Publish Student Writing: Blogging,Contests, Found Poems, and more . . .

© 2013 Jupiterimages

Attaching student writing to wider audiences and real world situations by publishing their writing both inside and outside the classroom encourages students to think of themselves as writers  (Atwell, 1998; Graves, 2003).  Students need to envision themselves as capable writers with something to say that extends beyond the classroom. Thinking of students as published writers whose ideas and work contribute to the classroom broadens the  student writing experience for both the student and the teacher.

What counts as publishing?   Blogging , as Joni Boone suggested earlier this week, counts as publishing.  Sending stories to the local newspaper or entering contests counts as publishing.  Reading work aloud (voluntarily) or turning it into a podcast (see below) counts as publishing.  One upcoming opportunity for students to publish is the New York Times Found Student Poetry Contest.

New! Quick Tips for Easy Revision (podcast by Kurtis Clements)

Found poetry is a fun concept even for those that don’t consider themselves poets.  Essentially, to produce a found poem, writers take phrases from other places and put them together to form new meaning. Try your hand at found poetry by submitting work to the Found Poetry Review.

In the past, we have written about the importance of low-stakes writing assignments as part of students writing across the curriculum.  Publishing student writing can also play an important role in student writing development.

References

Atwell, N. (1998). In the middle: New understandings of writing reading and learning (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook Publishers.

Graves, D. (2003). Writing: Teachers and children at work  (20th Anniversary ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

. . .We would love hear your ideas for publishing student writing.

Melody Pickle, KUWC