YOUNG AUTHORS
Guidelines for Parents: WRITING MUST BE YOUR ORIGINAL WORK.
ALL Kdg- 8th
students participate. DUE JUNE 1st
Participating in Young Authors can help your child develop
essential skills to further their mastery in writing. Here's how you can help
your child be a successful young author:
• Examine a variety of books. Take time to experience a wide variety of genres,
and explore many different authors and illustrators.
• Use the writing process practiced in class
• Make the entire book your very own work. Avoid retelling any story that has
already been written.
• Be Creative. Illustrations are a great addition to a writing piece.
• Books may be typed, written in manuscript or cursive, or word processed. If
the book is typed by someone other than the author, be sure to give the typist
a credit in your book.
• As a young author, remember that factual reports and essays may not score as
well as more imaginative writing.
• Keep your writing focused.
• The format of the book is up to the author. Shape, size, illustrations and
layout are often clues to a book's content. Be creative and use your
imagination when designing and illustrating your book.
• Refer to U.S. Department of Education's
website for parent information
about how to Help Your Child Learn to Write Well. It can be found at www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Writing/index.html
• Read your child's writing.
• Ask questions that might help your child expand his or her writing or make it
clearer.
• Encourage your child to edit; but don't be the editor.
• Allow your child to: "own" his or her writing. He/she retains the
right to make changes.
• Use the revising and editing checklists (rubric) with your child.
• Celebrate the publication of your child's book!
