Volunteer mentors support students and teachers with publishing projects in their classrooms!
When we set up in-school programs, we work alongside inner-city teachers to build projects where students have a hand in every step of the publishing process, and all activities are tailored to the unique needs of each class, ensuring everyone can succeed to the best of their abilities. Each program runs from 4 to 6 weeks, incorporates individualized attention for students through the guidance of volunteer mentors, and culminates in a professionally printed publication for each student to take home.
Here's an example of how In-School Programs work:
When making a nature guide with students at ## Elementary, we worked with students to looked at examples of existing nature guides and decided what worked and what didn’t. Then the students picked the animal, insect or plant that they wanted to feature, and researched the habitats, dietary needs, appearance and interesting facts. Working with volunteer mentors, the students took their research from note form to draft, drew some great images to go along with their words and finally edited their work. After incorporating the kids' ideas into a cover image and title, we sent the copy off to the printers! When the book was fresh off the presses, we celebrated the kids’ success at an amazing community launch party.
Examples of other projects, we’ve helped students and teachers create:
- a safety guide
- a Hunger Games–esque book about local plants
- a book about robots build from simple machines
- a colouring book about the human anatomy
- a book about jobs that grade 1 kids want when they grow up
- a recipe book (in French!)
- a time-travel guide to Ancient Civilizations
- a high school magazine