Our world is full of stories. From listening to bedtime stories to sharing stories with friends, storytelling forms part of all of our lives. The act of writing a story, however, can be a daunting process for children and adults alike. Indeed, stories of writer’s block and the blank page syndrome abound. The books featured below support young writers in a range of engaging ways as they embark on their journeys to become authors.
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How to Write A Story
by Kate Messner (author) and Mark Siegel (illustrator)
Review: This colourfully illustrated book introduces children to the different stages of story writing. Divided into 10 steps, ranging from the initial stage of collecting ideas to planning the story, to finding ways to make it better and ultimately sharing the story, this book presents the writing process in an engaging and inviting way. Its friendly, age-appropriate writing style and illustrations, make the process of writing a story both fun and exciting. By the time I had finished this, I was ready to have a go at writing a story myself!
Suggested Reading Age: 5 – 8 years
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Students create a writing ideas journal. Ask them to personalise the covers with pictures or words that inspire them. Take students out of their usual environment (class/home) and go on an ideas hunt. Go outside, go on a “wonder walk”, visit a museum or art gallery, for example.
Secrets of Storytelling
by Natalie Romella
Review: This is so much more than “simply” a workbook. Quotes by well-known authors and user-friendly writing tips serve to inspire and develop the skills of young writers. Bright, colourful pages and word splashes invite students in. Topics ranging from the practicalities of writing (such as where to write) to the craft of writing (creating a backstory), to ways to deal with challenges they encounter along the way (feeling stuck) are all explored. The 100 creative writing prompts included provide a huge range of scope to practise, develop and refine new skills.
Suggested Reading Age: 8 – 12 years
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tips: A Space of My Own: Students set up their own writing space to suit their needs – this could be underneath a desk, sat on the floor, with a cushion for comfort or curled up in a corner somewhere.
Powerful Prompts: Students brainstorm some writing prompts of their own. Put these in a jar or pin them up on a “Writer’s Wall”.
Magical Mood Boards: Create a mood board with inspiring pictures and quotes.
The Usborne Creative Writer’s Handbook
Review: This visually appealing book helps young writers to further develop their emerging writing skills. Techniques such as reverse planning and developing characters’ inner thoughts are discussed in a clear and approachable manner, providing plenty of opportunities to extend students’ writing. The book has a wide-ranging appeal with genres such as blogging and persuasive writing addressed in addition to creative writing, poetry and song, and non-fiction. The pages for jotting down notes at the end, along with inspirational quotes from well-known authors, help to make this a great addition to any young writer’s toolkit.
Suggested Reading Age: Grades 4 – 8 (many older writers would also benefit from the tips given, however.)
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Inspirational quotes – Being inspired by others is a strong motivational tool. Encourage students to collect their own inspirational quotes from favourite authors. These can be posted on a writing wall, on a digital site, or inside their own writing journal. Likewise, favourite song lyrics and lines of poetry can be collated and shared with others with links to the entire song and/or poem.
Teen Writer’s Guide: Your Road Map to Writing
by Jennifer Jenkins
Review: The Teen Writer’s Guide uses the analogy of a road trip to steer its readers through the writing process. Full of anecdotes from the author, this is a fun, accessible and highly informative read. The text is interspersed with short “Travel log notes” which take the guise of amusing or helpful asides. Chapters such as “Choosing the Right Vehicle”, “The Fuel That Keeps Things Moving” and “Navigating Detours”, guide the writer to the end goal of publishing their work. This enjoyable journey through the writing process should appeal to the most reluctant of writers. American readers, please note the assignments featured at the end of each chapter align with the Common Core.
Suggested Reading Age: 13 to 17 years
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tips: My Roadmap: Students take an old map and literally plan out their writing roadmap on it. Alternatively, students create a Google map with directions detailing the writing process.
My Guide: Students create their own teen writer’s guide, this could be in the form of a blog or published book.
Go Teen Writers: Write Your Novel
by Stephanie Morrill, Jill Williamson and Shannon Dittemore
Review: Written in an engaging and highly accessible style, this book is a treasure trove of information. Full of ideas, practical examples and exercises, it is sure to inspire any aspiring writer. Divided into three sections (Pre-writing, Writing Your Story and Finishing Your Novel) the authors draw on their own experiences to bring the process to life. “Make it Yours” sections provide guidance or leading questions that help the reader to apply the techniques discussed to their own work. Timeline tools and story plotting charts are just two of the many planning tools included. This is a great resource for writers of any age!
Suggested Reading Age: 13 – 18 years
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Check out the GoTeenWriters blog run by the authors of the book. Packed full of resources and ideas, this is another great source of inspiration for young writers. With plenty of free downloads, as well as information about plot, editing and getting published, this site is well worth a visit. Do note the following disclaimer on the site “Books, movies, or other stories mentioned on this website may contain content that is too mature for a more sensitive audience.”
Happy Reading!
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tips
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