My Nonprofit Reviews
pvanwinkle
Review for National Novel Writing Month, Berkeley, CA, USA
I first heard about NaNoWriMo two years ago through an online writing community to which I belong, but I did not really understand how it worked. When I began to investigate it this year, I discovered that not only was it open to the general public, but also they offered a program for young writers and classroom teachers. After reading all about the Young Writers Program, I decided that it would be a fun way to teach writing in my English 9 Honors class.
Most of the students were excited about it when I first introduced the idea to them; a few were concerned that they wouldn't be able to complete the challenge. As we went through the wonderfully detailed lessons provided by the Office of Letters and Light, more students became engaged in the assignment. They began planning who their characters would be and what kind of adventures they would encounter. When we got to November and the challenge began, they frequently asked for more and more days in the computer lab to work on their stories. Every day, someone would come to class bursting at the seams with new details about his/her story.
I cannot imagine a better way to teach writing to students. It is a real-world application of the elements and skills we are asked to teach. It is also exciting to see the students become so engaged in such an extended project. I plan to continue using this program in the future.
More Feedback
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
teaching writing to my students with the Young Writers Program which allows them to set their own word-count goal. This makes it customizable and achievable for the students.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
advertize to schools around the country so that more teachers are aware of this wonderful opportunity to supplement or enhance the often difficult task of teaching students to write.
