The complete yearbook interview resource — 16-slide lesson and 2-page tip sheet together. Ask any yearbook adviser what the weakest part of most student-produced books is, and the answer is almost always the same: the quotes. "It was an amazing year." "I'll really miss everyone." "This school has taught me so much." These quotes say nothing. They could appear in any yearbook, from any school, in any year. And they're everywhere. This bundle teaches yearbook staff to do better — not by handing them a script, but by teaching them how to find the quote that only this person could say, about only this year. What's included: 16-Slide Lesson (PPTX) — A complete classroom-ready presentation on interview techniques specifically for yearbook staff. This is not a general journalism interview lesson repurposed for yearbook. The framing, examples, and techniques are built around the yearbook context from the ground up. Topics covered:
See it on Teachers Pay Teachers — $3.20
Why yearbook interviews are different from news interviews — and what that means for how you ask questions What makes a quote usable vs. generic (the "trophy quote" problem and how to avoid it) Planning questions around your spread theme so the quotes you collect actually serve the story How to write your own questions before an interview — and why a question list is a safety net, not a script The follow-up question: why it's your most powerful tool and how to use it How to interview reluctant subjects — the classmates who don't want to talk Capturing the candid quote: where the best yearbook quotes actually come from Writing it down exactly: what you can and cannot change in a direct quote Name verification: why one misspelled name destroys the book's credibility with that family forever Coverage: are you talking to everyone, or just your friends? A full pre-submission checklist for every quote before it goes to the adviser 2-Page Tip Sheet (Word) — A reference document designed to be printed and kept at every staff member's workstation — or posted on the wall of the yearbook room. Not a worksheet. Not an assignment. A tool students will actually reach for. Page 1 includes question starters organized by purpose:
questions to open the conversation, questions to dig deeper, and questions to pull a theme or reflective quote. These are written as real interview prompts students can adapt to any subject, any spread, any section of the book. Page 2 includes a side-by-side comparison of usable quotes vs. trophy quotes — four real examples of each — so students can see the difference concretely before they go out to interview. Closes with a six-item pre-submission checklist with checkboxes. Who this is for: This bundle works for any yearbook program at the high school level. It's particularly valuable at the start of the year when new staff are learning the basics, before major deadlines when quote quality tends to slide, and any time an adviser looks at a proof and sees the same flat quotes on every spread. The slideshow runs in one class period. The tip sheet stays in use all year.Teach the lesson, hand out the sheet, send staff to get quotes. Includes everything in the two individual listings.
Designed for grades 9-12.
Starmaker English and Journalism Tools 
Leave a comment