Book fairs are wonderlands for anyone who enjoys a good story. And, as someone who’s always loved fairy tales, Scholastic’s choice of “Enchanted Forest” for their elementary-level theme this fall truly speaks to me. I can’t wait to see what charming books my students will discover at the fair this year!
Of course, book fairs are an excellent opportunity for us teachers as well. There’s nothing like a good book fair for inspiring your students to read and write more imaginatively and passionately. These project ideas inspired by the Fall Scholastic Book Fair are as engaging as they are enchanting, and are sure to make for some magical memories this school year.
Project Idea #1: Changing the Narrative
For this project, start by choosing a book to read as a class, such as I Don’t Want to Be a Frog by Dev Petty or The Magician’s Hat by Malcolm Mitchell. As you read (or after you’ve finished the book, depending on its length), discuss the protagonist’s actions and reactions with your students and talk about why they behaved the way they did in the book. Was the hero kind? Did he or she make mistakes?
After your discussion, ask your students to write about what they would do differently if they were in a similar situation to the protagonist. For instance, if you were to read a book about a knight slaying a dragon, you might ask your students to imagine what they would do if they were the ones tasked with slaying a dragon. Would they try talking to it first, or consult a witch, for guidance? Why, or why not?
Last but not least, be sure to have your students illustrate their responses by drawing themselves in the scene they’ve described. Once the last t’s are crossed and i’s are dotted and their illustrations are complete, publish their work in a unique classbook that casts your students as the heroes of their own stories.
Project Idea #2: Fairy Tales Retold
In honor of the book fair theme this year, why not read a fairy tale or two? Perhaps, a retelling of a classic fairy tale, such as Kate and the Beanstalk or Prince Cinders? After reading your book together as a class, discuss how it differs from the classic version your students know and love. Ask them to think about how the author changed the fairy tale to make it their own while staying true to the main idea of the story.
Then, ask your students to use what they’ve learned to write their own fairy tale retelling—either of the fairy tale you’ve already discussed, or perhaps one of their own choosing. Once they’ve completed their first drafts, ask them to work together to peer edit each other’s work, paying special attention to whether the new version is different enough from the original to be considered a true retelling. Once their fairy tales are complete, ask them to provide storybook-style illustrations to accompany their writing. Finally, publish their work in a beautiful hardcover classbook full of old fairy tales with new twists.
Project Idea #3: Book Review
One of the best ways to teach your students to be more effective writers is to show them how to be more attentive readers. An in-depth look at a published author’s book is a fun way to examine literature and explore the writing process—especially when your students get to choose their own books! Ask your students to pick a book from this year’s Book Fair to read and review. (If they don’t purchase any from the fair, they may choose a book from the school library instead.)
Ask them to write about their reactions to their book, taking notes as they read before writing a long-form response once they’ve finished reading. How did the story make them feel? Were the characters familiar and easy to relate to? Was the plot exciting? For nonfiction books, they might describe what they thought of the subject of the book, and what about their life they found interesting.
Once they’ve finished writing, take photos of each student reading their chosen book—or, ask them to draw self-portraits of themselves reading their books. Then, publish their book reviews alongside their portraits in a classbook that’ll enchant bookworms and future young authors alike (not to mention, their parents!).
Project Idea #4: A Book of My Own
This project idea involves a quick class field trip—to your school’s Book Fair! Set aside some class time to take your students on a short tour through the fair. Ask them, as they walk, to imagine what it would be like to be a published author and see a book of their own on display. Once they’re back in the classroom, ask them to write about what they think it would be like to publish their own book. What would they write about? What kind of book would it be? For younger writers, this might be a simple, short opinion piece, while you may ask older students to write a narrative related to publishing their book. They could, for instance, describe seeing it on a shelf for the first time, or even signing their first autograph.
After writing, ask them to design cover art for their imaginary book. Have them draw a full-page color illustration of it, complete with title, blurbs and bylines. Finally—my favorite part!—publish their art and writing in a professionally bound and printed classbook so they can experience the thrill of becoming published authors for real!
Using a Book Fair to Inspire Your Young Authors
As Stephen King once wrote, “Books are a uniquely portable magic.” This fall, you can make your own students’ lives a little more magical by using this year’s Book Fair to inspire them both to read more and to write books of their own. Ask them to walk a mile in someone else’s story, come up with their own twists on classic fairy tales, write a book review or imagine writing a book of their own. Whatever they write about, remind your students that what matters most is that they do their best. With just a little faith and trust—and perhaps even some pixie dust—they can accomplish anything they set their minds to, including becoming published authors.
For more magical writing prompts and project ideas, we cordially invite you to check out our online teacher’s lounge and sign up for your free publishing kit today!
Image sources: Lead image via Twitter (cropped); Images 1, 2, 3, 4 via openclipart.com