Children's Book Writers... Illustrators... and Publishers
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Children get Writer's Block too
When we sit down to write a letter or a memo we often have a hard time getting started. We hear of authors who go for years without writing another book because of writer's block. Then, what do teachers do? We ask our students to write to a prompt that they've never seen before. We then place time constraints on their writing. Is it a wonder that so many of our children leave high school with such bad writing skills?
Then there are children who who have the ability to write but won't even without the prompt or time constraints. Many of these children have such strong need to be perfect that they can’t begin writing until they have a complete picture, beginning to end, in their head first. Children who fall into this category are children with Asperger’s Syndrome, Autism, Emotional Disabilities, Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, and other highly creative kids who just need time. Often the best way to get these children to discover their own ability to write is to let them write - give them freedom.
A website that gives children the freedom to discover their inner author is Big Universe. This site has a book authoring tool where anyone can write, add pictures, print and even publish their own book. My fourth grade students, with a variety of special needs, authored some incredibly creative books on Big Universe, often making them into sequels. bookChrisL.pdfand bookMahtabA.pdf were just two of these authors.
The confidence Big Universe gave these children was enlightening to me, as their teacher. Many of them began the year not able to write good sentences. When they saw they could create books, writing sentences was no longer a problem. They are all now able to write good detailed sentences and were even able to write to a prompt for the end of the year assessment. Thanks to Big Universe my students went on to fifth grade with the ability and confidence they need to be successful as writers.
Then there are children who who have the ability to write but won't even without the prompt or time constraints. Many of these children have such strong need to be perfect that they can’t begin writing until they have a complete picture, beginning to end, in their head first. Children who fall into this category are children with Asperger’s Syndrome, Autism, Emotional Disabilities, Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, and other highly creative kids who just need time. Often the best way to get these children to discover their own ability to write is to let them write - give them freedom.
A website that gives children the freedom to discover their inner author is Big Universe. This site has a book authoring tool where anyone can write, add pictures, print and even publish their own book. My fourth grade students, with a variety of special needs, authored some incredibly creative books on Big Universe, often making them into sequels. bookChrisL.pdfand bookMahtabA.pdf were just two of these authors.
The confidence Big Universe gave these children was enlightening to me, as their teacher. Many of them began the year not able to write good sentences. When they saw they could create books, writing sentences was no longer a problem. They are all now able to write good detailed sentences and were even able to write to a prompt for the end of the year assessment. Thanks to Big Universe my students went on to fifth grade with the ability and confidence they need to be successful as writers.
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