Make Writing Fun!
No matter how engaging you are, or how captivating your lessons may be, students always begin to get a case of the dreaded Spring break fever this time of year. We both try our hardest to keep students excited about school on a daily basis. We create engaging lessons and incorporate fun into every subject! One subject that we found harder to motivate students in was writing. No matter how much we tried to make writing fun, we still found the students weren't as excited as we were. So, to help create a bigger buzz about writing we decided to make our students actual writers. We're talking actual, published writers! Talk about excitement! The day the students found out that we were creating an actual book with their writing, their whole attitude changed for the better! We've both done this in our own way that we'll explain within this post, but we also understand that there are many other possibilities out there as well.
Before we get into the publishing aspect, let's talk about the ways we prep the kids for the process. You are all wonderful teachers, so we don't need to lecture you on the importance of beginning writing skills. To take writing to the next level, we've created this story writing pack! Our students have loved having the chance to let their creativity shine, and it's made them want to write more! You can find the pack here: I Can Write A Story! A Common Core Writing Pack!
Now on to the publishing part of our writing journey! This is where the kids really start to see themselves as writers! The magic of the kids holding a book with their own writing inside is amazing! We've each used different ways to create this magic, but both ways have motivated our students more than any other trick we've used in the past. Whether you want a book as a keepsake or something to use as a fundraiser, creating a book with your students' work is something they will always remember. Here are brief descriptions of what we each use in our classrooms. If you have any other questions after checking out the links, please email us and we'd be happy to help!
Trisha:
In my 2nd Grade classroom, I use Studentreasures Publishing to create class books as keepsakes. Each year, my team and I come up with a book theme, and then the writing magic begins! We spend quite a bit of time going through story elements and the writing process. The art teacher also gets involved by making our book cover and helping the kids with their illustrations. When the whole process is over, the kids are beyond excited to know all of their work will soon be published! Once the books are published, we celebrate with a Hollywood-themed book release party. Kids and their families are invited to the celebration. More information will follow soon about the book release party!
Adam:
In my Kindergarten classroom, I use CreateSpace to self-publish books that are then sold on Amazon! I've done this for the past few years and used a portion of the profits to benefit a memorial scholarship! Using this same concept in your classroom is a great way to start a fundraiser! The kids get so excited when the books arrive and are so proud of their published work. We even hold an author signing party where they all get to autograph the books before taking them home!
You can find all the books that we've created as a class, as well as Adam's own published books, using the links below!
Adam's Books:
My Teacher Has Feelings Too
My Teacher Has Feelings Too
Adam's Class Books:
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