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Home › Classroom Resources › Calendar Activities
October 20
Celebrate the National Day on Writing!
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| Grades | K – 12 |
| Calendar Activity Type | Literacy-Related Event |
To draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing Americans engage in and to help make writers from all walks of life aware of their craft, the National Council of Teachers of English has established October 20 as the National Day on Writing. To celebrate composition in all its forms, NCTE invites participants to read and reflect on the pieces submitted to the National Gallery of Writing.
Encourage your students to uncover all of the different kinds of writing they do on a daily basis by asking them to keep a list of everything they write, from text messages to school assignments, e-mails to diary entries, in a single day.
After students make a list of everything they wrote in a day, help them see the variety in their writing, both individually and as a class. Post colorful chart paper with age-appropriate questions about purpose, audience, genre or type, and technology around the room. Ask students to brainstorm different categories for each poster based on the writing they did. Write these categories on the posters and then have students contribute examples from their personal lists. Facilitate a gallery walk of the posters once students have contributed to all of them.
Encourage students to visit the National Gallery of Writing to view and reflect on all kinds of writing--no matter the purpose, audience, type, or technology.
- The National Day on Writing
Here you will find information about the National Day on Writing initiative, as well as links to a variety of NCTE writing resources and tips for getting involved or starting a local gallery within the National Gallery.
- National Gallery of Writing
The National Gallery, which opened on October 20, 2009, is the virtual centerpiece for the National Day on Writing intiative. Here, visitors can browse galleries of all types of writing.
- NCTE Position Statements on Writing
This collection of position statements includes the "NCTE Beliefs about the Teaching of Writing" and "Writing Now: A Policy Research Brief."
- National Writing Project
This is the online home of the NWP, a professional development network with the mission of improving student achievement by improving the teaching of writing and improving learning in the nation's schools.
Activities & Projects
Grades 3 – 5 | Activity & Project
Use recipes to help children practice reading and writing step-by-step instructions. Have them sample the results to see how they did.
Grades K – 2 | Activity & Project
Note Writing at a Message Center
In this activity, children write short everyday notes, to remind, plan, request, or compliment others.
Games & Tools
Grades 3 – 8 | Game & Tool
The Letter Generator shows children the key parts of a letter and lets them practice writing either a friendly or business letter.
Tips & How-To's
Grades 3 – 12 | Tip & How-To
How to Start a Writer’s Notebook
Writer’s notebooks allow children and teens to take in the world around them and document their daily lives. Use these tips to learn how to start a writer's notebook with your child.
Grades 6 – 12 | Tip & How-To
Helping teens notice the variety of writing all around them “in the real world” motivates them to write in genres that are new and engaging and helps them become more fluent, flexible writers.
Grades 6 – 8 | Tip & How-To
Help a Child Write a Book Review
Learning how to evaluate and write a review of a book is an excellent foundation for the critical thinking skills that a child will continue to draw on and refine throughout his or her life.
Podcast Episodes
Grades 6 – 12 | Podcast Episode
In honor of NCTE's National Day on Writing, tune in to hear about the growing number of books featuring teens who write.
