About every 6 weeks I have a writing celebration in my classroom. It is usually when we are finishing a unit in writing and getting ready to begin a new one. The students pick one piece from their writing folder to "fancy up". This "fancy up" process takes about 4 days. They get to work with a buddy, conference with me, and then write the final copy on fancy paper. The day before the celebration we have a rehearsal. For the celebration I invite families and other teachers from the building to come in and listen to the stories. One by one the students sit in the rocking chair and read the writing aloud to the audience. After every student has had a chance to share we do a toast. Holding up their apple juice the students repeat "Here's to good writing today, yesterday, and tomorrow."
For this past writers celebration I decided to switch it up. We had just finished our How To writing unit. Throughout the unit we would watch videos online that taught us how to do things. The students loved watching the videos and used them as inspiration in their writing. That's when I came up with the idea of video taping them performing their How To writing. I used a flip video camera and the students were in charge of bringing their own props. We made an anchor chart about how to make a good video. After all the videos were done we had a viewing party. The students loved watching themselves and their classmates on T.V! Using a video was a great way to include parents in the celebration who couldn't be there during the day. The parents could go to our class website and watch the video. I had some students who said that they showed even their extended families the videos...all the way in India!
Because of their age I did not have them edit the videos, just following their script and acting out the parts was enough for them.
I am already thinking about how I could use videos more in my classroom. I am thinking that for our Fairy Tale unit I could have them get into groups and turn it into a play! We shall see!
You make we want to go back to elementary school! What great ideas. I love that you celebrate writing. Students in the upper grades see it as such a loathsome chore. Recording them reading their writing also provides a different kind of public speaking opportunity. What fun!
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