jaimie k's reflection to graves ch. 6 & 7...

I think publishing sounds like so much fun! It’s a great way to help kids become more excited and interested in writing. As I’ve said many times before, I personally don’t enjoy writing; but there’s something about seeing your work published. I remember in elementary we used to have these books that the school would publish. They were compilations of students work in every grade. I know I made it in there at least once. I was so proud of myself because I knew other people would be reading it. It was especially nice to hear praises from my parents, grandparents, family members, and peers.

There’s that sense of pride and accomplishment the students can gain. They want to show everyone, they want everybody to see that their work was good enough to be published in a book.

When Graves was talking about publishing for an audience, I thought of Mem Fox. Graves says, “publishing solidifies the reasons for writing in the first place. It’s like how Fox says to write for purpose. There’s meaning behind the assignment and it’s a real life situation. The kids are actually going to receive feedback from their audience; therefore they’ll work harder, produce better quality work, and feel more of an accomplishment when it’s through.

That also ties in with chapter 7. If the students know that their writings will be shared during class time and treated as literature, then again they’ll work harder. Then they know that there’s an audience for each of their writings; their peers.

I love that Graves explains, in detail, all of these great ideas. Hopefully when I become a teacher, I can implement these things into my curriculum.