The Kennesaw Mountain Writing Project’s Youth Writing Academy runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., July 13 to 17. Early drop off and late pickup is available. Registration is $175. Information: 470-578-2170, kmwp.org.
This summer, elementary and middle school students from around the metro area will be heading to college. In particular, they’re going to Kennesaw State University to be part of the Kennesaw Mountain National Writing Project’s youth academy.
This summer camp for aspiring writers and those who want to improve their written communication skills is offered by experienced language arts and English teachers who are part of the Writing Project initiative. Established in 1994, the Kennesaw site is one of 200 around the country that provides professional development for language arts and English teachers working in elementary and middle grades, as well as high school and college. Its annual June institute draws educators from around Atlanta who work on research and curriculum projects, as well as their own writing. This year, the summer institute expanded to offer special sessions to teachers in Cobb’s southwest school cluster.
“The institute is about teachers teaching teachers because they are the best generators of knowledge that works,” explained Jennifer Dail, the KMWP director. “And though there are also writing project sites at the University of Georgia and the University of West Georgia, we have the only one in the metro area.”
Along with the institute, the project has sponsored summer youth academy programs since 2009. Each session is aimed toward a different level from fourth grade through high school, and participation is limited to about 18.
Over the years, the academy has expanded from a creative workshop to include a range of writing pursuits.
“Last year, we started a young authors camp for rising fourth and fifth graders, and it was so successful, we’re doing it again this year,” said Mary Ann Stillerman, the academy director. “The content changes every year, but what stays the same is that our young authors know they can come and work on skill sets they want to focus on.”
Those skills may be polishing a piece for publication or becoming a stronger academic and research writer, said Stillerman.
“That approach has been good for students entering AP [advanced placement] classes and who need to be able to write at that level,” she said. “We’ve also done a teen writers studio with a small class of high schoolers who were passionate about writing and really wanted to work on getting something published.”
The strength of the summer programs is in giving youngsters a safe place to write, said Stillerman. “To be honest, there are some who come because their parents sign them up, but most of them really want to be better writers. We run these sessions very much like the summer institute: We write with the kids, focus on the process versus the product and explore different genres, which they often don’t get to do in the classroom. We know that writers become better writers by writing, so this is time dedicated just to that.”
Students also receive one-on-one feedback as well as practical skills about where to start or get ideas.
“The important thing is that we honor their work and thoughts, and that empowers them to work on their craft,” said Stillerman. “They get feedback that doesn’t come with a grade, and that’s a very different experience for many students. At the end of a week, they share a piece they’ve been working on, and we celebrate that. And when they go back to school, they feel more confident about writing.”
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