BGGS Intro & BBQ 6 April

Terrace Day 1 7 April

All Hallows Day 2 8 April

BGS Presentation 28 April

Promoting an engaging and collaborative writing experience

PROPOSAL

Four inner city schools will be involved in a collaborative writing workshop project to foster creative writing in Year 8 students. Two girls schools (All Hallows and Brisbane Girls Grammar School) and two boys schools (Brisbane Grammar School and St Josephs, Gregory Terrace) will form the partnership. Eight Year 8 students from each school will be selected. Each school will use their own selection process to choose which students participate. During the workshop, the students will be divided into groups of four one from each school. Each group will be allocated a scenario, and each must write the story of what happens from the perspective of their character. However, they will need to collaborate within their groups to decide on events and how each character interacts with the others. A shared wiki will be set up where students will be able to write their stories; this will allow everyone in the group to read each story as it develops. The teacher librarians and author will also be able to access this site for editing purposes. The writing workshop will take place over the last two days of Term 1 in 2011 (7 - 8 April). The first days workshop will be held at Terrace and the second days workshop will be held at All Hallows.

The night before this starts (6 April) there will be a social BBQ event at BGGS where parents will be invited to attend, and where the author will outline the objectives and anticipated outcomes of the project. During the first week back in Term 2 (28 April) the parents will again be invited back, this time to Brisbane Grammar School where some of the students and the author will reflect on the process and the learning that occurred. Each group will then go to a different room where they will read their stories to their group of parents. If two groups are allocated the same scenario, those two groups and their parents will be together when the stories are read out, so they can see how different students developed their characters in different ways. At least two teacher librarians will be present on each day to assist with planning and editing. At the conclusion of the project, the stories may be collated and printed, and a copy given to each student and school. The teacher librarians will also write about the project and publish details in the Australian School Library Association publications and the Childrens Book Council of Australia publications.

COST

The cost involved will be approximately $600/school. This will be used to pay for the author; provide transport between the four schools; provide the BBQ for parents and students on the first night; provide morning tea and lunch each day for the students; and provide supper for the parents and students on the last night.

TRANSPORT
Schools will share the cost of a bus to transport students to Terrace and All Hallows on each day. It is proposed that the one bus will collect students from the other three schools and take them there, then drop them back at their respective schools (or parents can choose to collect them from either Terrace or All Hallows)

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES

6 April - Welcome BBQ at BGGS

Eight students from each school and their parents will attend a welcome reception and BBQ at BGGS. The Principal and Director of Library Services will welcome everyone. The author will outline details of the workshop. Groups of four will be allocated (one from each school in each group) and scenarios handed out. (Two groups may be allocated the same scenario but, if so, each group will work independantly.)

7 April - Writing Day at Terrace

The author will give instruction on story writing. Each student will write from their own character's voice, but collaborativelly each group will brainstorm the plot details and how each character would act, react and interact. Before lunch they will write chapter one of each story. Morning tea and lunch will be provided on each day. After lunch the author will introduce a complication and students will have to explore how their characters will respond and then write the second chapter.

8 April - Writing Day at All Hallows

In the first session the author will introduce another complication. Students will again brainstorm and write the third chapter. After lunch the author will give instructions for writing a conclusion. This session iwill be for concluding the story and editing. Students will be able to edit their stories during the holidays and submit them to the TLs or author for proof reading.

28 April - Presentation Night at BGS

Students will showcase their work to parents on this night at Brisbane Grammar School. There will be a combined session where selected students will reflect on the process. The author will be invited back to talk about the process Students will divide into their groups and take their parents to a room where they will each read their stories. If two groups have the same scenario they will present together. Supper will be served to conclude.