Since 2008 or so, I’ve taught at numerous Young Authors Conferences (or Young Author’s or Authors’, depending on how your organization titles them!), and they are a blast. Kids who are excited to write and to work with professional writers for the day and hardworking organizers who care about literacy always combine to create a supercharged day or week of fun.
I do different activities every year, all centered around poetry. Here are some blog posts about some of the sessions I’ve led. The writing these kids produce is amazing, and I love seeing how supported and encouraged they feel. I usually share my activities on my blog, too, so that teachers can try them out in their classrooms.
Praising Everything (Odes lesson plan)
In Praise of Music and Dish Soap (Student work)
Poems of Hope and Fear (Student work)
When Pencils Get Emotional (Mask poem lesson plan and student work)
Wordplay Poems (Lesson plan)
Wordplay Poems (Student work 1 and 2)