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Make Our Book Information pack 2017-18
MAKE OUR BOOK
Make Our BookInformation pack
2017-18
MAKE OUR BOOK
Make Our BookInformation pack 2017-18
• 3 •One page summary
• 4 •Frequently asked questions
• 6 •Planning resources
‘Make Our Book’ makes it easy and fun to turn children into published authors. We are an online service that lets your school publish a book of your children’s work.
What do we get out of it?A bespoke, professionally-produced paperback like this one. It’s a chance to give children a sense of enormous pride, whilst evidencing your hard work in literacy and communication to current and future parents, with an unmatchable artefact to treasure for a lifetime. At the same time,
it helps you deliver against National Curriculum requirements, particularly the five E’s Levels of Progression for Using ICT at Key Stage 1 and 2, and the Levels of Progression for Writing (Communication) at Key Stage 1 and 2.
How does it work?Children write their pieces in class, or during Book Week, which you enter to our online system.
We assemble and check the files, and arrange the book’s print and delivery. Usually, friends and family pay for copies, though sometimes the school pays.
How much does it cost?It depends on the number of pages in the book, which is determined by the number of children
who will write a piece, and the number of copies printed. Here’s an example:
Number of pages Number of copies Indicative cost per unit Indicative total cost120 200 £10 £2000240 200 £12 £2400
How do we pay for it?Usually our schools sell copies direct to parents, friends and family at around £10-15 a copy,
which means there’s no cost to the school. If you want to give away copies of your book for free, then the school will pay. Alternatively, you can use the book as a fund-raiser, adding a sum on
top of the book costs - say, £2 to £5 - which can go towards your favoured charitable cause.
In other words, as well as giving children something to be incredibly proud of, it doesn’t have to cost you a penny, and it can actually raise funds.
More info at https://makeourbook.com
MAKE OUR BOOK
Frequently asked questions
“We don’t know how to put a book together. Do you help?“We provide everything you need to create a professional-grade book of poetry and prose. We
provide ideas for themes and ideas, with worksheets and resources to inspire and help children to write appropriate pieces. We also prompt you to ensure the book contains everything it should,
such as a Headmaster’s or Headmistress’s Foreword, an Introduction, an Acknowledgements section, and bibliographic metadata such as a title, subtitle, blurb and so on.
“How do we get parents to buy it?”Our system creates personalised order forms which look like the letters you would send home for a school trip or similar. Parents return their slips to the school office, with payment to the school. We find that the vast majority of parents order at least one copy of a book with their child’s work
in, and usually spares for grandparents and Christmas presents. Very few miss the chance to see their children’s writing in print.
“How long will it take? We already have a packed schedule.”What you have to do: Get the children to write one piece each, and ask relevant teachers to write
introductions and acknowledgements. Type the writing into our online system. Then proofread the results. This effort is best done in a concerted effort such as during Book Week or on the run up to a deadline such as Christmas. You will also need to send and collect slips from parents and collect
their money, like you would for a school trip.
What we do: Assemble the print files and cover. Provide letters home for you to download and send. Provide checklists for you to evaluate and evidence the learning objectives achieved. Check
the print files, liase with the printer, arrange delivery.
“How does this support our curriculum?“A Make Our Book project satisfies the five E’s Levels of Progression for Using ICT at Key
Stage 1 and 2, and can be used to support delivery of the Levels of Progression for Writing (Communication) at Key Stage 1 and 2.
f ive E’s Levels of Progression for Using ICT at Key Stage 1 and 2
ExploreChildren will be able to access, select, interpret and research information about their book project from our safe and reliable sources.
ExpressChildren will create, develop, present and publish their ideas, creations and information responsibly using a range of digital media -- print files, online PDF ebooks and images -- and manipulate a range of created assets to produce their multimedia book.
ExchangeThis offers a chance to communicate safely and responsibly using a range of contemporary digital methods and tools, exchanging, sharing, collaborating and developing their ideas digitally.
EvaluateThis is a chance to talk about, review and make improvements to their work via proofreading, reflecting on the process and outcome and consider the sources and resources used, including safety, reliability and acceptability -- soliciting feedback from their friends and family.
ExhibitTheir book is a wonderful way to manage and present their stored work and showcase their learning across the curriculum, using ICT safely and responsibly.
theme ideasSpace and robots
Form 1: Diary entry about what I did on my holiday to another planet.Form 2: Acrostic poems spelling out a word such as “Alien”, “Space”, and “Meteor”.Form 3: A descriptive piece about an alien’s first day at your school. Form 4: A descriptive piece about being the first human to land on a strange new planet. Form 5: Write the second chapter of a science fiction book that you have read the first chapter of.Form 6: Limericks about aliens. “There was a young monster from Splot... etc“
Fairytales Form 1: A description of your favourite fairytale, and why it’s your favourite.Form 2: Acrostic poems spelling out a fairytale’s name e.g. “Cinderella”.Form 3: A descriptive piece about a fairytale character’s morning routine. Form 4: Write a new fairytale, including a girl, a mushroom and a talking hedgehog.Form 5: A piece of research about fairy tales and why they remain popular. Form 6: Put the character from one fairy tale into the story of another.
Being British Form 1: A description of how we show mutual respect.Form 2: A piece about my favourite British wildlife: a hedgehog, fox, badger etc. Form 3: A story where someone shows tolerance. Form 4: A story where the rule of law is not applied, and the disasters that ensue.Form 5: Write a sonnet in the style of Shakespeare. Form 6: A story set in a situation without democracy or where someone does not have individual liberty.
Other theme ideas* Science fiction
Nations * Britain * France etc
Seasons
Holidays & celebrations * Christmas * Easter * New year (Chinese or otherwise) * Mothers day * Fathers day * Halloween * Thanksgiving Our environment * Forest * City * Countryside * Trees * Animals
Geography * Oceans * Mountain * Deserts * Countryside * People * Maps
Science * Robots * Space * Aliens * Computers
HobbiesTravel & Holidays
The arts * Music * Pictures * Architecture * Theatre * Fiction and literature
Food
Adventure * Sports
Britain * historical * places * Shakespeare * British values - Democracy - Individual liberty - Rule of law - Tolerance - Mutual respect * Creatures * Hedgehog * Fox * Badger
Space explorationShips and sailingCraftsPets and animalsWeather
Minecraft and games
Other theme ideasA Booktrust project in 2015 found that
• Children enjoy writing more, and write better, when they’re inspired by a high quality book they’ve loved
• Book choice is key in encouraging children’s creative response• Children love having more time to read and write at school• Children enjoy writing when it’s taken beyond the classroom or involves an intriguing event• Using high quality books to inspire and emulate writing encourages children to think of them-
selves as writers• Using “books as hooks” encourages creative learning and helps embed reading and writing for
pleasure deep into the curriculum• Using books as inspiration for writing works well with lower achievers and reluctant writers
(see http://makeourbook.com/pages/post_write_review). So here are some ideas for inspiring books, where “Teachers purposefully chose beautifully illustrated, inspiring, well-written, unusual and/or immersive books” (Quotes taken from the report which can be found on Booktrust’s web-site, linked on that page.)
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning – Lemony Snicket
• “a positive female lead character which would appeal to the “quiet girls” in Year 5; it was funny and anarchic, appealing to the childrens’ (and the teacher’s) sense of humour, and it featured the characters taking a journey which could be documented with a scrapbook writing/making project.”
Coraline – Neil Gaiman
The Wolves in the Walls – Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
Tales from Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Caroline Plaisted, (QEDPublishing)
Gulliver’s Travels – illustrated by Chris Riddell (Walker Books)
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick – Chris Van Allsburg
The Arrival – Shaun Tan
Professor Astrocat’s Frontiers of Space - Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman
The Dr Who Character Encyclopedia – Annabel Gibson and Jason Loborik
• Beautifully illustrated or anarchic, funny books – fiction or nonfiction – are a great way to get reluctant writers on board, often when the books have a relationship to existing interests out-side school.
The full report is well worth a read to learn from the success of the project. Find it at https://www.booktrust.org.uk/globalassets/resources/research/the-write-book-final-evaluation.pdf
Sample f irst half of term project Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5
ReceptionWrite own piece
Be an illustrator: do a picture to go along with the writing
Form I Write own piece
Finish own piece
Proofread own work
Form II Write own piece
Finish own piece
Proofread own work
Form III Start work on own piece
Finish own piece
Proofread own work
Type up own work
Form IV Author visit
Start work on own piece
Finish own piece
Proofread own work
Write the blurb Type up own work
Form V Author visit
Start work on own piece
Finish own piece
Type up own work
Typing up Reception to Form III work
Typing up Reception to Form III work
Form VI Author visit
Start work on own piece
Finish own piece
Type up own work
Typing up Reception to Form III work
Typing up Reception to Form III work
Green: optional or peripheral. Black: necessary.
Sample Book Week PlannerMonday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Reception Write own piece
Be an illustrator: do a picture to go along with the writing
Proofread own work
Reading challenge
Dressing up as book character day
Form I Write own piece
Design a poster for the book
Proofread own work
Reading challenge
Dressing up as book character day
Form II Write own piece
Design a poster for the book
Proofread own work
Library visit Dressing up as book character day
Form III Start work on own piece
Finish own piece
Proofread own work
Design a font Dressing up as book character day
Form IV Author visit
Start work on own piece
Finish own piece
Proofread own work
Write the blurb Dressing up as book character day
Type up own work
Form V Author visit
Start work on own piece
Finish own piece
Type up own work
Typing up Reception to Form III work
Dressing up as book character day
Form VI Author visit
Start work on own piece
Finish own piece
Type up own work
Typing up Reception to Form III work
Dressing up as book character day
Green: optional or peripheral. Black: necessary.
Project plannerThe project leader is:
The teachers involved are:
The workshop date is:
Children will have to finish their pieces by:
The people responsible for typing in the pieces are:
The money left over after Make Our Book’s costs will be shared as follows:
The letter will go out to parents on:
The deadline for orders to be placed will be:
The responsibility for signing off the PDFs is with:
e.g. the Ambassador or the literacy co-ordinator
e.g. form teachers, TAs, the Head
e.g. Monday of Book Week, or World Book Day
e.g. 4 weeks after the workshop date
e.g. parents, form teachers, Year 6 children, TAs, work experience people, or a mix
e.g. 50:50 PTA and Am-bassador, or 100% to the PTA, or 25:75 PTA and Ambassador etc.
e.g. One week before the workshop
e.g. One week after the workshop
e.g. the Ambassador and then the Head.
Proofreading marks
