One of my favorite parts of the writing process is sharing the final product. For our nonfiction unit, the students used the program BookCreator to publish their final draft of their informational books. They were able to choose any topic of interest to research. Their books were required to have a table of contents, at least four chapters, a glossary, and several text features. When it was time to present, we celebrated our successful unit with a “publishing party”. Each student presented their book and we had cookies and juice!
If I could choose one word to describe these students this week it would be courageous. It is no easy task to share something that you have created with others. In fact, public speaking is one of the biggest phobias of American adults. The students did a great job supporting each other and being good audience members. It was a great introduction into our next writing and speaking challenge: persuasive speeches!

Some of the standards we have covered with this project are: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. ​Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic. Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.