Stories are a key component to successful communication. That’s why I created my annual Be-a-Famous Writer Contest. The contest is now in it’s 9th year. Every year I select a theme. This year it is to write about Dragons. Teachers, I have a special page for you about the contest, so you can see how easy it is to enter. It’s all free, and if you win, your classroom is filled with books in every possible format! Really, what could be better?
All of the writing contest sponsors and I have something in common, our goals are to promote literacy. My sponsors also provide so many valuable resources to teachers. I’ve done a little round up of some of their recent blog posts that I think will aide in the final month of my writing contest. The contest closes for entries on December 15th.
I love this article from Tales2GO. It sets the stage for the power of a good story. It’s called The Irresistible Power of Storytelling. There are some great research links in the article for you as teachers. Our brains love a good story, and this article will give you the proof of that statement.
It will be fun for your students to learn how the illustrations are added to a picture book. This post from Cantata Learning, may inspire your students with the story they are working on. It’s a behind the scenes look at how art is added to a picture book. Every year when the winning classroom sees how our illustrator imagined their story, it’s always fun to learn their reactions.
This reading journal that you can download for free from Mackin Educational Services has a wonderful story map for students. This can aide them in plotting out their own stories for my writing contest.
Students are often inspired by other writers. One of the prizes this year for winning classrooms is a book called "Our Story Begins", edited by Elissa Brent Weissman. It’s a compilation of childhood works by some of today’s foremost children’s authors and illustrators, sharing the moments that inspired them to write or create as well as their earliest works. For your classroom you can use this amazing curriculum guide. There are many ideas to spark the writing muscle.
I am also excited to share a PDF for your classroom on How to Draw Dragons. Download How to draw 6 different Peace Dragons This is from Linda Ragsdale and her Peace Dragon Project. She has inspired so many classrooms with her work.
So happy writing everyone! I can’t wait to read your stories!
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