Book Your Writing

Making books is a popular way to help students take pride in their work and develop their confidence as writers. Publishing students' writing into a finished product adds value to their work, and brings closure to a project or an assignment. In order to develop their skills as writers, students need opportunities to write for specific purposes and audiences, and across a range of genres and modes. Students can write in order to inform or persuade, entertain or reflect, and instruct or retell in a variety of ways. Writers can look to mentor text and authors for ways to approach topics and develop ideas, and ways to demonstrate their understanding about a particular theme or concept. In Book Your Writing: As Easy as 1,2,3, we provide ways to help students present their work and a framework for guiding writing topics with mentor texts. Each book-making project has three or four sections. The numbers help guide you through a writing idea and book pattern. In section 1, you will see: An introduction to the writing activity for a particular mode or connected to a specific children's book. A list of suggested picture books and novels with a similar theme or writing mode, and a list of more ideas of ways you and your students can use the student-made writing presentation book. In section 2, you will see: A graphic organizer to help you and your students develop original ideas for writing and start the writing process to produce a final revised and edited copy. The graphic organizer follows a standard 5-paragraph essay: an introduction, three supporting details, and a concluding paragraph. In section 3, you will see: Step by step directions for making the student-made books and supplies each writer will need. Section 4 has an example of what the finished product may look like.