The Hooch Learning Studio, in conjunction with Ms. Balogh’s ESOL students, is delighted to announce the publication of Twelve Worlds, One Book. This book is an anthology of student writing created by Ms. Balogh’s students crafted as part of the work they crafted in Ms. Balogh’s writer’s workshop approach to composition instruction. The book contains many pieces of writing, including poetry, short stories, essays, memoirs, monologues, plays, a biosketch, and microfiction.
How did this book project come about? Earlier this semester as I was working with Ms. Balogh and her students on mini-research assignments, Ms. Balogh told me about the writer’s workshop approach she had implemented this academic year. I asked her what they were going to do with their finished pieces, and at the time, the students were just keeping them for themselves. When I suggested we publish their work as a collection of original writing in eBook format, she and the students enthusiastically said yes! Since I had previously worked on a collaborative eBook project using the Smashwords publishing platform, I decided to use it for this project. What is Smashwords?
Smashwords is the world’s largest distributor of indie ebooks. We make it fast, free and easy for any author or publisher, anywhere in the world, to publish and distribute ebooks to the major retailers.
Students began submitting the completed manuscripts of their works they had composed over the course of this academic year this earlier this month. The students also chose the book title, decided how the book would be organized, and Hitoshi Akiyama designed the book cover. My task was to compile the pieces into one master manuscript and then format it according to the Smashwords style guide. This process took me about three full days to complete.
Yesterday, we debuted the book at our eBook launch party after school and celebrated our students’ success with each other, parents, fellow teachers, and administrators. Students are already talking about eBook projects for 2016-17!
The class eBook is now available for FREE at Smashwords! You can download it in several formats:
- PDF file
- Mobi (for Kindles or Kindle apps)
- ePub format (works on multiple devices and platforms including iBooks (iPad, iPhone) and the Overdrive app.
Our class eBook has its very own ISBN number (!!!) and we are waiting approval for premium distribution. We are so very excited to be able to support Ms. Balogh and her students and to help them have a medium for sharing their voices with the world! We also plan to integrate the eBook into our school library digital collection.
Here are some reflections on this experience from Ms. Balogh and her students:
Ms. Balogh:
When I saw the book and saw the copyright page, I got tears in my eyes. My students wrote a book!! What an amazing experience. This group of students is one of the best I’ve ever worked with. I’m so very proud of them.
Vrajna P.
It was amazing to be part of this project. I would love to do it again. I learn so many things from writing and it helped me to improve my English. After launching this book I feel so happy and I feel like that I am something. I feel like I have achieved something.
Sofia R.
Being part of this book was a amazing experience, and I’m so glad to have this journey in my story, to take with me for the rest of my life. I can’t wait to tell everyone about this awesome project that me and my class just done.
Hyesun K.
This is first time [for me] to make books; I was the author. I like to make different genres for us. When I made the poem or short story, memory, essay it was enjoyable to make it, and I think my English is better. It’s really fantastic experience to make a book. I am really thankful for Ms.B and Ms. Hamilton. And to make relationships with friends. In class we enjoyed writing and thinking about it. I want to do it again next year. Some of students are leaving ESOL, but they will remember the experience with Ms.B, Ms. Hamilton and me. Thanks for giving great experience.
Pessi L.
It was amazing to be part of this project. I really liked publishing my own work and reading other students’ writings. Usually I write essays just for a grade and the teacher is only person who reads them. But this time it was different. It feels like there is a reason to write if someone actually reads it.
As you can see, this project had tremendous personal meaning for our students. It is my hope that our eBook project will inspire other teachers and students to think about how the media center program here can help them self-publish student work and to expand the possibilities for our media center program in 2016-17!
The Unquiet Librarian 