Goals of Young Writers Camp Are Fun, Improved Writing

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Children spread out to write at Young Writers Camp.

Over 80 students in grades three through eight are participating in the Young Writers Camp under way in Rogers and Siloam Springs through June 17. The camp is sponsored by the Northwest Arkansas Writing Project.

Students are meeting at Old Wire Elementary and Kirksey Middle School in Rogers and Siloam Springs Middle School in the mornings for two weeks. Vicki Collet, director of Young Writers Camp, said the camp includes active learning in a fun camp environment.

"Our two goals are that students have fun and that their writing improve," said Collet, who is an assistant professor of childhood education. "Last week, students raced around the playground on a scavenger hunt, looking for clues that would help them write a story."

Students have played guessing games to focus on using descriptive language, analyzed and written song lyrics, participated in collaborative writing contests, and filled their writing notebooks.

"We tell students that they need to exercise their writing muscles every day," Collet explained. "Just like kids attending sports camps, writing takes practice and stamina. We're giving our kids lots of opportunities for both as they participate in individual, small group, and whole-group writing experiences."

Following the morning camp, teachers meet to collaborate and focus on improved writing instruction. These professional learning experiences are an important part of the project.

"Not only are students learning during our Young Writers Camp, teachers are taking away strategies they will use in their classrooms," Collet said.

This year, Young Writers camp is made possible for students at high-poverty schools at no charge through a federal grant and gifts from the dean of the College of Education and Health Professions and the Educational Renewal Zone.

"The poverty experience transcends boundaries of race and language and impacts not only children's physical well-being and health, but also their educational outcomes," Collet said. "The camp experience this year focuses on the needs of young learners, especially those with the challenges of language diversity and poverty."

Next year, Young Writers Camp will expand to include other schools through tuition-based programs.

For nearly 20 years, the Northwest Arkansas Writing Project has focused on improving writing in area schools. As one of 200 National Writing Project sites, it provides professional development for educators and directly reaches young writers through summer camps and other activities. For more information about writing project events, contact Collet at collet@uark.edu or visit nwawp.uark.edu/.