For Parents

What is Writers in the Schools?

In partnership with your child’s school, Writers in the Schools (WITS) places professional writers in your child’s classroom. The WITS program supplements the academic program to assist your child on two levels: academic enrichment and personal development.

What will my child do in the WITS program?
Your child can expect to work with his or her writer once a week for a total of 26 visits.

The writer will bring stories and poems from different cultures, encouraging your child to write creatively from his or her own perspective.

The entire classroom will assist the writer in designing and publishing an anthology.

Why is creative writing important?
Studies have shown that involvement in the arts is linked to:

• Higher academic performance,

• Increased standardized test scores,

• More community service, and

• Lower dropout rates.

Good writing skills not only help your child excel in English class--often, when writing skills improve, all other subjects improve as well.

Want to do more?
Because learning begins at home, here are some suggestions to encourage your child to continue reading and writing after the WITS experience. You can read aloud to a child of any age. Also your child can:

• Write an ode, a poem dedicated to his/her favorite person, place, or thing,

• Design and write a comic book,

• Make a family tree and write a funny story about each relative,

• Write a letter to the author of a favorite book, and mail it to the publisher,

• Set a goal for the number of books your child wants to read in a month,

• Keep a list and reward your child after he or she completes it, and

• Write the biography of his or her best friend.

For a list of publications you can use to teach creative writing to your children, visit the Useful Publications page.