Brilliant session on Saturday! I know I seem to say this after every session but that is because every session is fantastic! Eleven children were in attendance and, in keeping with the Research theme started with the previous session's assignment, I split the children into pairs and had them interview one another. This was a HUGE success. It got them talking - even the really shy ones - and they used their initiatives - making lists of each other's answers. I tell you with no hesitation that these youngsters never cease to amaze and surprise me! I get so excited when a session is coming up because I never know what they might spring on me or how they'll interpret my suggestions. So so proud of them all!
The assignment set was to find out about something that a grown up in the family experienced when they were little and write a short story about it. If these can be handed in next session, that would be great.
I have been asked by the library staff to come up with the post-Christmas session dates and as soon as I have these I will let you all know.
Maddie the AYW bear is still doing the rounds. She is having more sleepovers than I have ever had in my life! Zenani has her this time, so she is slowly working her way round everyone. Be interesting to read the Maddie diaries when they are done. I don't get a look in at the moment so I might pinch her back the last session before Christmas and read through them over the break.
Some excellent news, by the way! I have had a couple of articles published about running AYW and I have recently heard that on the strength of the most recent one, at least one group has been started in Bristol and another is being developed somewhere else. This is so exciting I can hardly contain myself! Getting more people to set up more groups has been one of the things driving me on to make this one - the pioneering one - such a success, so I shall be contacting the people behind these over the next few days because the more support we give each other, the stronger the scheme will become, so watch this space, I will be updating!
Next session is Saturday 22nd November - eek! Christmas will then be just four and a bit weeks away!
Love Jilly xxx
Monday, 10 November 2014
Thursday, 6 November 2014
Saturday Is Almost Here
Just a brief reminder that there will be a Young Writer session this weekend (Saturday 8th) at the library as usual, so looking forward to seeing you there. Also to let you know I have compiled a scrap book featuring some of the work displayed in last month's exhibition which I will be bringing along to show everyone. I hope you like it. So see you Saturday and Good Writing.
Tuesday, 28 October 2014
Session Feedback ...
Sorry it has taken me a few days to come back to you following last week's brilliant session. After my five day break last week up near Newcastle, getting back late Friday and getting everything ready for the Saturday morning, I am still trying to catch myself up!
Good session Saturday. Had two new members, so big hi and welcome to Sarah and Ines. There are now eighteen Young Writers on my books and the sessions have settled down to around ten in attendance which is excellent progress. The theme for the session was Halloween. We discussed poetry, stories and even creating magic potions, I also explained to the children that we would be looking at the mechanics of writing as well from now on - working to a deadline and within a word (or line) limit for example, and doing research, looking at other aspects of writing that we have barely touched on - such as writing reports and reviews. I am not sure how much they grasped, but I will make sure it is all explained as we go along. And, of course, that it is fun!
I made a couple of announcements. The first is that there is going to be a bi-monthly newsletter which I am hoping to start in the New Year. I have set the children the challenge of coming up with a name for our little publication and asked that they come back with their suggestions next session. I set the ball rolling with a couple of very basic ideas - The AYW Newsheet and AYW News. I explained that their titles do not need to actually feature the words Addiscombe Young Writers at all, rather like the group's first publication Word Magic. One has already suggested something to do with the group mascot Maddie Bear; which is quite appropriate since the Maddie Diary is doing the rounds. So far she has spent time at Sophia and Mateus's house, Holly's house - and last week Abbie was selected to become her guardian. Once all the suggestions are in for the title, we will have a volunteer pull the winner out of the hat. All very exciting stuff!
I also told the members that I am going to create a display book featuring some of their work from the exhibition, which will be available for everyone to look at since I'll be bringing it along to the sessions once it is finished. That way we will have a permanent record.
With the exhibition over, we are now going to go back to regular assignments. For the mums, dads and guardians of the recent newbies, I'd just like to reiterate a couple of things. Firstly, the children do not have to participate in the assignments if they don't want to, or if it is a subject in which they have little interest; however by taking part and handing their completed assignments in, they are working their way through the Certificate Trail, which gives them some incentive, and hopefully, as they progress, a sense of achievement. All members receive a Blue Certificate upon joining, a Red certificate upon completion of four assignments, a Purple one on completion of eight and a Rainbow one on completion of twelve. Once they have worked their way up to Rainbow, they go into the next Band of certificates - which differentiate from their original certificates because they will be labelled thus; Red Certificate - Band Two, Purple Certificate - Band Two and Rainbow Certificate - Band Two, and so on until they get bored and leave or simply outgrow the group.
The assignment I set last Saturday was for the children to get to grips with doing research by finding out what they can about Halloween - either by going online or by looking in books - and then to tell me what they found out by writing a short report. If this can be completed by the next session that would be helpful. And the next session of course, will be on Saturday 8th of November.
Always grateful for any feedback or comments on the blog; you wouldn't believe how much it helps me to plan ahead, so please do not be afraid to get in touch.
See you all on the 8th then. Good Writing everyone xx
Good session Saturday. Had two new members, so big hi and welcome to Sarah and Ines. There are now eighteen Young Writers on my books and the sessions have settled down to around ten in attendance which is excellent progress. The theme for the session was Halloween. We discussed poetry, stories and even creating magic potions, I also explained to the children that we would be looking at the mechanics of writing as well from now on - working to a deadline and within a word (or line) limit for example, and doing research, looking at other aspects of writing that we have barely touched on - such as writing reports and reviews. I am not sure how much they grasped, but I will make sure it is all explained as we go along. And, of course, that it is fun!
I made a couple of announcements. The first is that there is going to be a bi-monthly newsletter which I am hoping to start in the New Year. I have set the children the challenge of coming up with a name for our little publication and asked that they come back with their suggestions next session. I set the ball rolling with a couple of very basic ideas - The AYW Newsheet and AYW News. I explained that their titles do not need to actually feature the words Addiscombe Young Writers at all, rather like the group's first publication Word Magic. One has already suggested something to do with the group mascot Maddie Bear; which is quite appropriate since the Maddie Diary is doing the rounds. So far she has spent time at Sophia and Mateus's house, Holly's house - and last week Abbie was selected to become her guardian. Once all the suggestions are in for the title, we will have a volunteer pull the winner out of the hat. All very exciting stuff!
I also told the members that I am going to create a display book featuring some of their work from the exhibition, which will be available for everyone to look at since I'll be bringing it along to the sessions once it is finished. That way we will have a permanent record.
With the exhibition over, we are now going to go back to regular assignments. For the mums, dads and guardians of the recent newbies, I'd just like to reiterate a couple of things. Firstly, the children do not have to participate in the assignments if they don't want to, or if it is a subject in which they have little interest; however by taking part and handing their completed assignments in, they are working their way through the Certificate Trail, which gives them some incentive, and hopefully, as they progress, a sense of achievement. All members receive a Blue Certificate upon joining, a Red certificate upon completion of four assignments, a Purple one on completion of eight and a Rainbow one on completion of twelve. Once they have worked their way up to Rainbow, they go into the next Band of certificates - which differentiate from their original certificates because they will be labelled thus; Red Certificate - Band Two, Purple Certificate - Band Two and Rainbow Certificate - Band Two, and so on until they get bored and leave or simply outgrow the group.
The assignment I set last Saturday was for the children to get to grips with doing research by finding out what they can about Halloween - either by going online or by looking in books - and then to tell me what they found out by writing a short report. If this can be completed by the next session that would be helpful. And the next session of course, will be on Saturday 8th of November.
Always grateful for any feedback or comments on the blog; you wouldn't believe how much it helps me to plan ahead, so please do not be afraid to get in touch.
See you all on the 8th then. Good Writing everyone xx
Sunday, 12 October 2014
Great Session...
Had a truly excellent session with the Young Writers yesterday! We went over to our display as an excited little group and there is nothing - and I mean nothing - in the world that can compare to the thrill it gave me to see these children excitedly pointing out their work. They were kneeling down, crouching, laying on the floor - anything that would get them close to their piece of work so they could read it over and over again. It was an amazing and, from a purely selfish point of view, emotional moment for me because I can remember how it feels to see your first success right there in black and white (or in colour as most of these are) in front of your eyes.
After a photo call we all went back to our table and I asked them to describe how they felt seeing their work on display. I took some interesting photos of them bent of their notebooks as they fervently scribbled away. As they finished one by one, I suggested they make the most of the rest of the session writing whatever they wanted to because, as I explained, when we start the sessions after the exhibition, it will be back to assignment sheets and a much more structured approach. I have in fact, started planning the sessions already but more on all that another time.
Once again I want to thank you all for your support of the group and the feedback and I especially want to thank the library staff for facilitating us because if it wasn't for them, I am not sure the group would be gaining such momentum!
The next session is on October 25th, so see you then - and a huge well done to all the Young Writers - they are amazing!
After a photo call we all went back to our table and I asked them to describe how they felt seeing their work on display. I took some interesting photos of them bent of their notebooks as they fervently scribbled away. As they finished one by one, I suggested they make the most of the rest of the session writing whatever they wanted to because, as I explained, when we start the sessions after the exhibition, it will be back to assignment sheets and a much more structured approach. I have in fact, started planning the sessions already but more on all that another time.
Once again I want to thank you all for your support of the group and the feedback and I especially want to thank the library staff for facilitating us because if it wasn't for them, I am not sure the group would be gaining such momentum!
The next session is on October 25th, so see you then - and a huge well done to all the Young Writers - they are amazing!
Friday, 10 October 2014
Looking Great ...
Hi everyone. Two quick mentions coming up. Firstly don't forget we have the next AYW session tomorrow at the library 9.30 - 10.30, so looking forward to that and hope to see you there. Secondly - drum-roll please - the exhibition of work is all up. If you are passing the library today, pop in and have a look; I think you'll be impressed. The screens are chock-a-block crammed with the work of your talented children! I spent almost two hours over there yesterday afternoon getting it all set out and I came away feeling chuffed! We will all go over tomorrow to have a look during the session - I am bringing my camera - so make sure you bring yours!
See you tomorrow then!
See you tomorrow then!
Tuesday, 30 September 2014
Brilliant ...
What a fab session we had last Saturday (27th September)! Ten youngsters again, including two new members so big welcomes to Olivia and Sanshana and thanks for joining. I hope you enjoyed your first session with us and will be back again for the next one which is on 11th October. And huge thanks to everyone for handing in so much work for the exhibition, which I will now go through meticulously over the next week and a half. Lots of comment slips too which is great so massive thanks all round really!
On Saturday I had everyone writing stories about Maddie Bear. I started it off with an opening sentence and then asked the Young Writers to finish the stories off. They worked almost feverishly for the next half hour or so and several that were handed in at the end were well over a page long!
What really surprised me (they never cease to surprise me actually) is the level of responsibility these children are now taking for their writing group! Two fantabulous ideas were thrown at me! Sophia asked if the members could take it in turns to take Maddie home and write something in a special Maddie exercise book. I was totally blown away by this idea. I understand now that they have done something similar at school but at the time it had never even crossed my mind to try a scheme like this! When I mentioned this idea to everyone they all got very excited so it will be great to see how it all pans out!
Phoebe asked me when the next Young Writer book can be put together - Word Magic 2 effectively - and I explained again that it is something I am considering for next year but a lot depends on whether I can raise the money (I am still out of pocket for the first one which may account for my caution). But this admittance threw them into another frenzy. One youngster suggested a raffle. Another suggested a jumble sale. Phoebe suggested a jumble sale at Bingham Park! For the second time that hour I was floored by their enthusiasm! And I really mean that. I have told them all I will look into all the possibilities - including sponsorship from local stores - and see what the options are, then I will get back to them after Christmas with some ideas.
One or two of the youngsters asked me how close they are to their next certificates. Since we have been preparing for the exhibition, I have not been setting assignments. But I am closely monitoring what is being produced and as a result of that several are due for their next certificates over the next couple of sessions,
For the benefit of our Newbies (and their grown-ups), let me just briefly explain about the Certificate Trail. All members receive a Blue membership certificate for joining. On completion of four written assignments, completed and returned to me for reading and comments, the next certificate is the Red one. On completion of another four assignments, the Purple one is awarded and the Rainbow one is awarded after a further four. The Rainbow one is the highest award. Once all the certificates have been earned, we start at Red again, but this will be a Red Band Two certificate which will distinguish it from the first Red and so on - Purple Band Two, Rainbow Band Two etc etc. It is very important that these certificates are kept safely because they do mark the progress of each young writer and gives them something to work towards. Seeing their own progress also keeps them focused - and gives the grown-ups something more to boast about! And why not! Their kids are amazing!
Anyway I think that is quite enough from me this week. Once again, huge thanks to all of you - Young Writers and grown-ups alike for your enthusiasm and feedback. Look our for the exhibition!
Good Writing.
On Saturday I had everyone writing stories about Maddie Bear. I started it off with an opening sentence and then asked the Young Writers to finish the stories off. They worked almost feverishly for the next half hour or so and several that were handed in at the end were well over a page long!
What really surprised me (they never cease to surprise me actually) is the level of responsibility these children are now taking for their writing group! Two fantabulous ideas were thrown at me! Sophia asked if the members could take it in turns to take Maddie home and write something in a special Maddie exercise book. I was totally blown away by this idea. I understand now that they have done something similar at school but at the time it had never even crossed my mind to try a scheme like this! When I mentioned this idea to everyone they all got very excited so it will be great to see how it all pans out!
Phoebe asked me when the next Young Writer book can be put together - Word Magic 2 effectively - and I explained again that it is something I am considering for next year but a lot depends on whether I can raise the money (I am still out of pocket for the first one which may account for my caution). But this admittance threw them into another frenzy. One youngster suggested a raffle. Another suggested a jumble sale. Phoebe suggested a jumble sale at Bingham Park! For the second time that hour I was floored by their enthusiasm! And I really mean that. I have told them all I will look into all the possibilities - including sponsorship from local stores - and see what the options are, then I will get back to them after Christmas with some ideas.
One or two of the youngsters asked me how close they are to their next certificates. Since we have been preparing for the exhibition, I have not been setting assignments. But I am closely monitoring what is being produced and as a result of that several are due for their next certificates over the next couple of sessions,
For the benefit of our Newbies (and their grown-ups), let me just briefly explain about the Certificate Trail. All members receive a Blue membership certificate for joining. On completion of four written assignments, completed and returned to me for reading and comments, the next certificate is the Red one. On completion of another four assignments, the Purple one is awarded and the Rainbow one is awarded after a further four. The Rainbow one is the highest award. Once all the certificates have been earned, we start at Red again, but this will be a Red Band Two certificate which will distinguish it from the first Red and so on - Purple Band Two, Rainbow Band Two etc etc. It is very important that these certificates are kept safely because they do mark the progress of each young writer and gives them something to work towards. Seeing their own progress also keeps them focused - and gives the grown-ups something more to boast about! And why not! Their kids are amazing!
Anyway I think that is quite enough from me this week. Once again, huge thanks to all of you - Young Writers and grown-ups alike for your enthusiasm and feedback. Look our for the exhibition!
Good Writing.
Sunday, 21 September 2014
Totally Amazing!
Excellent Young Writer session at the library yesterday. Huge thanks to everyone that turned up and to those who have already submitted their comment slips. There were ten members present yesterday! This is great stuff! I took a number of trigger objects in and encouraged the children to let these inspire them. Some of the ideas that came out of the next forty minutes were amazing. These kids are amazing. They are so enthusiastic and get so excited by every challenge set. They all appear to be looking forward to the exhibition next month and I am getting repeated requests for a second volume of poetry. I cannot blame them for this one iota and it is something I am considering for next year. My problem is funding. The first volume looks great and I am so proud of the work put in by the Young Writers. But due to circumstances beyond my control at the time, it was published at a loss to me of around £60 - and I am still trying to recoup that. It does not sound like much but until I recoup it, putting another volume together might not be realistic. I might have to look at other options if we are to pursue the next one - perhaps local sponsorship is one and I will look into it next spring. In the meantime, it is very exciting that this is what they all want. It gives them all a common goal. And a common goal is a powerful thing!
I sent the youngsters home reminding them to bring in their work next week for consideration for display at the exhibition. Even work they have not produced for the group would be massive asset, so anything at all they have written must be brought in next week and I will use as much of it as I can. Also, there is still time to get your comment slips in if you haven't already.
The colouring pencils seemed to go down well yesterday. I shall have to remember them in future. I should have thought of it sooner because when I ran the junior workshops (many moons ago), I always made sure there were colouring pencils available and they always got used.
A great big Addiscombe Young Writers welcome to new member yesterday Amara (I hope I have spelt that correctly). She did come along to a session with the original group once and it was lovely to be able to welcome her back. She seemed to get stuck in ok and did not appear in the least bit phased to be meeting us all. Look forward to seeing you again next week, Amara.
Just to confirm before I go that there will be another session next Saturday (27th), which has been brought forward from the following week as I have a wedding to go to that day and obviously won't be able to be there. Please refer to the blog before last when I am sure I gave you a list of all the session dates up to Christmas.
Looking forward to seeing everyone again next Saturday. Good Writing!
I sent the youngsters home reminding them to bring in their work next week for consideration for display at the exhibition. Even work they have not produced for the group would be massive asset, so anything at all they have written must be brought in next week and I will use as much of it as I can. Also, there is still time to get your comment slips in if you haven't already.
The colouring pencils seemed to go down well yesterday. I shall have to remember them in future. I should have thought of it sooner because when I ran the junior workshops (many moons ago), I always made sure there were colouring pencils available and they always got used.
A great big Addiscombe Young Writers welcome to new member yesterday Amara (I hope I have spelt that correctly). She did come along to a session with the original group once and it was lovely to be able to welcome her back. She seemed to get stuck in ok and did not appear in the least bit phased to be meeting us all. Look forward to seeing you again next week, Amara.
Just to confirm before I go that there will be another session next Saturday (27th), which has been brought forward from the following week as I have a wedding to go to that day and obviously won't be able to be there. Please refer to the blog before last when I am sure I gave you a list of all the session dates up to Christmas.
Looking forward to seeing everyone again next Saturday. Good Writing!
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