In light of the significance of writing in our national life, to draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing we engage in, and to help writers from all walks of life recognize how important writing is to their lives, NCTE established October 20 as the National Day on Writing. For the tenth year in a row, October 20 will be a day devoted to the importance of writing in our lives. To gear up to celebrate the National Day on Writing, NCTE plans to share resources on writing the entire month of October! Here are some ideas for you to celebrate writing all month long:
- 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 view and reflect on all kinds of writing – no matter the purpose, audience, type, or technology.
As you celebrate writing in October, share out with others using the hashtag #WhyIWrite!