Write It

We know who you are. You're a poet, a writer, the student in the class who can tell the difference between a simile and a metaphor. You scribble down ideas on napkins, keep a journal, write short stories — just for the fun of it. Now there's a Web site where you can learn from other teen writers, get great advice, and showcase your work. Best of all, it's FREE!

Sponsored by Scholastic's SCOPE magazine, Write It is run by students just like you who share a love of the written word.

BRAINSTORM

Journalism from Life

Being a journalist is like being a detective. You have to investigate your surroundings with a tireless eye for detail. Journalists leave no stone unturned while investigating a story. Even the most commonplace events, under a journalist’s scrutiny, could possibly produce gripping news. Here are some tips for hunting down leads in your own backyard.

1. Start with something you know. Follow an unfolding event in your school or neighborhood that interests you and holds your attention. Your assignment, if you choose to accept it, is to find out what’s really happening and report your findings to a reading audience.

2. Research, research, research. Gather every piece of evidence you can to support your story. Each word you print must be backed by facts. The most effective way to do this is by cross-referencing multiple sources from various places.

3. Seek the truth. Journalism is about gathering, analyzing, testing, and representing the objective truth of an event, issue, or person’s life to the best of a reporter’s ability. Uncovering the truth behind your story requires stamina and skill. Are you up for the challenge?

4. Write for your audience. Journalistic writing should be tailored to the needs of the reader. Always remember that journalism is a form of storytelling. The way you tell your story largely determines whether someone wants to read it. So write in a way that grips your reader and then holds her attention until the very end.

5. Follow every lead. Before turning your story in, make sure you’ve covered every possible angle. Be relentless in your search for truth!

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The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes #6: The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword

by Anne Mazer

Abby can't wait for the fifth-grade newspaper - until she's picked to write an advice column. How can she give advice when her own life is out of control? Abby just knows that the column will get her into trouble. But she doesn't guess is that it might be the way to help a friend. Abby's class is starting a newspaper, and Abby's ready to be the star reporter. Then she's picked to write an advice column. Abby can't imagine giving advice to anyone when her own life is out of control! And she definitely doesn't want to be known as Dear Abby. Just as she suspects, the column gets Abby in some trouble with her classmates. But, surprisingly, it also gives her a chance to help a friend.

$4.50 You save: 10%
books;paperback books;paperbacks | Ages 8-12

The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes #6: The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword

Ages 8-12 $4.50

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We Are Quiet, We Are Loud: The Best Young Writers and Artists in America

by Edited by David Levithan

Chosen from tens of thousands of entries to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, Push is proud to present the best young writers and artists in America. Some show us the world with quiet force. Others yell. There is anger in these pages, as well as love. There is clarity, as well as confusion. And there is hope. Hope that things can sometimes be fixed. Hope that eventually high school will end, Hope that a new generation of writers can use their quiet and their noise to make an undeniable mark. Listen to what they have to say -- and see what they can do.

$8.99
books;paperback books;paperbacks | Ages 12-15

We Are Quiet, We Are Loud: The Best Young Writers and Artists in America

Ages 12-15 $8.99

LESSON PLAN	Dragonwings: Evaluate Chapters 10-12 Suggests a literary response exercise. Students independently read Dragon Wings and write a newspaper page that depicts events from the story.

UNIT PLAN	Responses to Literature: Be A Theme Park Designer! Suggests fun and lively lessons where student apply reading, writing, research, and teamwork skills towards creating a Literature Land Theme Park.

ONLINE ACTIVITY	Writing Myths with Writers This workshop shows you how to write myths stories that explain natural phenomena in a creative way. You'll also find writing strategies and...