Wonderful blog here written by Olivia aged 13, Wirral Grammar School for Girls - thanks Olivia!
"Writing is an amazing thing. If people didn't write, we couldn't read, and if people didn't read nobody would write. I love to do both, and that's one of the many reasons I loved the Write Path International Collaborative Writing Project. Ms Ferguson really made it a memorable afternoon, and I want to talk a bit about why this was one of the best interactive sessions I've ever had.
Being able to socialise with others who enjoy the same things that I do and to see how their style of writing and creating ideas flows was truly a wonderful experience. The energy that was present in the library filled the room with a pleasant atmosphere, and generally made the experience that much more enjoyable. Everyone working on a different tale enhanced the creativity and ideas going into the stories. There was so many different suggestions going in the outcomes were just so fantastic and showed the best ideas of all the students. No idea is a bad idea, and that was pleasantly clear on this day.
It was nice to be able to take an author's work and put our ideas forward into that story and be able to contribute to the storyline and end result. These types of challenges don't come around often and even though we were on a time limit it was fun to be against the clock. Being under pressure from a time and word limit helps us practise for things like speeches and essays in the future, except this challenge was a lot more fun than either of those.
This experience was a lot of fun, getting to collaborate with friends and authors and even other schools was a great idea and I really enjoyed doing it and being allowed to put my ideas forward. Can't wait to take part in another challenge similar to this, but this one was definitely an awesome first time."
"Writing is an amazing thing. If people didn't write, we couldn't read, and if people didn't read nobody would write. I love to do both, and that's one of the many reasons I loved the Write Path International Collaborative Writing Project. Ms Ferguson really made it a memorable afternoon, and I want to talk a bit about why this was one of the best interactive sessions I've ever had.
Being able to socialise with others who enjoy the same things that I do and to see how their style of writing and creating ideas flows was truly a wonderful experience. The energy that was present in the library filled the room with a pleasant atmosphere, and generally made the experience that much more enjoyable. Everyone working on a different tale enhanced the creativity and ideas going into the stories. There was so many different suggestions going in the outcomes were just so fantastic and showed the best ideas of all the students. No idea is a bad idea, and that was pleasantly clear on this day.
It was nice to be able to take an author's work and put our ideas forward into that story and be able to contribute to the storyline and end result. These types of challenges don't come around often and even though we were on a time limit it was fun to be against the clock. Being under pressure from a time and word limit helps us practise for things like speeches and essays in the future, except this challenge was a lot more fun than either of those.
This experience was a lot of fun, getting to collaborate with friends and authors and even other schools was a great idea and I really enjoyed doing it and being allowed to put my ideas forward. Can't wait to take part in another challenge similar to this, but this one was definitely an awesome first time."
Allison Painich, Carmel Hill Fund , Louisiana
The Carmel Hill Fund is excited to celebrate ten years of collaborating with the fabulous Bev Humphrey and her worldwide writing project, The Write Path. Our students in Louisiana and New York have participated since Bev began the project, and we look forward to continuing our partnership. Bev always goes above and beyond to assist and equip us so that our students are ready to write when it is our turn! In the past, we have been able to skype with her, and our students are able to catch of glimpse of life “across the pond” in real time. This project is truly unique and one of a kind. We at the Carmel Hill Fund wish Bev many more successful years of collaborative creativity with the Write Path as she continues to join students from across the globe!
Ruan Peat, Wick High School, Scotland
I heard about the Write Path at a CILIP conference and signed my school up. I wasn’t sure how my pupils would react to being asked to write something at short notice without seeing the finished result for a while but I thought it would be an interesting event. I tried to get a higher ability class to do this with but timings and reality meant I had a single class available for the time and so I involved them, this class was a very mixed ability class with some having helpers for writing and reading assistance. Gamely I gave it a go and whilst we had timing issues (it took longer to type in than I thought it would) we enjoyed the whole exercise, I arranged the groups according to a mix of abilities and some of the lower ability kids came up with the most stunning ideas. Some of the more able who normally lead found themselves acting as scribes for the group and found this to be a task they enjoyed too. This was so successful I have looked for the more challenging classes to work with each year and have always had a wonderful time. It lets me get to know the children better and encourages them to ‘play’ with words and ideas. The final result of a finished book always reminds them of the day and makes them proud of their own work and the collaboration with students across the world!’
Carola Webber, Good Samaritan Catholic College, Australia
My first involvement in Write Path was in 2011, after taking up the challenge from my predecessor as teacher-librarian in a Western Sydney Secondary School. The experience then, and in the years since, has been intense and exhilarating. My year 7 students took to the project with far more enthusiasm than skill and have always gained a great deal from their involvement. Write Path provided an opportunity for, in my case, a team of 12 young people to interact with students from around the globe. We were all enriched by the experience, not only from the perspective of challenging students in writing, but also in terms of engaging with others across time zones and oceans to create something special together.Technology makes the project possible and can enhance the whole experience: I recall a few years back having a most entertaining late-night discussion with some young English students who, as well as asking insightful questions about our stories from that day hoped that I might introduce them to the members of the band 5 Seconds of Summer (who, since they live in Sydney, must be known to me!). If time permits, making and sharing promotional videos and taking photos makes for memorable moments for all concerned.
The Carmel Hill Fund is excited to celebrate ten years of collaborating with the fabulous Bev Humphrey and her worldwide writing project, The Write Path. Our students in Louisiana and New York have participated since Bev began the project, and we look forward to continuing our partnership. Bev always goes above and beyond to assist and equip us so that our students are ready to write when it is our turn! In the past, we have been able to skype with her, and our students are able to catch of glimpse of life “across the pond” in real time. This project is truly unique and one of a kind. We at the Carmel Hill Fund wish Bev many more successful years of collaborative creativity with the Write Path as she continues to join students from across the globe!
Ruan Peat, Wick High School, Scotland
I heard about the Write Path at a CILIP conference and signed my school up. I wasn’t sure how my pupils would react to being asked to write something at short notice without seeing the finished result for a while but I thought it would be an interesting event. I tried to get a higher ability class to do this with but timings and reality meant I had a single class available for the time and so I involved them, this class was a very mixed ability class with some having helpers for writing and reading assistance. Gamely I gave it a go and whilst we had timing issues (it took longer to type in than I thought it would) we enjoyed the whole exercise, I arranged the groups according to a mix of abilities and some of the lower ability kids came up with the most stunning ideas. Some of the more able who normally lead found themselves acting as scribes for the group and found this to be a task they enjoyed too. This was so successful I have looked for the more challenging classes to work with each year and have always had a wonderful time. It lets me get to know the children better and encourages them to ‘play’ with words and ideas. The final result of a finished book always reminds them of the day and makes them proud of their own work and the collaboration with students across the world!’
Carola Webber, Good Samaritan Catholic College, Australia
My first involvement in Write Path was in 2011, after taking up the challenge from my predecessor as teacher-librarian in a Western Sydney Secondary School. The experience then, and in the years since, has been intense and exhilarating. My year 7 students took to the project with far more enthusiasm than skill and have always gained a great deal from their involvement. Write Path provided an opportunity for, in my case, a team of 12 young people to interact with students from around the globe. We were all enriched by the experience, not only from the perspective of challenging students in writing, but also in terms of engaging with others across time zones and oceans to create something special together.Technology makes the project possible and can enhance the whole experience: I recall a few years back having a most entertaining late-night discussion with some young English students who, as well as asking insightful questions about our stories from that day hoped that I might introduce them to the members of the band 5 Seconds of Summer (who, since they live in Sydney, must be known to me!). If time permits, making and sharing promotional videos and taking photos makes for memorable moments for all concerned.
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