Celebrate Writing!

Published student writing can come in a variety of forms. It can include everything from final drafts in plastic covers that have undergone rigorous revision to work that is in handmade covers and binding to online and magazine contest entries. No matter which option you choose, taking the time to publish quality student writing is a celebration!

Every year my students create and publish their own picture book. We send the books to a company who binds the stories in a hard cover. Students look forward to this project, and great effort is placed on the writing, revising, and illustrating of the books. I conference with students during each step of the process, and take advantage of the one-on-one instructional opportunities a project of this type can provide. In years past, I have allowed students to write about anything they wished, and “assigned” a topic for reluctant writers. Students not only have an opportunity to create an original story, but they also take great pride in sharing their stories. Students are highly motivated by this project, and the book is often one of the most well-written pieces students produce each year.

Another publishing project I have assigned is a hand-made picture book. This was a project I assigned my fifth grade students each spring. Our elementary building was odd, the kindergarten, fourth, and fifth grades were lumped together due to the design of the building. We took advantage of this fact by having fifth grade students “adopt” a kindergartener to read and practice literacy skills with throughout the year. As a culminating activity, the fifth graders created a picture book for their kindergarten buddy. The books were personalized, and the fifth graders enjoyed sharing them. My middle school students have done the same project I did with fifth graders, but with additional requirements relating to the format and audience. But whether the assignment was given to fifth graders or middle school students, there was one thing each assignment had in common, the students’ pride in sharing their creation.

In addition to creating books, my students also work on publishing an online story. I use this as a culminating activity for a study of the mystery genre. Over the course of the preparation for this unit, I found many useful instructional resources and websites that post student work. As with any formal publishing assignment, I first send a letter home with students to receive parental permission to move forward with the project. The online publishing sites were easy to find by searching “student publishing.” I created a list of reputable websites and allowed students to choose a site to display their work. We are currently in the revising stage of our project, and students are anxious to see their work online.

It doesn’t matter which mode of publishing is chosen; providing students with the opportunity to display and share their work is a way to celebrate writing and give students a sense of pride and ownership. The following are more ideas for publishing student work.

Publishing Lesson Plans:

Writing for Audiences

Publishing in this lesson comes in letter form. Students compose four letters, each for a different purpose/audience. Students are provided with prompts to guide their writing.

Writing and Publishing with Handheld Computers

Students use handheld computers to create a story, revise and edit their stories, and eventually publish their stories as an ebook. Students then share their stories through beaming.

Writing with Writers

This is an online publishing lesson in which students are given procedures/strategies to improve writing. At the conclusion of the lesson students’ original stories are published online.

Writing a Mystery

Students each write a mystery story as a news article. Students share their stories, and a class newsletter is created that displays each story. In my class, I had students create a mystery and work within a group to share their stories, while the other group members “report” on the “incident.” The report goes into the class newletter.