Pittsford fifth graders publish their own magazine

Kids love animals, right? As a child, I not only loved them, but I also wanted to learn about them. Luckily, I had parents who provided me with subscriptions to many animal magazines. Reading each new issue loaded me with the confidence of knowing more about something. Nonfiction is often overlooked and underestimated, but if you leave reading material sitting around on a topic kids care about, they may just pick it up.

Magazine articles are great to read in bursts and do not require lengthy attention like chapter books. There are often great illustrations or photographs, and a thoughtful reader may even find pleasure in a well-formatted page. Fold back those slippery pages to share a fascinating fact or amusing picture with others; it elevates the experience to a social event, a bonding moment. Being a magazine reader is still one of my favorite pastimes. Little did I realize all the work that went into the making of each issue, however, before managing a youthful and creative production staff of my own.

A few years ago I challenged my Pittsford School District fifth-grade students to create a magazine that we could publish and share with our school community. With the principal’s permission, of course, we launched our yearly project.

Students are now able to study the prior year’s published issues, which they always want to improve upon. Some classic ideas get repeated: “Instrument of the Issue,” “Debate Page,” an animal page, of course, and interviews where we ask a student from each grade about a kid-friendly topic. A lot of thought goes into the fact that our readers are five to eleven years old, and we want to help them learn to be great readers and thinkers. Fifth graders write, research, photograph, design, and edit it all.

Suddenly the act of revision or redoing their work isn’t an ask from a teacher; it’s a necessary move in order to be sure the end product will be the best version it can be. Learning how to compromise is key as classmates critique the work and provide constant feedback as we all work on one document online together. Positive peer pressure becomes an act of collaboration. When asked what she learned from the experience, Natalie says “that sometimes I have to change my ideas.” Another student, Gray, says, “I have learned to cooperate and to plan my work.”

What’s the best part of it all? Rory says, “I enjoy looking over the final product and handing them out to kids all over the school and seeing people enjoy them.” When a second grade teacher emails to tell us that her students are working on the math page from our issue (my student writers create individual problems appropriate for each grade level) the joy of being a published author is clear.

I often tell my students that the hard part of any given assignment will potentially be working with a partner or group, not the actual work itself. Producing our magazine together epitomizes that idea but makes the struggle worth it. Because, of course, there are struggles. Learning to recognize that someone else’s ideas might look better or make more sense is hard for adults, too. Kids become more flexible and creative with each new page and every issue, kind of competing with themselves to do better. Have I mentioned that their work isn’t even graded? The growth they experience in computer skills, writing and revision, planning and follow through, as well as interpersonal skills is obvious to them and me.

So yes, we are printing hard copies of paper magazines and the kids get it. “Feeling it in your hands” and the “good smell” are things that Tesla notices. “Some people can’t afford digital devices,” says Cece. Many students, in fact, want paper literature in their hands. Furthermore, Elliott points out, “It’s worth making a paper magazine because it encourages kids to read more magazines like (585) Kids!”