The month of March is known around the world as National Reading Month, Listening Awareness Month, and even National March into Literacy Month. At Book Creator, we celebrate BE AN AUTHOR MONTH✨!

It’s a time for showcasing how literacy can come alive! Turn your students, and even yourselves, into published authors through reading, writing, speaking, and listening activities across all subjects.

I had so much fun showing Mrs. Forbes the @BookCreatorApp for her upcoming poetry unit. She was so excited to get started, we let kids explore that day. Students loved that they would become ebook authors. #BeAnAuthor #CCISD1to1 @ClearCreekISD @ccisdtech pic.twitter.com/Z2rfmBfn50

— Melissa Chambers (@MelissaCLTC) March 9, 2022

Why 'Be An Author'?

The idea of writing and publishing a book is exciting! Writing a story onto a fresh, blank page can be thrilling for many, but also a challenge to some who have difficulty with literacy skills. In fact, this is exactly why Book Creator was started!

Like all the best superheroes, Book Creator has an amazing origin story. Did you know that the app was created to help a reluctant reader? In 2010, Dan Amos and his wife were trying to support their son, who was struggling to read the books provided by his school.

Dan’s son was diagnosed with dyslexia. This meant the curriculum-based books that his classmates were reading were not suitable for his reading level.

With a distinct lack of reading options available, Dan and his wife came to a decision that would change the course of their lives! They decided that instead of trying to find reading material he would engage with - why not create it themselves?! And so Book Creator was born. Dan built the app himself and before long they were able to create books on subjects that their son could get excited about, and his reading subsequently improved.

Naturally, the next step beyond that for the learners is to start writing their own books, demonstrating their understanding, and improving literacy across the curriculum.

What is Be An Author Month?

We are all authors. But maybe you have students who don't think they can write. Maybe your district has a problem with literacy scores, and is looking for a solution.

This month is all about addressing that. Let's make writing the focus this month, across the curriculum. Turn students into authors and see how by creating and sharing digital books, magic can happen:

• Engagement in class sky-rockets 🚀
• Reading and writing levels soar 📕
• The whole school benefits 🌈

Be An Author Month launched in 2022 and we aim to establish it as an annual event that gets bigger each year. There is so much going on in March that it makes sense to theme it around literacy, and writing in particular. There is Read Across America Day, World Storytelling Day, and World Poetry Day to name just a few special occasions in March.

What to expect this year

This year, Be An Author Month is about Finding, Refining, and Recording your VOICE to share your amazing stories! There are many research-based benefits of students reading, writing, or telling their stories in educational and cognitive development.

Let's make this clear:

“Voice” Doesn’t Mean Your Actual Speaking Voice

At Book Creator, we embrace diverse modes of communication, and are passionate about ensuring an inclusive learning environment for all, which is why leveraging technology, such as our platform, ensures students who are unable to use their physical voice, still have a voice in their writing, reading, and storytelling experiences.

This can be shared through visual storytelling, digital tools and multimedia, collaborative writing, video sign-language, and interactive discussions. All of these features and more allow every student using Book Creator to have a voice in your classroom.

Why should we focus on student voice?

→ Cognitive Engagement and Learning: Engaging our multiple senses, including auditory processing through speaking or listening, enhances our ability to retain information. When students use their voice to share their thoughts or stories, they actually activate parts of their brain that leads to better comprehension and mastery. In addition, research in educational psychology shows that learners who are actively engaged in the learning process can verbalize their thoughts and ideas more easily and effectively whether in oral or written forms.

→ Language Development & Communication: Oral reading (or speaking aloud) promotes language development, especially in early childhood education. Oral language skills are foundational to later literacy development and can support students with vocabulary enhancement, grammar acquisition, and overall language and speaking fluency which is needed for effective communication.

→ Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) & Confidence: Communication (whether written or oral), is a key component of SEL. Students who engage in expression, especially verbally, often show better interpersonal skills, empathy, and self-awareness. In addition, Using their voice in educational settings contributes to better confidence and has a positive impact on overall academic achievement and learning outcomes.

→ Differentiation & Reading Fluency: Science of Reading research indicates explicitly that reading aloud contributes to improved reading fluency and comprehension for students. When students read or discuss content aloud, they are more likely to notice patterns in text, understand context, and make connections between ideas. In addition, allowing students to use their voice facilitates differentiated instruction. Teachers can better understand individual learning styles, preferences, and challenges when students express their thinking in a variety of ways.

How do I take part in Be An Author Month?

All month long we will be sharing resources, lesson ideas, prompts, templates, webinars, and more on how you can use Book Creator to increase motivation, engagement, and literacy skills across the curriculum using student voice.

Head over to the Be An Author Month hub for links to all the good stuff!

Other things to look out for:

• Book Creator templates to help with reading and writing
• An Activity Journal for every day of the month!
• Webinars throughout the month to support and inspire you
• A brand new #TWIMA project - "This Is Me".
• A very special milestone to celebrate and a giveaway coming in March!

We believe that every student has a story worth telling, and Be An Author Month is dedicated to providing them with the platform and tools to amplify their voices.

Through the magic of words and the joy of creation, March is not just another month at Book Creator, but a chapter in every student’s personal narrative, where they get to become the authors of their own tales.

Help us encourage every student to unleash their imagination, express their thoughts, and use their voice to celebrate unique perspectives, diverse narratives, and the power of storytelling.

Are you in?

Go to the Be An Author Month hub→