This project is no longer offered.
Please DO feel free to use any of the ressources still available on this site with your students.

Dear teachers,

Writing Wizards offers a story writing circle setup in which three classes or groups have the opportunity to work on a different stage in the development of three Fairy Tale or Folk Tale stories. It is particularly interesting for second language learners and for children just learning how to write because it provides a collective writing context. This year we are offering two options to classes wishing to participate:

1. Option one: work in a circle of 3 classes from different schools
2. Option two: work in a circle of three groups all in the same class

The Great Tale Library
Before a story becomes part of The Great Tale Library, together the members of each circle write three complete Tales. The story passes from one group to the next at regular intervals. Each group within a circle writes the beginning of a Tale (development of the characters, the setting and the problem) and gives the story a title. The second group develops the main body of the story. The third group brings the story to a close and creates art work to illustrate it.  When a story has received it's illustrations, it gets posted in "The Great Tale Library" section of this Site (in the student area).

The project gives you the opportunity to work the Fairy Tale or Folk Tale, the parts of a story, character development, and general writing skills. You could choose to incorporate a "Response to media" approach, while having students read or listen to many types of Tales. Within each circle, teachers will decide what type of Tale "creation" the group will do: inventing a Tale from bits and pieces, transposing a well-known tale in a modern day setting, focusing on ethnic fables, retelling from a different point of view, etc. The final products will be the result of collaborative work within the class and within the circle.

The class web page
Your class also receives a Web Space (See Sample Class Page) to create, simply and automatically, a page where they can talk about themselves and their project, where you can post pictures of the class, the community, or the children's activities and productions. Use it as a way to help them reflect on what they are doing. It is also intended to create a link with parents, friends and family, and other participating classes who can visit this page and write messages.

This is a "Learn by Doing" Project in which participating teachers will be "accompanied" virtually. It is meant as a professional development and learning opportunity for teachers as they work with a group of colleagues, albeit distant colleagues, to implement a project-based approach that integrates technology seamlessly and naturally and as they receive help, instructions and support from the project co-ordinator.  

Register in order to obtain a login for yourself and for your class.