Write Out!

 Have you heard about Write Out! ?

Check it out on the NWP website.

    Write Out (#writeout) is a free two-week event, organized as a series of online activities where educators, students, and the public are invited to explore national parks and other public spaces to connect and learn through place-based writing and sharing. The theme of this year’s event is Palettes, Storyboards, and Cadences and will run from October 10-24, 2021 which includes the National Day of Writing on October 20th. 

Yes, you have missed week one, but there's still another week to go and, if you join, you can still use all of the activities with your students. This is the time of year to do a great deal of free writing with your students, and this project totally fits in with learning more about your students, both as people and as writers.

For me, when in the classroom, this would be a great notebook activity. I wasn't looking for polished, finished pieces at this time of the year, but I was looking to build interest and stamina in my students. I was interested in finding out more about them as well as setting a writing tone in class.

Write Out! is tied to a national park theme, so the activities involve a video introduction to many different parks with a writing prompt tied to the park. For example, Golden Gate National Recreation Area is discussed and then the prompt is given: Create a story about someone who passes through an imaginary portal in the park. Where would this magic door lead? 

Students could freewrite on each of the 4 themes, in their notebooks (online or physical notebooks). An option would be to take one of their pieces to a finished product. If you haven't done much with writing yet this year, here's the perfect opportunity to set a tone, try pair-shares with rough drafts/ideas, use writers' notebooks and create final drafts.

Enjoy!

On another note, look for pieces coming up on writers notebooks and publishing student work.

Happy Writing!

Micki