Thursday, May 31, 2018

Mrs. P Shares Exciting News About The 10th Anniversary Of Her Be-a-Famous Writer Contest

It’s the 10th anniversary of Mrs. P Be-a-Famous Writer Contest.  

Today, Mrs. P shared some exciting news on how teachers are using her writing contest in the classroom.


Mrs. P (aka actress Kathy Kinney) has a mission to spark the imaginations of students. She started her free literacy website MrsP.com for teachers and parents 10 years ago along with the Be-a-Famous Writer Contest.  She’s visited countless schools with Skype visits or Google Hangouts and is a staple for classrooms celebrating Poem in Your Pocket Day.  I caught up with Mrs. P to find out all about the theme for the 10th annual writing contest.


You’ve been running your Be-a-Famous Writer Contest now for 10 years.  What the one thing you’ve learned since you started - and how have you used that knowledge?
I’ve meet thousands of inspiring teachers along the way.  I am so impressed at the extra things they do for students and how they truly have a passion for what they do.  I learned how many teachers were on Twitter sharing resources and ideas, and realized that was the best place to reach them and learn and share along too.


What’s been the biggest surprise over the years? How teachers have used it as an opportunity to have their class do research on the theme, or  use it as a way to understand the mechanics of writing. Also the impact the contest can have on a student. 


What’s the most important message you can give a teacher for their students entering the contest?  To let them explore their creativity and get their ideas down first.  There is time for editing later.
How did you pick the theme this year?   Over the years I’ve met so many inspiring librarians, teachers, and literacy advocates sharing their stories. I realized they were my heroes and were out their providing a magical experience  for children every day.  So I thought that children all have some hero in their life too. Whether it be a pet, a teacher, a friend real or imagined, and I wanted to read about their heroes.  


Here’s the important information!  
The contest opens on October 15 and close on December 15th.  


The contest is free to enter! It’s for K-4 classrooms in the United States. Teachers can have their class either write it collaboratively, or have students write individually and then have their class vote on which entry to submit.  There’s only 1 entry allowed per class. You can find the rules at my contest page.
A special trailer for students was made by some extraordinary 5th graders in Atlanta.  So teachers and parents can share this trailer with their K-4 writers.
And of course, there is a promo for the teachers, so they know about the amazing sponsors who will support many literacy efforts.  They help fill the winning classrooms with books in every format, as well as some other technology to help students be creative. Mackin Educational Resources, Tales2GO, Powells Books, Flipgrid, and Buncee.  
I’ve also rounded up more prizes than ever this year to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the contest!

The past author judges are providing books and Simon and Schuster is giving me books. Yes, books from Chris Grabenstein, Peter Reynolds, Josh Funk, Bonny Becker, and YOU! (Thank you)  So many books for classrooms!


I hope teachers will find a bit of time to unlock the power of the imagination in their students with my writing contest.

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