In celebration of the 2024 National Day on Writing®, you are cordially invited to a student-facing conversation and shared writing exercise with author Barbara Dee. This NCTE-sponsored event is open to all, regardless of educational setting, and does not require membership. Classrooms, schools, and individual participants are all welcome. At the conclusion of the event, certificates of participation will be available after information about your celebration of writing has been submitted. We will share more information during the event.
Classrooms and students across the country will gather with NCTE via Zoom at 1:00 p.m. ET for a very special author visit with Barbara on Monday, October 21, 2024. The event agenda is as follows:
- 1:05-1:20 p.m. ET—Barbara presents on her writing and her writing process tips for students (15 minutes).
- 1:20-1:25 p.m. ET—Barbara shares a writing prompt for students, the prompt will be open-ended and engaging for all (5 minutes). Prompt: You’re walking along a beach when you discover what looks like a magic lamp. You rub it; green smoke appears, and out pops a genie, who says he’ll grant you three wishes. But he warns you that he’s still in training, and often messes up. You tell him your first wish anyway–and sure enough, he messes up. What did you wish for, and what happens next?
- 1:25-1:35 p.m. ET—Shared writing time with Barbara Dee; Dee will encourage students as they begin writing and answer any questions about the process (10 minutes).
Adapt the resources and ideas shared in this session to meet your students’ needs!
Sign up and bring this event into your classroom for a celebration of what our words can do!
Monday, October 21, 2024, 1:00-1:30 p.m. ET
To see some of Barbara’s books, please see our Bookshop.org page. (NCTE and independent bookstores will receive a small commission from purchases made using this link. Thank you!)
Barbara Dee is the author of fourteen middle grade novels, including Unstuck, Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet, Violets Are Blue, My Life in the Fish Tank, Maybe He Just Likes You, Everything I Know About You, Halfway Normal, and Star-Crossed. Her books have earned several starred reviews and have been named to many best-of lists, including The Washington Post’s Best Children’s Books, the ALA Notable Children’s Books, the ALA Rise: A Feminist Book Project List, the NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, and the ALA Rainbow List Top Ten. Barbara lives with her family, including a naughty cat named Luna and a sweet rescue hound named Ripley, in Westchester County, New York.
The National Day on Writing® (October 20), an initiative of the National Council of Teachers of English, is built on the premise that writing is critical to literacy and deserves greater attention and celebration. This year marks the fourteenth year of the national day.
Every year, NCTE and enthusiastic participants around the world continue to grow this event. Since 2009, #WhyIWrite has encouraged thousands of people to lift their voices and share why and when and how they write. In this incredibly challenging time for teachers, the National Day on Writing® will be well received by the NCTE community as well as by teachers of language and literary arts throughout the country.