[mrsbono]

What does publishing a piece look like in first grade? I'm sure it's not copying stories over and over again until perfect like in ancient times? Well.. I hope not at least...

In second grade I had my students type their work for the bulletin board..but that would take way too long for my firsties (even with big kid help)...

[ACRteach]

i struggle with this too! i teach second, but sometimes we simply do not have enough computers/time to have all kids type! i print off special "publishing paper." for small moments, it's landscape with about 5 lines at the bottom. i have my students decide which sentences they want to go on which page, and then rewrite their story onto the publishing paper and add color illustrations on the top half. some choose to do 3 pages, some choose 5. I usually cut it off at 6 or so because it takes them too long to illustrate all those pictures.

before, publishing, we do a week of revising and editing, and during conferences I suggest ways to fix it up, but they are in charge of their own editing for the most part. I do not go through and have them correct all their errors. so, the pieces are not perfect. in my opinion, spelling and punctuation errors bother adults more than they bother the kids! plus, i think it's good for mom and dad to see where their kid is as a writer.

when it is done, we bind it (sometimes binding machine, sometimes staples) and kids are so proud of their very own picture books.

[merci]

I almost never have first graders make a clean copy. Almost always, we just fancy up our best piece by revising, editing, adding a cover, adding color to the pictures, etc.

Sometimes that means that their published piece isn't perfect or all that pretty, but they feel proud and weren't asked to do something they just can't do. When I did ask for a clean copy, very often they would leave out words or make new errors that made the new piece almost unreadable, which really defeated the purpose, in my opinion.