As part of our writers’ circle, we produced a third-grade newspaper for four years, from 2014-to 2017. The papers were all published from late April to late May, towards the end of the school year. All third-grade classrooms got copies that were two-sided and contained four-page spreads. And the classroom teachers allowed them to read their work.
To remain timely, of course, the topics varied from year to year. And, some topics required the students to research. We also had completed our poetry unit by that time (we usually did poetry between mid-February and mid-March, due to the poetry compilation we submitted student work to was always due by March 15th. So, we always included a poetry page or poetry corner due to the space available in the paper. Some of our other topics included:
- On This Day in History
- Current Events on a National, Local, or School level
- Cartoons
- Sports
- Popular Books
- Interviews (we had a new principal start during this time)
- Surveys (which Seuss books did third graders like best?)
I functioned as the newspaper’s editor and layout person. The students typed all their own work which was sometimes a challenge. At the time we held the group, third-grade students were just learning keyboarding skills. Sometimes it took a half-hour to type one poem. And, we also had problems reserving the computer lab since I was only a volunteer and not on staff. Believe it or not, this did become an issue towards the end of our group (2016 and 2017).
The students were very proud of producing this newspaper. As I look at the copies today, I see that some of them are close to graduating from high school! They all had copies of their own but maybe some of them (if I know they are still local) will receive another copy next year!
I am including photos of the papers but covering entire or parts of names to protect the students’ confidentiality. I enjoyed our journalism unit as much as our poetry unit. I think this is because I like to research and I like to be creative. This project was a little of both.
Today is also the day of my Poetry reading in Mc Gregor, Iowa.
The author’s copies of my book arrived just in time!
Today is Poetry Friday! Our host is Carmela at Teachingauthors.com. Please visit her website for more inspiring poetry! Thanks for hosting Carmela!
The Apples in My Orchard 
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