Writing, it’s an outlet to allow all creativity to flow.
Kaleva Norman Dickson Elementary School usually host a Young Author’s Day every year where they have a Michigan children’s author come in for presentations. Typically two students are chosen for this. This year they had to cancel the event due to COVID. Fortunately for the students, they have some pretty awesome teachers.
Shannon Fuller, ISD Literacy Coach and Melissa Wardie, fourth grade teacher, decided to get creative. They wanted to do something in place of Young Author’s Day, something that would include ALL the students.
They decided to start the Young Writer’s Project, where each student got to pick an animal to research and then write their own book, complete with their own illustrations. Melissa Wardie says, “The main part of the Writer’s Project is giving them an authentic purpose for writing.”
The teachers also wanted the students to finish this project with the understanding of the importance of writing. They reached out to community members to record how they use writing in their daily jobs. They had a police officer, people from the newspaper, a principal, and local librarian participate.
The coolest part of the project was how the students got to share their wonderful stories. They used a video app called Flipgrid to share their writing and to also give the students from home the opportunity to participate.
The program really exceeded their expectations and now they will offer if next year to students grades 6-12.
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