In the primary grades children love to write. They see it both as something fun to do and something that adults do. In order to tap the natural creativity of young writers, teachers must be able make the writing process enjoyable. The display of the student's finished works in the classroom is a good way to do this. The publication of student's literature can be as simple as decorating the edges of the paper with a colorful tape or as complex as posting the piece on the Internet. Either way, this gives the students a sense of importance and authorship.
Author days are a good way to have a student present a work that they are proud of to their peers. This can be done in different ways; the class can sit in a circle and take turns in sharing what they have written. A writer chair can also be used, a special seat can be placed in the classroom and the author could be seated in a place of honor while they are presenting their works. Sharing with a group is a good way to mark the successful completion of a piece (Lofty p106). This also gives the class and the teacher a chance to offer positive feedback to the writer. One method to do this is to distribute a note card to each child and have the students write what they thought was good about the selection. It is also important for the teacher to praise the work, young students place a great deal of emphasis on the value the teacher places on the child's writing (Lofty p107).
There are many ways that a student can publish their writings. Beginner readers can make their own books on the alphabet, numbers, or about a subject of interest. These books can be illustrated by simply having the students draw their own pictures or using photographs cut from magazines (Moffet and Wagner p200). Collections of older student's favorite songs, poems, riddles, and jokes are popular as well as writings about themselves or their favorite subjects (Moffet and Wagner p200). It is good to date the works so at the end of the year the students can go back over their writings and see how they improved (Lofty p106). The book, itself, is easy to make. It can be an accordion-folder, rolled into a scroll, or bound conventionally. The later is most popular with students because their finished works resemble real books. This process is easy, first take heavy-duty paper and fold it in half lengthwise and then glue each side to a couple pieces of cardboard in order to make the cover. The next step is to take some more sheets of folded heavy paper and glue the students' writings to it. The final step is to sew the pages to the cover and decorate it. This is also a good prewriting activity, by physically making a book the student is inspired to write something to go inside (Moffet and Wagner p201).
The school offers many ways for students to display their pieces of writing. By submitting their works to the school newspaper or magazine the student can see their writing in print (Christie, Enz, and Vukelich p278). The same procedure could be applied to the submission of poetry, announcements, or editorials to the principle's newsletter. The teacher might also make a class literary magazine in which the collective works of the class can be published. The students could help design and make the magazine and give input on how they would like it to be set up. A class bulletin board could also be sit up in front of the classroom and changed frequently. The students could update work they wish to have displayed to the school. Finally, the student could share the poetry, short stories, songs, or notices with the whole school through the intercom or assemblies (Atwell p490). The school might have a certain time or assembly devoted towards the presentation of student's works to the entire school community.
The student is not limited to just publishing their writing within the school. There are many magazines that are devoted toward the publishing of children's writings. These include Child's Life, Highlight for Children, and Stone Soup (Christie, Enz, Vukelich p282). In this medium, many people can see the works of the students, all over the country. On a more localized scale, students can submit their writings to the newspaper in their area. This can include anything from letters to the editor to feature articles. Writing contests are frequent, either local, state, or national, and by entering their writing students have the chance to recognized for their ability and creativity as well as winning prices ranging from subscriptions to money (Atwell p490). Teacher can also have their students works posted during various public events such as fairs or in public places such as museums or libraries. No matter where the writings are post it causes the same effect, the child becomes a published author and their love for writing increases.
Over the past years the Internet has become a great tool for educators. Technology is very important and in many states learning how to construct a web page is required for certain grades. Many school systems offer space for students to build their own websites or publish their works. There are many programs that can be used to convert students writing to HTML format so they can be published on the Internet. Even if the school does not have Internet access the teacher can still publish the works of their students easily on-line. There are many great sites that allow children to submit their work to be posted on-line where possibly thousands of people could see it. These sites include the Stone Soup webpage, which is a branch of the Stone Soup children's magazine, and the totally Internet based Young Writers Club, The Write Stuff, and The Kids Space among others. The sites operate free of charge and are very good in publishing the works submitted to them no matter what level the writing is at. Teachers can also build their own websites to publish the works of their students. Free web space is available through many providers, most notably, Geocities and Angelfire. Geocities provides a section called the Enchanted Forest that is geared toward children and children related websites that would be a very good place for a teacher to post their classes collective writings. While many people might feel intimidated by the Internet and publishing on-line, it is in reality fairly easy. There are many great tutorials on the web that show you the steps needed to set up the webpage and add items to it. Every year the Internet is becoming more important tool and both students and teachers both need to learn how to use it effectively. If students sees a piece they have written on-line they might be more inclined to learn how to use it to their advantage as a learning tool and an incentive to write.
It is very important for children to learn and love writing. Publishing their works is a good way to do this. The display and presentation gives students an important sense of authorship. The act of publishing of a student's works is very important. It lets them know that what they write is good and it enhances both their writing skills and creativity. By using this technique teachers can instill a lifetime love of writing on to a student and increase their ability and belief in themselves as an author. This by itself is a good reason to publish the written works of students.
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