Kids are Authors

Subject Area(s):

• K-12: Language Arts

Grade Level(s):

• 3rd-4th Grade

Description:

This is a multi session project to be completed with the classroom teacher and the LMS. Students will write, illustrate and publish their own books. Books will contain at least 3 chapters and have at least 5 paragraphs per chapter.

Goals & Objectives:

Students will write, illustrate and publish their own books.  Books will contain at least 3 chapters and have at least 5 paragraphs per chapter.  Students will:

1. Learn the main parts of a book – Front and Back Covers, Title Page, Copyright Page, Table of Contents and Body
2. Describe the theme of their books.
3. Learn what the setting is, and describe the settings of their books.
4. List and give short descriptions of their characters.
5. Learn what an outline is and how to use it to layout their stories.
6. Write and proofread a draft of their stories.
7. Design the front and back covers of their books
8. Create a title page, copyright page, and table of contents
9. “Typeset” their stories and Tables of contents.
10. Illustrate their stories.

Materials:

Students will need a writing journal and a folder to keep their notes in.  Later on, they will need drawing supplies.

Procedures:

Week 1 – Introduce Project

Introduce the project to the class.  Show and discuss the main parts of a book (Front and back covers, title page, copyright page, table of contents, body).  Students will make a list of story ideas for their stories, and choose one over the next week.

Week 2 – Settings, Characters, and Outlines

Have students submit story ideas.  Have them write the setting of their story and list the characters.  Discuss what is an outline.  Have students list outline ideas over the next week.

Week 3 – Outline

Have students write their outlines using the setting, list of characters, and the ideas they wrote down over the past week.

Week 4 – Story Draft

Using the outline, setting, and list of characters, students will write a rough draft of their story. Drafts not completed during Library time will be completed over the next week.  Classroom teachers will assist with grammar and style.

Week 5 – Title and Copyright Pages

Students will submit the rough draft of their stories along with the setting, list of characters and outline.  The LMS and or the classroom teacher will proofread and critique.  Students will also create the final drafts of their Title and Copyright pages.  Discuss publishers and copyrights.

Week 6 – Revise Drafts

Students will revise the drafts of their stories using the comments from teacher.  If there are any common edits, discuss them in class.

Week 7 – Table of Contents

Write the Table of Contents draft.  Discuss formats of the TOC.  Continue with story revisions as necessary.

Week 8+ - Publishing

Copy the finished story onto good paper.  Copy and correctly number the TOC.  Illustrate the book.  Draw Front and Back covers.

Assessment:

Students will be graded on grammar, style, story line, formatting, and art.

Standards:

National Information Literacy Standards (K-12)

Uses information accurately and creatively

• Produces and communicates information and ideas in appropriate formats

Appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.

• Develops creative products in a variety of formats.

Information Skills and Subskills (K-16)

Organization

• Summarizes/synthesizes/classifies final information
• Sequences final information
• Organizes final information for presentation

Presentation

• Assembles organized information for presentation
• Reviews presentation for grammatical, spelling, and other errors
• Presents results
• Subject: K-12: Language Arts

National Content Standards (K-12)

Writing

• Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process
• Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in written compositions
• Gathers and uses information for research purposes