My Writer’s Workshop and Writing Connections students are in the process of creating their own zines on topics they have chosen; students selected topic that they are experts on and want to share their passion for through their own hand-crafted zine. Zines are ” self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images” and can be created in many different formats. We are crafting zines as our entry point into informational writing and will share our publications with our fellow students through the CA Media Center.
Like many teachers, I’ve been a big fan of Georgia Heard and her work for years. Earlier this fall, I purchased her new book, Heart Maps: Create and Craft Authentic Writing; I also joined the Facebook group for the book where other educators are posting their students’ heart maps. It was in this Facebook group that I found an inspirational mentor text for our my students from a mother who was using the tool with her son: