Presenting the Final Draft
It is really rewarding for students to publish their writing. I really love to provide them with a block in class when we have additional time — something that is often rare — to nicely present their final draft. In our classroom, writing is mostly done in the journal, but at the end of the week, I like students to take the time to neatly and nicely write out their work, so we can publish it and post it somewhere. More specifically, one way to appreciate student writing is to dedicate a corner of the classroom to writing. You can also create a display area outside of the classroom for students, parents, and teachers to read what our authors have been working on.
Sharing Work in the Classroom
Author's Tea: I first read about it on Tales From A Very Busy Teacher. Simply put, you set the classroom like a coffee shop feel with some child-friendly drinks and snacks around the classroom. You can even make the class comfy to make it more real. Parents are also welcome to come. I usually have tea/coffee for them (even though I ramble about how we should all quit drinking tea/coffee). They can walk around the classroom (oh, sorry, coffee shop) and meet the real life authors. The students really love it. It does require a bit of money, but I found setting aside a bit of money to do this once or twice a year is a nice treat for them. Even the parents feel really happy with seeing their students work on display.
Book Deal: When working on a long-term writing project, teachers can introduce the concept of a book deal to publish the final draft. The book deal is essentially a space for students to think about how they would present their book if it were published. This includes thinking about the cover, the illustrations, and all the other aspects that go into publish a book. It works really well for a children's book, a comic book, and a novel. It can even include thinking about working on a cookbook or a magazine, for example. Regardless of the long-term writing project, the book deal is a neat way to encourage students to work towards publishing their work, especially as a way to build students' confidence.
Book Deal: When working on a long-term writing project, teachers can introduce the concept of a book deal to publish the final draft. The book deal is essentially a space for students to think about how they would present their book if it were published. This includes thinking about the cover, the illustrations, and all the other aspects that go into publish a book. It works really well for a children's book, a comic book, and a novel. It can even include thinking about working on a cookbook or a magazine, for example. Regardless of the long-term writing project, the book deal is a neat way to encourage students to work towards publishing their work, especially as a way to build students' confidence.
Reading Circle: Through a reading circle as a whole class or in small groups, students can read and share their work with other students. If implemented well, the reading circle can also become a space for students to provide each other with feedback, specifically outlining what they are doing well. It can also be a space to ask each other questions (e.g. How did you come up with the name of the character? Who is your favourite character in your own book? How did you come up with the idea for the book?).
Writing Portfolio: Many teachers maintain a writing portfolio using a binder or a folder, where they add students' writing samples by topic. Alternatively, students can also maintain their own portfolios (i.e. folders) with samples of their best work, which they choose on their own. The portfolios are then added to the classroom library, which students can read like any other book. When time permits, the teacher can read these to the classroom, pointing out what the student(s) is/are doing well in their writing (e.g. I really see that [student name] is working on her spacing).
Writing Portfolio: Many teachers maintain a writing portfolio using a binder or a folder, where they add students' writing samples by topic. Alternatively, students can also maintain their own portfolios (i.e. folders) with samples of their best work, which they choose on their own. The portfolios are then added to the classroom library, which students can read like any other book. When time permits, the teacher can read these to the classroom, pointing out what the student(s) is/are doing well in their writing (e.g. I really see that [student name] is working on her spacing).
Widget is loading comments...