Six In Schools: Craft Your Own Literary or Illustrated Classroom Book!
... and the Six-Word Pandemic book is here!
I’ve been running the Six-Word Memoir Project for more than a decade and nothing has been more meaningful than the way educators have embraced the six-word form as a tool for storytelling and connection in their classrooms. This gamified approach to narrative helps gets kids writing, and teachers (and parents) love how this short form of self-expression amplifies social and emotional learning.
And as many of you know, Six-Words has now created a way for any classroom to make their own Six-Word Memoir book in a new program called Six In Schools. This fall we launched our pilot program with 150 teachers, 350 classrooms (many teachers are making books for multiple classes, and more than 8,000 students and we are now ready to open Six In Schools up to any educator. If you’re new to Six In Schools, here’s the video short story:
Are you a teacher or know one who wants to make a classroom book? See SixInSchools.com for all the details—and how each classroom book parents or guardians buy raises money for their schools.
Out Now! Six-Word Memoirs on the Pandemic by Teachers, Students, and Parents
The tenth book in the Six-Word Memoir series is a time capsule of the pandemic as told through the lens of students, teachers, and parents. A Terrible, Horrible, No Good Year features hundreds of inspirational, playful, and profound takes on life during the pandemic in words and illustrations - from little kids ("My heart misses a million people") to exhausted parents ("Can we not talk about Roblox?") to heroic teachers ("I taught math, they taught resiliency").
You should really buy this book. Why? I have six good reasons, but these are my top three:
It's a great gift. Buy a bunch of books now, leave them in a drawer, and you'll have a go-to gift for a teacher, a nephew, or a host at an actual in-person party you may be going to soon. Show up with this book instead of a bottle of wine, and you’re not only a more interesting guest, but you’ve also just walked in with an instant conversation starter.
You're kind of psyched to see how we created a fist pump across the book's spine because, well, in six words: We are all in this together.
You heard the interview I did with NPR’s Here & Now and want more. Host Robin Young and I dug into the heart and soul of why Six-Word Memoirs is a such a wonderful way for kids, especially, to make sense of their lives during the pandemic.
Draw It In Six! (Sisters Act)
Anyone of any age can share an illustrated Six-Word Memoir, but the new book showcases our student storytellers. The last two illustrations in A Terrible, Horrible, No Good Year are extra special because they are by sisters Lazarre (age 8) and Simone (age 11) Elias. Want to share your illustration? You can find details on how to share yours at the Six-Word Memoirs FAQ page.