Substitute Teacher Guide • Grade 12 • Phase 1, Unit Y3: Layout Production

Designing the Yearbook Cover — Day 2 of 3

Today's focus: Build the Wraparound

⚠️ Heads-Up: This is a community project

Unlike a solo studio project, the yearbook only works if the whole class communicates, follows through on assigned sections, and treats classmates as teammates rather than competitors. Build in real check-ins, not just a due date.

✅ Before Students Arrive

Materials needed today:
- Computer with Photoshop, Illustrator, or Canva
- Final (or best-estimate) page count, for spine width
- Class theme/mood board, if one exists
- Printer/vendor's spine-width chart (reference)
Most students keep their class notebook at its usual spot in the room and use it every day (see routine below) -- but it's each student's own notebook, so a few may bring theirs from home instead. Either way, everyone should have one out.
Write today's Do Now on the board before the bell rings (see below).

📓 Daily Notebook Routine (students already know this)

Keep this going every day, in your class notebook: date today's entry, jot your Do Now response, add any new vocabulary word(s) from today's Key Vocabulary section (word + a quick picture + a simple definition in your own words), and take 60 seconds to sketch something connected to today's topic. This notebook is yours to study from, reference on projects, and pull evidence from later for your portfolio.

📁 Portfolio Update Reminder

Once a week, add your best finished or in-progress yearbook (or, later, studio) work to your portfolio with a 1-2 sentence caption -- and once you're in the Design Studio phase, a photo of the piece in its real, installed location if possible. This is the same evidence trail you'll use for Archive & Portfolio and any PBAT/portfolio review.

🗣️ Opening: Do Now

Write or project this, and have students start immediately:

“What page count are we estimating, and what spine width does that give us? Demo (8 min): set up one canvas sized for front cover + spine + back cover using the estimated spine width.”

📋 Class Plan (step by step)

Step 1 — 27 min

🗣️ Say: "Now it's your turn -- work on your own (or with your table) on the following."

📋 Build (27 min): build out the front cover design in full.
Step 2 — 5 min

🗣️ Say: "Here's what we're doing next." Then read the instructions below to the class.

📋 Save progress (5 min).

🔑 Vocabulary Introduced Today

Spine: The narrow edge of a bound book connecting the front and back covers -- its width depends on the final page count and paper thickness, so it can't be locked in until the page count is.

✅ Wrap-Up: Exit Ticket

A few minutes before the bell, say: "Time to finish your exit ticket."

“What's one way your cover reflects THIS specific year, rather than yearbook design trends in general?”

Collect exit tickets (or have students leave them in the usual spot) for the regular teacher to review.

⏳ If You're Short on Time

Protect the Do Now and the Exit Ticket above all else -- those are how the regular teacher tracks daily progress. If a step above is optional/homework, or is a "share out"/discussion step, shorten or skip it first.

⏳ If Students Finish Early

Have them keep working in their notebook: add extra detail to today's vocabulary sketch, review previous vocabulary, or -- if this is a portfolio update week for this class -- work on their portfolio. Early finishers should never be idle or distracting to classmates still working.

📝 For the Regular Teacher (fill in ahead of time)

Regular teacher's name / how to reach them: ______________________________
Where finished work / exit tickets go: ______________________________
Front office extension / emergency contact: ______________________________
Anything else this class needs to know today: ______________________________