Newsletter Lets Kids Shine - Brief Article

NCTE Standard: Use of Technology to Gather and Synthesize In formation I've developed a weekly newsletter activity that my fourth graders love. At the beginning of the year, I put all my students' names in a hat. Each Monday, I draw the name of the classroom's "star reporter" for the week. This student is responsible for writing the week's newsletter.

I provide each star reporter with a hard copy of a template--at the top it reads "Weekly Newsletter for the Week of: [blank]" and lists the names of our class and school. Below are two columns with built-in headlines, such as "What We Are Learning," "A Memorable Moment," and "Upcoming Events." I have also designed a space for the star reporter's picture and a "Picture of the Week."

On Thursday the reporter types up his or her notes and selects a Picture of the Week from the digital pictures I have taken throughout the week. On Friday, once the reporter has checked his or her work for errors, I print out the newsletter and distribute it, instructing the class to share it with their parents. This activity allows each child to "shine" as a star reporter.

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