NCTE · writing

Celebrate the National Day on Writing! #WhatIWrite

Stacey Shubitz
Top left: I use the notes feature on my phone when I don’t have a pen and paper handy. Bottom left: Notes for my daughter’s babysitter. Middle: A letter to a close friend. Right: Handwritten notes for a picture book idea.

I write… a lot.  I blog every day on a private, family-only blog I created for my daughter when she was born.  I blog about the teaching of writing here and about early childhood literacy over at Raising a Literate Human.  I Tweet and use  Facebook.  I make lists.  I craft letters and jot notes on my iPhone.  I leave notes for my daughter’s babysitter.  I write fiction (two separate picture book manuscripts that are constantly on my mind).  I use Treat to send birthday, get well, and encouragement cards to friends and family.  I believe in the power of a hand-written note on beautiful stationery.  I do all of these things because I am a writer.

US Senate Resolution 565 declares October 20, 2012, as the National Day on Writing.  However, most folks are not in school tomorrow, so NCTE has asked that people Tweet #WhatIWrite on October 19 and then “celebrate the Day when it’s convenient for you.”  When will you celebrate with your students?  How will you mark this special day?

Published by Stacey Shubitz

I am a literacy consultant who focuses on writing workshop. I've been working with K-6 teachers and students since 2009. Prior to that, I was a fourth and fifth-grade teacher in New York City and Rhode Island. I'm the author of Craft Moves (Stenhouse Publishers, 2016) and the co-author of Jump Into Writing (Zaner-Bloser, 2021), Welcome to Writing Workshop (Stenhouse Publishers, 2019), and Day By Day (Stenhouse, 2010). I live in Central Pennsylvania with my husband and children. In my free time, I enjoy swimming, doing Pilates, cooking, baking, making ice cream, and reading novels.

4 thoughts on “Celebrate the National Day on Writing! #WhatIWrite”

  1. Thanks for the reminder, Stacey. My kids write every day, and tomorrow I will get to continue my own writing, in pajamas and slippers, with a cup of coffee and my doggie for that defore dawn company. I can hardly wait!

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  2. All the teachers at school know, so hopefully they are writing for this today, Stacey. They do write nearly every day, so I imagine something will happen. I’ll be writing tomorrow for this especially. Thanks for reminding us about this special day.

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  3. This is our 4th year celebrating National Day of Writing. We do a Write-A-Thon for our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. We divide all of the kids into mixed age small groups (6 – 8 per group and at least 2 chaperones per group). Then, for about 2 hours – they walk around our neighborhood and make stops (at least 4) to write. We give them suggested stops – the levee, the cemetery, the old fire station, the park, the baseball statue, the historic post office (which is still operating) etc… At each stop, they find a quiet, comfortable spot and spend 10 – 15 minutes writing. Each child has a journal and they really enjoy writing outside of the classroom. Some students write one continuous story, others write more of a journal with their thoughts, fears, and feelings. Still others use the location as inspriration and write something different at each stop: a letter to a friend at the post office, a poem about the boats on the river, etc…. They bring their lunch and somewhere along the way, they stop to enjoy a lunch. We are lucky to live in an area where we can walk in our neighborhood and make interesting stops. If I ever teach at a school that is in a busier area, I would make it a field trip and go to City Park, The Botanical Gardens or the Zoo. Our parents and kids LOVE the Write-A-Thon, and what started as a one time event has now become a treasured celebration at our school. Look out Gretna – 150 kids and parents are hitting the streets in about 3 hours!

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