PETAA Young Writers' Program
John Scollo

PETAA Young Writers' Program

Earlier this year, Greenvale Primary School applied to take part in the PETAA Young Writers’ Program. The Program connects Australian children's authors with high-ability and passionate student writers for workshops. We were thrilled to be accepted - the first time GPS has participated in the Program. This special opportunity gave 50 students from Years 2–6 the chance to work with published and award-winning author, Ingrid Laguna.

Ingrid helped students see themselves as writers. They were encouraged to build their confidence as authors and share their ideas with others.

Students explored the writing process from start to finish - learning how authors plan, draft, edit and publish their work. They looked at how authors use different sentence structures, genre features and vocabulary to make their writing more engaging. Students also learnt how strong story openings hook the reader by introducing a problem, drama or suspense early in the text.

Students had regular opportunities to give and receive helpful feedback. They shared their writing, listened to others and practised giving suggestions to improve their work. Students also learnt that mistakes are an important part of writing, and that a first draft, ‘Draft Zero’, is a chance to get their ideas down before rereading and editing.

It was a fantastic experience for our students and a wonderful chance to learn from a published author. We feel so lucky to have had Ingrid spend the day with our students, sharing her love of writing and inspiring our young authors.

At Greenvale Primary School, we see all students as authors. Ingrid was full of praise for our young writers. Here are some comments from Ingrid about our young authors:

Below is a small sample of student writing from both days, showcasing the creativity, imagination and strong ideas that were sparked during the workshop.