Young Writer's Workshop: it's time to publish - teaching children how to publish their writings

Instructor, May-June, 1998 by Joan Novelli

This Young Writer's Workshop wraps up a year of visits with favorite authors and illustrators, teacher-tested strategies and activities, and other materials for guiding the young authors in your classroom in their creative expression. Janet Wong, featured on this workshop's poster (both sides!), sums up what writing is all about in "4 Thoughts for Every Writer." She writes, "Twist your ideas. Stretch. Snatch new words out of nowhere. Make your words move. Make your words dance..." Celebrate the words your students make dance with the suggestions in the pages that follow.

Do-it-Yourself Books

Set up a bookmaking corner in your classroom, complete with supplies and examples of books that will inspire students' creativity.

Here is a simple process for making bound books. Your students will find all kinds of ways to personalize their books.

1 Cut two 9-by 12-inch pieces of cardboard. Cut a 1-inch strip from each, then reattach to the original pieces with tape, leaving a 1/8-inch space between the pieces.

2 Cut two pieces of paper, each 3/4 inches wider than the cardboard all the way around.

3 Place one piece of wallpaper facedown and center a piece of cardboard on top. Fold in the edges, mitering the corners. Glue edges in place. Repeat with the second piece of wallpaper and the other piece of cardboard.

4 Cut two more pieces of paper, measuring approximately 7 by 11 inches each. Glue one to the inside of each cover.

5 Place paper inside and punch holes through the stack using a drill or hammer and nail.

6 Lace string, ribbon, or yarn through the holes and tie. Be creative with the binding. Add twigs, beads, or whatever you can find.

Another easy type of book to make is the accordianstyle. For directions, see "Festive Gift Books for Kids to Make and Give" in the November/December 1997 issue of Instructor.

Author's Jubillee

Why not plan an Authors' Jubilee to celebrate your students' writing. Divide the class into groups to manage each part of the production - from programs to party food.

* Invitations: Make postcard-size invitations. (This is a great opportunity to use your handmade paper.) Children can write the details, along with each guest's name and address, on one side, and include a story excerpt, a poem, or an illustration on the other.

* Programs: Let each student choose a favorite piece of writing and decide how he or she will share it. They might display the piece, read it aloud, prepare a dramatization, or make copies. Design a program outlining each presentation.

* Refreshments: Enlist parent volunteers to help a group of students make a variety of snacks. Even peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches can be elegant when made with canape-size bread. Herbal tea adds a nice touch.

* Certificates: Surprise students with certificates on the day of the event, celebrating their published works.

Guide to Getting Published

When it comes to getting published, students have a range of options. The following resources are a start.

A Kid's Guide to Getting Published by Donna Clovis (Southern Poetry Association, 1993). How-tos for submitting manuscripts (and a list of addresses) and mini-lessons on writing. Send $4.95 and a self-addressed, 6-by-9-inch envelope with 64-cents postage to: Donna Clovis, P.O. Box 741, Princeton Jct., NJ 08550.

Stone Soup This international magazine is written and illustrated by kids ages 8 to 13. Submit work to Stone Soup, P.O. Box 83, Santa Cruz, CA 95063. Enclose a SASE if you want to hear from them.

INKSPOT (httpi//www.inkspot.com). This young writer's online resource includes marfet information on online and offline places to publish.

MidLink Magazine (http;//longwood. cs.ucf.edu:80/~MidLink/). This electronic magazine by and for kids is a good place to start.

Wacky Web Tales (http://www.edu place.com/tales/). Fill in parts of speech to create and publish funny stories at this site. Use ready-made tales or create and share your own.

Dear Diary

It's familiar advice: Write about what you know. That's what makes diaries such a natural tool in writing programs. With Diary Maker (Scholastic), your students can keep their diaries on the class computer - with privacy protected by individual passwords. Multimedia excerpts from the diaries of Anne Frank, Zlata Filipovic, and Latoya Hunter will inspire students' efforts. Added inspiration comes from tools like the Writer's Block Tool, Writing Palette (eight categories of backgrounds), and Smart Spot (add sound, images, and short movies). Tips for encouraging your budding diarists follow.

* Share published diaries. Where do these authors' ideas come from? If children are stuck for ideas, give them time to chat about their day. What stories do their listeners want to know more about? These are diary entries in the making!

* Give students time to write every day. To accommodate all children on Diary Maker, especially if you've got just one classroom computer, have them rough out their entries on paper first.

* From time to time, invite children to go back over their entries. Ask them to choose one entry to turn into a longer piece.