#Proudauthors at Forest Road School read their newly-published classbook for the first time.
There’s nothing more inspiring than watching students put 110% effort into something as creative and constructive as a classroom project. And few projects are quite as rewarding—or as fun!—as publishing a classbook together.
Encouraging students to not only write but publish their very own books gives them a unique opportunity to learn, grow and explore the boundaries of their own potential. At Studentreasures, we believe every student deserves that opportunity. But why exactly is publishing the best to inspire and motivate students?
#1: Publishing grants students a deeper understanding and appreciation of the written word.
Books can seem like mysterious objects that simply appear of their own volition on the shelves of classrooms, libraries and bookstores. But once your students dive in and discover the publishing process for themselves, they’ll understand just how much hard work and dedication has gone into every book they’ve read.
Having published a book themselves, your students will remember the deliberate choices they made when telling their stories and be able to compare and contrast their own writing strategies with those of other published authors. This, in turn, helps improve both reading comprehension and writing—and makes for more interesting class discussions!
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#2: Publishing motivates students to learn and build upon valuable, real-world skills.
Of course, there’s more to a classbook project than just good reading and writing practice. During the process of writing their book together as a class, your students will learn how to communicate more effectively as part of a team. They’ll witness firsthand how individual strengths contribute to a common goal, and how to break down long-term projects into smaller, more manageable milestones.
Perhaps most importantly, working through the publishing process will show your students the importance of editing. Building up the discipline to go back, review and revise your own work is valuable far beyond its usefulness in the classroom. It’s the key to doing great work and achieving amazing things, both now and in the future—and that’s something every kid should be able to look forward to!
#3: Publishing your students’ writing is inspiring and empowering.
One of the things that makes a classbook project so special is the enthusiasm and confidence that being published inspires in young children. Writing their very own book is exciting enough, but knowing that it will be a professionally bound book on a shelf where everyone can see and read it? That’s powerful stuff.
The prospect of being published motivates students to do their best because of the broader audience it will reach. Even better, it shows them that they, too, have the power not just to consume, but to create—to be authors of their own stories. It’s a thrilling experience, one that they won’t soon forget—because they’ll always have a beautiful book sitting on a shelf somewhere waiting to remind them.
Ms. Davis’s #proudauthors can hardly contain their excitement about being published!
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Publishing isn’t merely a means to an end. It’s a process, a journey that begins with brainstorming and first drafts and leads to publication and celebration. But it doesn’t end there. The memories your students make and the lessons they’ve learned on their journey will stick with them long after publishing day.
For more resources to help your students write and publish their own classbooks, be sure to check out our online teacher’s lounge and sign up today for a free publishing kit!
Image sources: Lead image source; Images 3 via Twitter
