1) Is the
Young Writers Program (YWP) organized as an extracurricular activity or is it
integrated into the classes? (If it is integrated: is it compulsory for
students to participate?)
The YWP that I was running was set up as part of English Language
tutoring and as an extracurricular program only because I am not a full time
elementary/middle/high school teacher. But it is designed to be integrated into
the classroom for English Language Arts. I adapted it to fit what I was doing
and truncated some of the program to focus on more key elements of the program,
so I can add in sections on: reading comprehension, spelling & vocabulary,
and writing conventions (sentence structures, grammar, paragraphs, essays,
letters, etc.).
2) How
popular is the Young Writers Program there? How many students participate
usually/did participate when you organized it?
While I was teaching in the tutoring organization, it was decently
popular, though grew to be too expensive as an extracurricular program. People
wanted to do this program for free with me as the teacher. I cannot work for
free.
3) Do
students write together? (If yes, how often?) Do they share their stories with
each other? What kind activities do you organize for them for this project?
Students (I usually teach middle-school to high school grades 4 through
9) write parallel (so together but not in a group novel as co-authors) and as
homework. Yes, they share sentences, paragraphs, scenes, etc. with their
classmates for peer review. Later they exchange their novels with other
students for peer editing after they have done their first round of
self-editing. They spend September through November learning to create
characters, describe objects and scenes, about plot, and a great many small
parts that they later put together as their novel. Over the December holidays,
they take a break and do reading of a novel or collection of stories in the
same genre as the one they are writing. Then they spend January (not November)
writing.
4) How do
you motivate students during November?
No, November is too soon for them to write as many have much to learn
first and often confidence to build before even trying to write. I write
through November, but their official writing month is January.
5) What
was the most challenging to you as a teacher/organizer?
There were a few challenges: Negotiating learning disabilities and
inspiring/motivating students who have been told repeatedly that they are
stupid or cannot do it; Finding volunteer editors and artists; convincing
parents and teachers that YES, these kids struggling with writing can
absolutely write a novel and it will change their lives to do so. By the way…
it totally DID change their lives to do so. Their grades improved dramatically.
The dyslexic students moved from being hardly able to read to reading at their
grade level. And there are no words for the confidence that shone in the
children’s eyes afterwards that was not there before.
6) What
happens after November? (Eg. Do you and the students do anything with the
novels?; Do you celebrate the progress?; Do you continue working on the
stories/edits?; etc.)
They write in January not November. So after….
February is self-editing and finishing up the story. March is peer editing and cleaning up their work. They also learn about professional editors and artists and the publishing world. They spend a day interviewing possible professional editors and picking one to be the editor of the anthology of all their stories. April, the professional editor works on all their stories and I put it together as a preliminary manuscript for publication. April they verify the edits and see the manuscript, as well as do their own art for their individual stories. They interview artists and pick one to do the cover for the anthology. May it gets completely finalized with biographies they write, an introduction from the editor and myself, and is sent off for publication. They then learn about writing promotional material, finding a location for a book launch, organizing a book launch, public speaking, formal greeting of people as hosts, and doing readings from selections of their stories. By the end of June, the books come back and they host their own book launch. They take home a few copies of a published anthology and the sales of extra books goes towards a children’s literacy charity.
February is self-editing and finishing up the story. March is peer editing and cleaning up their work. They also learn about professional editors and artists and the publishing world. They spend a day interviewing possible professional editors and picking one to be the editor of the anthology of all their stories. April, the professional editor works on all their stories and I put it together as a preliminary manuscript for publication. April they verify the edits and see the manuscript, as well as do their own art for their individual stories. They interview artists and pick one to do the cover for the anthology. May it gets completely finalized with biographies they write, an introduction from the editor and myself, and is sent off for publication. They then learn about writing promotional material, finding a location for a book launch, organizing a book launch, public speaking, formal greeting of people as hosts, and doing readings from selections of their stories. By the end of June, the books come back and they host their own book launch. They take home a few copies of a published anthology and the sales of extra books goes towards a children’s literacy charity.
7) What
is your personal opinion about the Young Writers Program? (Do you think it aids
or hinders students’ development? I’m asking this because many educators in my
country believe students need to acquire a good command of the language first
/university or PhD-level/ and only then can they start writing.)
My opinion is that if you make it fun, they will want to learn. If you
create something with prestige, the prestige they feel will follow them for
years and make amazing changes in their lives. I think it aids students,
especially coupled with other language arts lessons that compliment what they
are doing. Never under-estimate the power of giving a child the power to write
what they want to express and celebrating the completion of a large project.
This alone teaches a child that their ideas matter, that they can explore their
creativity, that they are capable of completing a huge project especially when
it is taken in small chunks. They learn not just writing skills, but reading
and comprehension, time management, professional conduct, and what it is like
to be in a position of power. They learn teamwork as well. They learn to
celebrate their accomplishments and face their challenges constructively. They
also learn to give back to their community and help others. It is incredibly
empowering from end to end… even when you see them frustrated and challenged at
the beginning. (they read pep talks from authors and meet some local authors and
learn about the challenges and how to get through them)
