Publishing Party Celebrates Grade 4 Authors

Young authors dazzled under stage lights as teacher Taylor DePalma transformed her classroom into a celebratory space as she and fellow Grade 4 teacher Emily Schimelman 2002 hosted a publishing party to showcase the writing talents of all fourth-grade students.

The morning was a celebration of all the wonderful things about writing and reading, and Ms. DePalma and Mrs. Schimelman said they were proud to have their students’ work as the centerpiece.

One-by-one, each student walked the red carpet before sharing their stories with their classmates. Topics for the personal narratives ranged from first time to the beach to family trips and vacations to athletic games, and more. As the young authors were presenting, three fellow classmates were selected to write a few words of feedback. The event ended with a sweet treat of donuts and hot chocolate.

In Language Arts class, the students had been working on crafting their own personal narrative stories. The primary focus had been on the writing process, starting with graphic organizers, peer-editing tactics using narrative checklists, meeting with the teacher for conferencing, and producing their final drafts. Additionally, students also spent time on their spelling conventions, grammar and vocabulary usage, and the structure of a writing prompt.

“The students have put a lot of time and effort into their personal narratives and understanding what a small moment story is,” said Ms. DePalma. “The purpose of the publishing party was to celebrate them as authors and all of their hard work.”