What Do Students Write About? | Creating Magazines with Cover Story
In our Cover Story program, you may have heard that students create their own magazine. But how does this work? What do students write about? We’re glad you asked!
Students select topics they are already interested in. We’ll highlight some real examples of magazines some of our students have created in the past. Looking at these unique magazines may help spark ideas for your own student and remind them of a passion they already love! Cover Story is designed as a creative project where your student has ownership.
There’s a lot more variety than what’s below! Check out more wonderful examples on our magazine showcase page.
ANIMALS
Students have frequently taken their passion for a specific animal (or animals in general!) and pour that enthusiasm into their Cover Story magazine. Check out a couple of these examples below and click on the image to view the magazine itself!
The Elegant Equine
By Lorelei D.
Age 14, in Michigan
The Elegant Equine placed in the “Highlight Piece” category in our 2021 Finish Line contest! Not only is her ballad “The Survivors” excellent; it’s one of the best ballads we have read from a Cover Story student! It’s a great example of this type of poem because it tells a story but it’s also based in history—in this case the Chincoteague ponies who still inhabit a small island off the
coast of Virginia. We enjoyed all of Lorelei’s magazine, but the ballad really stood out!
Photo Credit: Kristy Dillay and Pixabay
A Pet’s Life
By Danielle H.
Age 13, in Illinois
Danielle’s clever, shaped cinquain, “Christmas Morning,” was a “Highlight Piece” in the 2017 Finish Line contest. And who can resist the dog on the cover?
For Service Dog Photo (licensed under Creative Commons), click here. All other pictures are CCO Public Domain, no attribution required for Danielle’s own pictures.
Ferret Fancy
By Keira P.
Age 13, in Rhode Island
Winner of an “Outstanding Piece” award in the 2021 Finish Line contest, Ferret Fancy is one of the most unusual and fun themes we have encountered. This magazine features some terrific writing. We have awarded Keira for her amazing limerick and her short story, “Shark-like,” both of which show great characterization. However, this magazine is strong overall. Her review is very professional, and we like her layout too.
Keira wishes to credit Canva for all design templates and photos!
CREATIVE ARTS
From fashion, to dance, music, and a celebration of all things creative, students have poured out their love for the creative arts into their magazines. They are a delight to read!
Grass
By Elijah C.
Age 14, in Maryland
Elijah’s bluegrass magazine is a special one. He’s not only a fan but part of a bluegrass band, The Folk Villains, with his sisters. Elijah’s got a great feel for words as well as music. His article on musician Robin Cockey demonstrates great pacing and style, especially in the vivid opening. He’s also not so serious about his music that he can’t have a bit of fun at his own band’s expense–past and future!
Elijah notes that photos are all public domain and that all real people mentioned are okay with being in a magazine.\
Total Fashion Magazine
By Faith B.
Age 11, in California
Faith’s magazine is beautifully put together. We especially like her piece about the New York Bridal Fashion Week, which appears to be based on an interview. Her article about the history of the poodle skirt is very strong as well, and we commend her for writing a letter to a real celebrity! Altogether, there is a lot to celebrate in Faith’s fashion magazine!
Image credits are inside of the magazine cover.
Artistic Expressions
By Abby I.
Age 13, in Florida
“Spotlight Magazine” in the 2018 Finish Line contest! We love Abby’s review of Old South Restaurant. It is truly excellent—and Abby’s mom told us the owners of the restaurant love it, too! We’re not at all surprised! Abby also added lots of fun extras like a crossword puzzle, a comic, and a featured artist.
SPORTS
From cleverly created ads, tips on nutrition, heartfelt pieces on overcoming fear, and “letters to the editor” woven throughout, these sports-themed magazines are not just a fun read, but they are surprisingly touching! It’s easy to feel how much passion these Cover Story students put into their work.
National Gymnastics Magazine
By Jake S.
Age 14, in Texas
Jake really impressed us with the unexpected nuance in his short story. Very nice! We also loved his theme!
The Sports Magazine
By Hudson K.
Age 13, in California
Hudson writes with confidence on a topic he is clearly passionate about. We really like his interview-based article. Its message is unusual for a sports interview. He also wrote a very entertaining letter exchange.
Hits!
By Tristan P.
Age 12, in California
Tristan has penned some very clever poems for his magazine, and although a wonderful front cover is not a course assignment, we LOVE this dynamic and colorful cover! In his “Alfan, an All-Star?” short story, Tristan has achieved a good arc of character change as well!
NATURE
From cleverly created ads, tips on nutrition, heartfelt pieces on overcoming fear, and “letters to the editor” woven throughout, these sports-themed magazines are not just a fun read, but they are surprisingly touching! It’s easy to feel how much passion these Cover Story students put into their work.
Killer Plants
By Samuel L.
Age 13, in Missouri
Great unusual topic for a magazine! Samuel’s fascination with dangerous plants comes through in this great unusual topic for a magazine! clearly. And what a terrifying short story idea built on the real-life dangers of some plants! Reads like an episode in a comic!
This magazine was sent to us in the mail, and we scanned the pages. We apologize that the scanning process doesn’t result in the best presentation!
The Nature Lover Magazine
By Emily N.
Age 12, in Nova Scotia, Canada
Emily added some extra features to her magazine, really going the extra mile! We found it both fun to read and informative! We want to particularly comment on her beautiful poem, “The River,” and the wonderful letter she wrote to author Pamela Hickman—what a lovely response she got! A hand-written letter is a great way to encourage someone to respond!
The PDF changed some of her photo and design details, but overall Emily is happy with how it turned out. All literature, photography, and art are her own creative works (except for a few public images found on the Internet, which are all non-copyrighted).
Extreme Weather
By Max V.
Age 15, in Georgia
Max makes hurricanes, ice storms, and other extreme weather events more poetic than they have any right to be! He’s very good at poems. “Storm” and “Ice Storm” are especially strong. We were also impressed by the writing in “The Flood,” a short story about cavers who run into trouble. He did a great job on the story opening in particular!
Max: “To my awesome hard-working mom, who pushed me through the times when I had hit a wall in writing, and to my sisters for helping with plot ideas.
FOOD
Yum! This is a topic we can all get behind! From baking, to restaurants, to spices and sweet treats, students seem to have a blast creating magazines all about food!
Food and Fun
By Amber W.
Age 14, in Minnesota
Amber’s poem, “The Vultures,” is hilarious and clever! Her haiku, “Elegance; Disaster” is also very well done.
Alas, all three hundred Magic Plates were sold by the time we clicked on her advertisement.
Culinarianism
By Joshua M.
Age 13, in California
We really like Joshua’s restaurant review! Some vivid and unexpected comparisons really lift a commonplace type of article to an entertaining height.
Sweet Treats
By Elizabeth C.
Age 13, in Michigan
Elizabeth makes a great effort to develop her theme. She understands that a magazine about baking needs more recipes than anything else—and she includes some good ones, each with a personal comment or anecdote. Her short story about baking cookies shows great use of dramatic irony.
By the time we invited Elizabeth to be included on this Showcase, she couldn’t remember where she got some of the artwork in her magazine. She wishes to communicate all due respect to the artists and would gladly attribute where appropriate.
HISTORY & LITERATURE
While certainly not a requirement, we love how well Cover Story can complement other subjects Middle School students may be studying during the school years!
Grains of Mythology
By James H.
Age 12, in Texas
Right from the get-go, you know you’re in for a wild ride in this magazine. The promise of a face-off between a god and a pug does not disappoint! James (12) has a great sense of humor and lands some funny last lines and some very vivid hyperbole.
Credit. Cover: Altantios/Pixababy; pg 4: UlliPixa/Pixabay; pg 5: Jo-B/Pixabay; pg 6: YvM/Pixabay; pg 8: jwskks5786/Pixabay; pg 9: James; pg 12: Peter-Lomas/Pixabay; pg 14: Aunt Lexy
Fun in the Fifties
By Meghann F.
Age 13, in Michigan
We commend Meghann (13) for the lovely use of repetition in her poem “Classic Car”—especially appropriate considering the nostalgia in her magazine theme. It is fun to see a student use a theme as a theme, so to speak.
Her enticing review of Portillo’s restaurant is also great marketing!
Brothers in Arms
By Isaiah W.
Age 12, in Florida
Isaiah’s (12) won the “Highlight Magazine” award in the 2019 Finish Line contest. We are very impressed by the amount of work that went into taking photos to enhance the articles, especially in terms of setting up rather complicated shots! Definitely a lot of passion and attention to detail from this young man!
Isaiah credits his mother for help with the layout design and some photographs. Credits are listed in the magazine.
TECHNOLOGY & GAMING
It’s a new era! Students take their knowledge and enthusiasm for technology and gaming and pour it into cleverly designed and thoughtfully composed magazines.
The Technology of Computers
By Dominic L.
Age 15, in Minnesota
Our favorite part of Dominic’s magazine is the fantastic first line of his interview-based article! We are always thrilled when a student conducts a live interview with someone outside of their immediate family for this assignment.
Dominic wishes to credit his mom for helping him.
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By Gabe C.
Age 15, in Oregon
Gabe is gifted with visuals. The layout is a great fit for his theme, and we love seeing his own artwork featured—clever idea to present them as fan art submitted to the magazine! Gabe’s review of Super Mario Maker 2 is knowledgeable and clearly set out. The how-to article on replacing a joy con stick is likewise well done.
Author and photography and drawings: Gabe C.; Editors: J.C. and A.C.; In-game photos from: Rocket League, Super Mario Maker, Splatoon; Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Mario Kart 8
The Gamer’s Guide to Minecraft
By Jack L.
Age 12, in British Columbia, Canada
“Spotlight Magazine” in the 2017 Finish Line contest. We particularly love Jack’s haiku “Farewell”! Jack’s magazine has a fun layout and theme, and we enjoyed all the creative variations on Jack’s name in the contributor names.
HOBBIES
Middle School is often a time of self-discovery! Some Cover Story students pick an activity they already love and choose to develop the interest further by theming their magazine around the topic! This category is so numerous and unique, we invite you to look for more topics students cover on our magazine showcase page!
Brick by Brick
By Kaitlyn K.
Age 14, in Kansas
A lot imagination and care went into this magazine! Kaitlyn worked Lego into every part of the magazine in a natural way, and each piece is polished and easy to follow. We especially like her review of the Lego Tacos restaurant—super clever! Kaitlyn is good at “Story beats.” The stories are detailed and well paced, and the ending of her “Stepping Foot on Sharpness” story is pithy!
By Zephyrus B.
Age 15, in Washington
Winner of an “Outstanding Piece” award in the 2020 Finish Line contest, UniqueCycles is a wonderful magazine. The writing is engaging and interesting, and the design complements the theme beautifully. This is truly a passion-driven topic for Zephyrus, and it shows! Lots of knowledge and creativity here!
Research source credits are listed on pages where needed. All creative work is by the student!
The Game Cupboard
By Nathan M.
Age 14, in Tennessee
Winner of “Best in Show” in the 2018 Finish Line contest. What great integration of theme into every part of the magazine! An all-around great magazine, but especially noteworthy are “Rising From the Dust”—one of the most fascinating and well-written biographical pieces we’ve seen in a student magazine—and “The Game Shop”—a story with a very clever arc!
Nathan would like to credit his mom for the back cover photo.
This magazine was sent to us in the mail, and we scanned the pages. We apologize that the scanning process doesn’t result in the best presentation!
Grammer isn’t the point.
Story is the point.
As you can see, Clear Water Press programs are unique because we allow students to take the reins on their own creative projects. Through the process of creating the content for their own magazine in a single school year, students are led, step by step, on a fun, thought-provoking journey of exploration and creation.
Students are far more motivated to write when they choose their own subject and goals. You can see here that some students become so involved, they go above and beyond the curriculum’s requirements. Our approach to teaching language arts gives the structure and guidance students need to understand the principles in each lesson but allows them to create from passion rather than pressure. We hope you’ve enjoyed seeing what students have come up with over the years with our Cover Story program. We certainly have!
Curious to know more? Shoot us an email at info@clearwaterpress.com.
