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both pique their interest and somehow
connect to the real world and to the interests
of their intended audience whether fiction or
non-fiction. For example, my most recent
writing project with eighth graders was called
The Letter Project. The purpose was to write
a persuasive, essay-style letter to someone
famous or influential who the student felt
could affect positive change if nudged in the
right direction. The idea was that if Donald
Trump or Miley Cyrus didn't actually read
their letters, then at least an online audience
would get the message. Framing the project
this way also allowed for considerable
student choice and voice as they could pick
any figure (from a celebrity icon to the
Korean Minister of Education!) and discover
their own persuasive style along the way.
Part of what helps motivate or inspire my
students is that as their teacher, I too am
writing for an audience. This can be
replicated by other teachers and done on
various levels. By doing the assignment
yourself—a common and recommended
practice—teachers can better understand the
obstacles and pitfalls of the work and use it
as a model (ideally open for critique and
feedback as well). Thus, the teacher's
audience becomes the student's and perhaps
colleague's. I usually do this step, and it
tends to pay dividends in student learning by
showing students that writing is a process
and needs continual refinement and by giving
students a strong exemplar to work from. I
must also admit another advantage that I
personally have in the classroom: I have
published a young adult novel that my
students are familiar with (through me, not
any bestseller lists!). Perhaps it helps
motivate them if they view me as an
authentic writer, but my author aura (if any
ever existed) likely fades within the first week
of class. In the long run, it's not my published
Authentic Audience,
Wonderful Writing
By Dominic Carrillo
Three years ago an eighth grade class of
mine had a blog project called "Dear
Terrorist" where students researched their
topics and wrote letters to anyone
considering (or participating in) a decision
that could harm themselves or others. One
girl wrote an open letter to anyone seriously
considering suicide. A month later I got an
email from a suicidal teen who claimed my
student's letter had got her thinking and
stopped her from killing herself! The message
brought me to tears and made me think: This
is about as authentic and meaningful as
writing can get! I often use this example at
the beginning of a writing project when I
know the culminating goal is to produce a
published work for an authentic audience.
Though this life and death anecdote is
exceptional, my experience in teaching
writing through publishing has helped me
develop some useful tent poles in leading
students to create powerful writing.
Motivation First
Whether it's a persuasive letter, essay,
memoir, or short story, I emphasize to
students that their writing will be published
(online and in print) with thousands of
potential readers. Perhaps skeptical at first,
they believe me when they see prior
examples of writing and video projects. Blogs
don't excite them all that much, but knowing
that a book will be for sale on Amazon.com
usually does. Realizing that they'll have a
printed book and a "real" audience initially
sparks their attention, yet students still
require a deeper sense of purpose to truly
motivate the substance of their writing.
Typically, this means the writing topic should
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