Online writing festival for primary school kids

Littlescribe gives students the opportunity to co-write with some of Australia’s leading authors and publish their material online and now the platform is offering the experience of a writers’ festival.

Primary school children from around Australia can team up online with Australian authors like Jackie French (The Schoolmaster’s Daughter), Andrew Daddo (Atticus Van Tasticus), Deborah Abela (The Stupendously Spectacular Spelling Bee), author/illustrator James Foley (Toffle Towers and Brobot) and author/illustrator Stephen Michael King (Three) during Term 3 as part of the inaugural Littlescribe Mini-Writing Festival.

The festival runs for five days and students who take part will be able to publish their work on theLittlescribe 'story starter wall' for peers, authors, parents and the public to read.

The festival runs from July 27 to 31, with each day featuring three workshops that cater for lower, middle and upper primary students. During each 45-minute workshop, students will work with a new author on a writing challenge.

The cost of joining the festival is $5 +GST per student, with an early bird fee (until June 30) of $3 +GST per student. This provides access to all 12 workshops.

For teachers, the Littlescribe Mini-Writing Festival includes:

• Lesson plans for before, during and after each workshop
• An interactive, 45-minute write-along streamed video conference led by Littlescribe’s Literacy Leader Jo Edwards, featuring an author and an illustrator
• A specific writing skill explored and modelled in each workshop
• A short writing challenge for students in each workshop, including the 2020 CBCA Book Week theme Curious Creatures, Wild Minds

“Australian kids have the potential to become the best writers in the world,” Littlescribe CEO Jenny Atkinson said. “We want to help them by building a trusted community of supporters to elevate children’s writing.”

This year’s Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book Week theme – 'Curious Creatures, Wild Minds' – will be woven through every session.

“This means the Littlescribe Mini-Writing Festival will be a winter warm-up for Book Week, usually staged in August, but running from October 17 to 23 this year,” Atkinson said.

The festival is supported by the Children’s Book Council of Australia, educational video platform, ClickView and the online education community, On Butterfly Wings.

Prof Margot Hillel, OAM, Chair of the CBCA National Board, said: “This is a great opportunity for Australian authors and students to collaborate and write alongside each other in the lead up to CBCA Book Week.”

Register for the festival here