -ollow. ,or how%to type brochures your teacher may ha:e
other students -ollow your instructions to complete your pro5ect or
task. 4- most students can easily -ollow your instructions, youC:e
probably done a ood 5ob.
Conclusion
3he brochure as an educational or instructional de:ice must present
in-ormation in a clear, orani2ed manner. 4t should i:e enouh
in-ormation that the reader can understand the process or reproduce
the pro5ect. ;hen eAplainin a process or tellin how to build or
assemble a pro5ect, the -ormat o- the brochure is especially important.
You will probably want to present in-ormation in a chronoloical 6", ),
I...7 order. 4n eAplainin a complicated process you need to boil it down
to its most important elements E lea:e lenthy eAplanations and
detailed descriptions -or the teAtbooks and research papers.
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A33A>H=GB3 A
Brochure Chec*list
=any o- the items in this list are optional. You must decide which ones
are appropriate -or your brochure.
Bame o- Location, Business or !rani2ation.
Address.
Phone Bumber.
,aA Bumber.
Gmail Address.
;eb Pae and/or <ocial =edia Addresses 63witter, ,acebook, etc.7.
Headline that creates curiosity, states a ma5or bene1t, or otherwise entices the
reader to open and read your brochure.
Headline that states the name o- the Product, Pro5ect, or Described Process.
<ubheads.
<hort, easy to read blocks o- teAt.
Lists, charts.
Ney Bene1ts 6)%I7.
,eatures.
4nstructions, steps, parts 6-or a procedure, to assemble a product, etc.7
Bioraphy 6o- business owner, key members o- orani2ation, oOcers, etc.7.
=ission <tatement.
History.
Loo.
Graphic 4mae6s7 6includin purely decorati:e elements7.
Photoraphs o- product, place, people.
Diaram, Pow chart.
=ap.
>all to Action 6;hat you want the reader to do. call, :isit, 1ll out a -orm, etc.7
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A33A>H=GB3 B
Chec*list for a Brochure about a Place
3hese are a -ew thins to look -or speci1cally related to brochures
about a place. Bot all will apply to your brochure.
Does the brochure i:e enouh in-ormation that the reader knows where to 1nd
this placeD 6=ap, directions7
Does the brochure tell what is sini1cant about this place 6historical importance,
tourist attractions, -amous residents, sini1cant industries, etc.7D
Are there interestin picturesD 6Pictures with people are usually more eJecti:e but
pictures o- well%known landmarks or beauti-ul scenery can work with or without
people in the photos7
Are the pictures or clip art use-ulD Do they help to tell the story or do they 5ust
seem to be 1llin up spaceD
Does the brochure make the reader want to :isit this place 6i- that is the purpose
o- the brochure7D
Does the brochure make the reader want to a:oid this place 6i- that is the purpose
o- the brochure7D
Chec*list for a Brochure about an $r#ani%ation
3hese are a -ew thins to look -or speci1cally related to brochures
about an orani2ation. Bot all will apply to your brochure.
Does the brochure i:e the name o- the orani2ationD
4s the purpose o- the orani2ation clearly statedD
Does the brochure list the orani2ations acti:itiesD
4- appropriate, is there a calendar o- e:entsD
4- the orani2ation has a product or ser:ice that it sells 6or i:es away7 is that in
the brochureD
Does the brochure state the membership re@uirements 6i- any7 -or the
orani2ationD
Does the brochure tell how to contact the orani2ationD
Are the most important acti:ities o- the orani2ation hihlihtedD
Does the brochure make the reader want to 5oin the orani2ation 6or 1nd out more
about it7D
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