09 Publishing

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Start-Up Activity

Share this story with your students: Kent Brown, publisher of Highlights for Children, knows that publishing is very powerful. He remembers when his fourth-grade teacher posted his Thanksgiving story on the wall. He felt proud to have his story published. That one simple act helped Kent decide on a career in the publishing industry.

Ask your students about their publishing experiences. When were they proudest to share their writing?

Think About It

“You write to be read. That is the bottom line.”

—Jane Yolen

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Designing Your Writing

Walk your students through the basic points of design listed on this page:

  • Title and headings
  • Margins and spacing
  • Graphics

Use the following two pages to demonstrate each point as you discuss it.

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Effective Design in Action

Point out that the annotations for the model identify design features. Then read through the model with your students (continuing to the next page). Afterward, discuss how the design features make the ideas clearer and make the reading easier. Help your students understand that good design is not about flash and bang, but about communicating ideas clearly.

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Effective Design in Action (Continued)

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Creating a Classroom Portfolio

Use this page if you would like your students to build portfolios of their writing. The page describes a showcase portfolio (including only the best work of each student) and a growth portfolio (showing how a student progressed in writing over time). The following page in the student handbook gives specific tips to help students build their writing portfolios.

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Five Tips for a Super Portfolio

Review the five tips on this page to help students build a portfolio. The self-evaluation of each piece in the portfolio is a powerful activity that can help your students reflect on specific pieces of writing. The letter of introduction takes that reflection one step further to help your students think in general about their development as writers.

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Publishing Ideas

Remind students that publishing means "making ideas public." Talk through these publishing options and ask students which option most interests them.

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