As I began writing this middle grades chapter book, I shared drafts of the chapters on serendipityjournal.blog. Children from all over the world were invited to be my editors, and they took me up on the offer. It was an incredible journey!
There are many reasons I did this. First, I love to write and I love to inspire children to see themselves as writers. Second, research has shown that writing and reading for an authentic purpose has a significant impact on student achievement and student engagement. Third, students are wonderful editors because they are so honest. I am writing this book for them. Who better to get feedback from?
Here is my original post about this process:
My why for writing this book dates back to my first years as a teacher. I was teaching my students about William Glasser’s Choice Theory and I dreamed of writing a realistic fiction chapter book that would teach them the concepts. That dream will be coming true, chapter by chapter, week by week. Right here. And each chapter will bring an opportunity for children to proofread, to give feedback, to ask questions, to point out errors, to show me where to elaborate, and more.
Some of what I write is autobiographical and some of it is my mom’s story. Other parts are completely fictional. As I share the chapters, I will also share some “behind the scenes” information about the section of the story.
I plan on posting new chapters on Sundays, ready in time for school on Monday. My hope is that teachers will use this process to help engage their students in reading and writing in a real and authentic way. I am not sure of my schedule yet, I would love to post weekly but that may be too ambitious. We will be working through this process and learning together.
Okay, are you ready? Ready to get started with The Serendipity Journal?
Let’s go! Click here to begin the journey with me!
The Serendipity Journal 