{"id":610,"date":"2017-03-08T00:03:18","date_gmt":"2017-03-08T00:03:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/byline\/?page_id=610"},"modified":"2025-06-01T22:20:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T04:20:13","slug":"how-to-use-byline","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/byline\/about\/how-to-use-byline\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Byline"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n

How to Use & Grade Byline<\/h1>\n

This overview of how to use and grade Byline builds on the information on the About page<\/a>.<\/em><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”3\/4″][vc_column_text]\n

Pacing<\/h2>\n

The suggested pace for Byline<\/em> is to complete 3 lessons per week<\/strong>, for 24 weeks. But Byline<\/em> is flexible<\/strong>! You can work in extra days where you need them and still fit the course into one school year.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]\n

Byline Syllabus and Lesson Table<\/a><\/a><\/div><\/h4>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/4″][vc_empty_space height=”64px”][vc_icon icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-calendar” color=”orange” size=”xl”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1535753960846{background-color: rgba(255,247,226,0.88) !important;*background-color: rgb(255,247,226) !important;}”][vc_column_text]\n

Families<\/h3>\n

Families usually schedule 3 separate days a week (M-W-F) and focus on one lesson at a time.<\/p>\n

Schedule about 45 minutes to 1 hour for each lesson, including watching the video.\u00a0Each lesson begins with a 15\u201320-minute video. Students then proceed to work in the\u00a0Training Manual<\/em> and\u00a0Reporter\u2019s Notebook<\/em>, following the direction provided in the video.<\/p>\n

The average student will spend 4.5-5 hours per week on\u00a0Byline<\/em> when following the suggested pace of three lesson per week. It’s possible your student will need more that 5 hours if he or she tends towards wordiness or is an avid writer who really enjoys creative projects.\u00a0We intentionally build in some “wiggle room” in planning the number of lessons for a school year![\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]\n

Co-ops, Study Groups, and Schools<\/h3>\n

To read about using\u00a0Byline<\/em> in a group setting, check out the “Using Our Programs in a Co-op or Group<\/a>” page.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n

Getting Started<\/h2>\n

Making Sure You Have What You Need<\/h4>\n

If you ordered a Cloud video streaming set:<\/strong><\/p>\n

After purchasing, you will receive an access password by email. Please save this password!<\/strong> Go to the Cloud video portal under the “Resources” tab on the Byline webpage, or just click the link provided in the email. Enter the email address you provided at checkout and your new password.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once logged in, you can click on the course icon to begin viewing. The lesson videos are grouped in threes by week<\/p>\n

You do need the physical materials before you can properly begin. The physical materials\u2014The Training Manual<\/em>, Reporter’s Notebook<\/em>, Teacher’s Guide<\/em>, and The Metropolitan World<\/em> and Retro Metro<\/em> newspapers\u2014will ship to you by USPS Priority Mail. A tracking number will be sent by email.<\/p>\n

If you ordered a DVD set:<\/strong><\/p>\n

All materials\u2014the DVDs, The Training Manual<\/em>, Reporter’s Notebook<\/em>, Teacher’s Guide<\/em>, and The Metropolitan World<\/em> and Retro Metro<\/em> newspapers\u2014will ship to you by USPS Priority Mail. A tracking number will be sent by email. (Please note<\/strong> that a<\/em>s of June 2025, Cloud streaming is now the exclusive way we sell\u00a0Byline course.)<\/em><\/p>\n

What to Do First<\/h4>\n
    \n
  1. Watch the Parents & Teachers<\/strong> video.<\/li>\n
  2. Read through the introductory pages in the Teacher’s Guide<\/em>.<\/li>\n
  3. Watch the How to Use Byline<\/em><\/strong> video with your student.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    That’s it! Your student is ready for the lessons.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]\n

    How to Complete a Lesson<\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Watch the Video.<\/strong> Every single lesson in Byline<\/em> begins with a video (15\u201320 minutes). Daniel Schwabauer provides direction from within the video lesson. You will not need to tell your student what to do when the video lesson ends\u2014the student will receive instructions from the video.<\/li>\n
    2. Proceed to The Training Manual<\/em> and Reporter’s Notebook<\/em><\/strong>, as directed by the instructor, in the video.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”668″ img_size=”large”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n

      How to Use the Printed Newspapers<\/h2>\n

      The Metropolitan World<\/em> and the Retro Metro<\/em> are both designed to provide students with examples<\/strong> of the pieces of writing assigned in Byline<\/em>. The examples in the Metropolitan World<\/em> are written by the instructor himself, in the persona of the Editor in Chief. The articles in the Retro Metro<\/em> are real, historical pieces of journalism by writers like Nellie Bly, Mark Twain, and Ernest Hemingway.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n