Developing Young Writers in the Classroom : I've Got Something to Say

Educators want young people to grow up knowing that writing is an important and deeply satisfying life skill, one that helps them make more sense of themselves and their world, and one that helps them to communicate effectively. Sadly, too often writing becomes merely an exercise in ‘getting words right’, or writing to teacher-prescribed tasks.

Developing Young Writers in the Classroom explores the principles of developing literacy through authorship, allowing children to describe, question and celebrate their own experiences and personal creativity. The book offers detailed guidance, supported by planning documents, poetry and prose, examples of children’s work and stimulating visuals.

Inspiring topics explored include:

• creating a classroom environment which supports an independent writer
• students’ lives brought into the classroom
• finding significance in our experiences
• the use of memoir for recording experiences
• description in all kinds of writing
• choosing and writing about a character
• writing in all curriculum areas
• linking reading and writing
• using other authors as mentors and teachers
• collaborative learning.

Illustrated throughout with accessible activities and ideas from literature and poetry, Developing Young Writers in the Classroom is an essential resource for all teachers wishing to inspire writing in the classroom.

Gail Loane is an Educational Consultant based in New Zealand, where she is well known for tutoring and coaching school leaders and teachers in the development of literacy. Gail has previously worked as a teacher, associate principal, principal and school adviser, as well as on a range of national projects for the Ministry of Education, New Zealand.

Sally Muir has been a successful teacher of writing and now writes for other teachers. She has worked alongside Gail on national projects and as a teacher educator for the past fifteen years, developing ideas and resources for their work in schools.