ABSTRACT
This chapter motivates elementary students to write through literacy breakout sessions. It empowers families with home/school literacy strategies. The chapter connects families with published children’s book authors and illustrators to inspire authentic writing. The small-group, breakout-literacy-session task includes writing a blurb to advertise each session on the registration site. The chapter stresses high-quality, persuasive writing to entice families to sign their students up for the session. Many preservice teachers enrolled in the flipped writing methodology course prior to Fall 2018 found the Young Authors’ Festival's (YAF) breakout sessions beneficial for motivating writing through genre exploration, modeling writing, and using mentor texts. Two strategies preservice teachers transferred from in-person writing workshop sessions to the YAF breakout sessions included modeling and using mentor texts as evident in Roberta’s and Brenda’s YAF lesson. The YAF is such an essential resource for the community because it allows educators, children, parents, and current authors and illustrators to come together and celebrate writing.
