Our First "Published" Steig Story!

Leland was the man of the hour.

He worked very hard on his Steig Story. As you may remember, this was our first big Writers Workshop piece - a story written using some of the elements found in many picture books written by William Steig. The main characters had to be animals, there had to be a problem (usually the character losing his way from home), there had to be a magic element, and the story should end happily.

Leland's story is about a "rather plump mammoth" who was kidnapped. Leland first wrote a story organizer, then used this to start his story. He wrote it in his own words using whatever spelling strategies he had. There were several times when we had peer reviews - Leland would read his story aloud and children would give kind compliments or helpful suggestions. Then, Leland circled the words he thought he may have misspelled, added some punctuation, and gave it to his editor (that's me).

I made all the corrections for spelling and punctuation, but I didn't touch Leland's words. They are just as he wrote them.

Leland then told me where to put the page breaks - this is where he thought an illustration would work best. After illustrations were complete, and the cover was made, it was ready for the presses! Each child got a copy to take home. I get to keep one for Leland's portfolio, and one for my permanent collection in the classroom library (for future classes to enjoy for years to come). And Leland got to take the original home, to share with his proud parents.

Isaya and Mia were thrilled to get their copies, and read it right away.

I hope everyone enjoys the copy of Leland's book, and reads it with enthusiasm with your child. Publishing stories is an invaluable way of inspiring young writers.

Soon, each child will have a similar experience, and I'll be sure to share their proud moments here on this blog, with all of you.