My students have been writing children’s books for a couple weeks now. We have written everyday in class, from random journal entries to reflections on the text we’re studying to ways to enter text. I say “we” because I write and share with them as well. It helps show that I value the writing process enough to join them as a writer. We’ve written about ways we have discriminated against others, a time we learned a lesson, our thoughts on school policies, among other things.
But now we’re focused on children’s books. My principal sent an email to several department chairs–a forward about the B’nai B’rith annual “Diverse Minds” scholarship competition. I shared it with my students, and they were eager to meet the challenge–write a 30 page children’s book dealing with diversity and tolerance.
We had just finished a unit study with the Holocaust, literature documenting it, and also the Rwandan holocaust (they read Left to Tell in another class–I also plan with that teacher to support their learning in both my class and hers–a subject for a future blog post). It was perfect timing for them to create something positive out of the rich discussion and text we had been working with.
The results? Students are collaboratively writing truly interesting, creative books. They are grappling with crafting interesting conflicts, finding clever resolutions, and characters. Using a blank template for each page (that I printed off of Powerpoint notes, three slides with notes per page), the students draw a mock picture and write their text next to it. I’ve noticed the students are giving each other helpful feedback and negotiating how to agree and disagree with each other well.
It will take some more time to complete the books, so I’ll give a final update when we’re finished. Who knows, in a few months, I may have some students with scholarship prizes, too. But the real payoff is how much the students are learning from the process.
Originally written January 16, 2007
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