Nurturing Young Authors: Ms. Joley’s Kindergarten Book Writing Project
YOKOSUKA, JAPAN – From stick figure drawings to writing sentences, the writing process has been an adventure filled with wonder and creativity for students in Ms. Joley’s kindergarten class at the Sullivans School.
“I recognized that my students were budding authors, so we embarked on a journey for each child to write their own book,” Ms. Joley said.
The inspiration for this writing project started early in the school year.
“We create a class book for our classroom library twice a month,” Ms. Joley said. “The goal is to end the school year with enough books that each child gets to take a class book home to keep. When my students have free choice reading time in our classroom library, the first books they reach for are the classroom books that they created.
”Ms. Jolie said her students’ writing blossomed in February after she transformed a dramatic play center into the classroom’s Friendship Post Office.
“During literacy centers, this center was our writing center and the children had the opportunity to draw pictures, write letters, and make cards for their friends and family,” she said. “As a class, we made an anchor chart with hard-to-spell friendship words that aided the children in being independent writers. I also provided sentence starters to help guide the children on their writing journey. The children were so thoughtful with their writing and it really inspired their creative writing. They would leave surprise letters and cards in their friends’ classroom mailboxes. The recipients of these special heart-felt cards loved them. When March rolled around and it was time to turn the Friendship Post Office into a Vet Clinic, the children asked to keep the Friendship Post Office open. I decided to move the Friendship Post Office to the art center so they could continue to write letters and make cards for their loved ones during literacy centers. Many of the students asked to add more pages to their cards so they could add more to their masterpieces. The children really wrote from their hearts and that in turn built their writing skills.
”The book writing project was also inspired by students' love of storytelling through interactive read-aloud sessions and storytelling activities.
“My students love making puppets and retelling stories,” Ms. Joley said. “Students started making their own character puppets, telling their own stories and performing skits for each other. I encourage my students to explore their imaginations and share their unique stories. From whimsical tales of dragons and princesses to heartfelt accounts of family vacations and adventures, each child’s voice found expression in their stories. It was at this point I knew that my students had great potential for writing their own books.
”When she presented the idea of writing a book to her class, students were very excited and all in.
“I introduced the basics of story structure, guided my students through the elements of a narrative: characters, setting, problem and solution,” Ms. Joley explained. “I gave the children a choice to write an ‘all about me’ book or a fictional story. I wanted each student to create a book that they were comfortable writing. With support and guidance, my students eagerly crafted their stories. Their literacy skills grew as fast as their love of writing with each completed page.”
“As the stories took shape, I introduced the concept of illustration,” she continued. “Armed with crayons, colored pencils, markers and an abundance of imagination, my students brought their characters to life on the pages, filling them with vibrant colors and charming details. Through this collaborative process, they discovered the magic of storytelling extending beyond words to encompass visuals that enhanced their narratives.
”With their stories written and illustrated, the class hosted a publishing party so they could share their written work with other students and their parents.
“Parents, teachers, and fellow students gathered in the school lobby to meet these freshly published authors and to read their books,” Ms. Joley said. “With beaming smiles and lots of pride, the children shared the stories and illustrations that they beautifully crafted. The children and parents also were able to leave positive feedback and writing compliments. The publishing party was a huge success and my students felt so accomplished.”
“My class embarked on a remarkable journey of creativity, literacy, and collaboration,” Ms. Joley shared. “In the process, they discovered the power of their own voices and the joy of seeing their stories come to life in the pages of a book. In my class, every child became not just a student, but a published author. Their stories are a testament to the limitless possibilities of imagination and the transformative power of perseverance and hard work. My students are already talking about the next book they want to write!”
