Day 4: Publish and Share It!

I hope you’re having as much fun as I am this week with this 5-day series on writing.  It’s been quite refreshing to go back through all these books that I read once upon a time and ground myself again in their theories and principals for teaching my young writers.  If you’re new to this series, please click on the image above or HERE to see the introduction and all the topics discussed so far.

Today, I want to talk about the process of publishing and sharing.  This post won’t be as long as the posts earlier in the week {I know you’re probably excited about that!}, but publishing and sharing is probably the most exciting step in the writing process.
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What Does it Mean to Publish a Piece?

While the answer may vary from teacher to teacher or work to work, publishing means that the piece of work is finalized in some manner.  Calkins says that it is ideal that “our methods of publication should be as authentic as possible.  Texts should be published in ways that match the author’s intentions.” (The Art of Teaching Writing, 268)  It might be handwritten or typed up on the computer, with illustrations added.

Covers can be added to the front and back and the papers all stapled together to make a book.  Dedication pages or “about the author” pages can even be added.  Sometimes, finished work can be bound into a hardback book.  I still have a story my teacher had bound into a book that I wrote as a 3rd grader.  It is most certainly a prized possession!  I read it every year to my class and have read it to my own kids several times.

Published pieces should be cherished.  These pieces should be kept with the classics on our shelves.  When we read them aloud, we need to comment on the author’s craft, just like we would those classics. Our young author’s work should be esteemed as valuable.

What Gets Published?

Kids need to understand that they do not have to publish every piece they write.  “Real” authors don’t do this either.  Some pieces do not resonate with them as well and those pieces are either trashed or saved for another time.  Our kids need to have this freedom, too.

Why Publish?

“‘Why publish?’ is closely connected with ‘Why write?’  Writing is a public act, meant to be shared with many audiences.” (Writing: Teachers and Children at Work, 54)  Graves goes on to give two main reasons to publish: 1-it contributes greatly to a writer’s development and 2- it contributes to a greater sense of audience.  Routman also makes a good point: “When [kids] know their writing will be published for interested audiences, they put more effort into all aspects of writing.” (Writing Essentials, 204)  It all goes back to making learning meaningful and authentic.

{photo source}

Share it!

I will admit, this is probably the part of writing that I miss the most as a homeschooler.  The classroom is filled with opportunities to share our work with others.  Kids can write about their expert topics and teach one other.  The homeschool scene can be a bit different, especially if your family is smaller.  Who is the audience?  It may be more of a challenge to build that authentic audience as a homeschooler, but I believe it can and should be done.  In my guest post on Not Consumed, I give several suggestions on building an authentic audience for our young writers.

Stay tuned tomorrow!  I hope to provide you with a more practical side of all the things we’ve talked about this week.

Would you like to see more of the topics covered in this iHomeschool Network 5-day series hopscotch?  Then, click here or on the image above!

~Becky