Writing Camp: Become a Reviewer!

How do we get children to become excited about writing? By making it authentic, purposeful, and about topics THEY'RE interested in. Surprisingly, it is unbelievably natural for children to write persuasive reviews because their instincts are always to convince others that their favorite toys, movies, restaurants, and games are the BEST. * This writing is in the likes of a very early persuasive essay. 

During this week-long camp, children engage in the writing process of brainstorming, planning, writing, revising, and editing. Each class begins with a 10 minute mini-lesson. In this lesson I teach a new writing skill, model it, and then students will try it as a group. Then, we'll have about 10 minutes to discuss and write! During this time, each child may be working on something different. At the end of each class, we'll have a "share" in which students have an opportunity to share what they worked on, the skill from the mini-lesson will be reinforced, or we'll touch on an additional skill to be utilized. 

In general: Students will have time during each class to brainstorm and write, whether beginning a new review or continuing one from the day before. We will all bounce ideas off one another, share, and give feedback. Throughout the week, children are expected to write about 2-3 reviews. Due to the duration of this class, I encourage children to continue writing for about 10 minutes after class ends each day.  

Sample of the type of writing students will create in this class: 
Have you ever seen the movie, Frozen?! If not, you need to see it right away! I give it 5 stars because it is the BEST Disney movie ever. One reason why I like Frozen is because the main characters, Anna and Elsa, are sisters. They remind me of my sister and I. 
Another reason why I like the movie Frozen is because the character, Olaf, is hilarious! He's a snowman, but he's always losing his buttons and carrot-nose. Some people might like the movie, Aladdin, better, but I say Frozen is the best because the music is catchier than in Aladdin! You can stream Frozen on Disney+. I suggest you do it right away! 

* In this camp, most of the teaching points are genre-specific or elaboration strategies, in order to help writers create Reviews. The focus is not on handwriting and spelling... these are skills your child will have to manage on his or her own. Depending on your child's background in writing, and level of independence, this may cause some discomfort, but that's okay! All children know a lot about how words look and sound, and this camp will allow them to experiment and become more comfortable with the unknown!