Kids As Authors

We had recess yesterday, which I supervise on Mondays only. There were kids clustered around the classroom playing games, doing art projects, and working on Mad Libs. One of my students, E, came over to me and asked, “Remember that book contest you told us about a few months ago?”
I raised my eyebrow. Really, I had no idea what she was talking about. “Can you be more specific?”
“That thing you told us about. Remember?” E said.
I really didn’t so I shook my head. Thankfully she didn’t get exasperated with me.
“A few months ago you told us about this contest that some company has for publishing books. You said that if we did all of our work, then you’d help us write a book for the contest,” she said.
“Oh that!” I replied. “That’s the Scholastic Kids As Authors Contest.”
“Yeah, that one!”
“Okay, so are you interested E?”
“Yeah, I am,” she said shuffling her feet back and forth, “but I’m not the only one.”
“That’s good because you can’t work on it by yourself, it has to be a team of you.”
“Well there are two other girls who I want to work on it with,” she said.
“That’s good. Who are they? They have to be kids who are doing their schoolwork already,” I said, hopeful that the girls she selected would be.
“It’s K and G,” she said as she leaned-in close. “They do their work, right?”
I nodded and smiled.

E called the two of them over and I began telling them that they had to begin brainstorming ideas for the book they wanted to publish. They chatted with me for a couple of minutes, then went off to start thinking. Where did they go? Well, to the best spot in the room. The girls walked over to the clothesline that holds the laminated copies of all of the books we’ve read thus far this year. They began talking about which books they liked, which stories were good ones, and which ones might be good ones to reread before they pick an idea. I couldn’t have planned their response better unless I had told them what to do. But they didn’t need to be told. They know that writers learn from other writers. They know that writers get ideas from other books. They know this because they are writers.

* * * * * * *

By the time I picked the class up from lunch, I was informed that more people had joined the group to work on the book.
“I hope it’s not more than two more people, because more than five is going to get messy!” I told E.
“It’s actually just two more girls,” she replied.
“Good. Good.” I said.