Empower Students By Publishing their Words (in 20 Seconds or Less)!

 Help your students recognize how powerful and wonderful their words are! When I was a third grade teacher, we created a classroom space that they were completely in charge of. We called it our Inspiration Wall. Anytime we were reading a book or an article, or listened to great music, or heard a quote from a video- the students were able to call out "WOW! Those words moved me. Let's put it on our Inspiration Wall!" It was so cool to have them become aware of words that carry power for them and make them feel a certain way. 

I realized after a few weeks that their words were missing from our Inspiration Wall. While it's great to be moved by others (authors, celebrities, athletes, civil rights leaders, etc.), I wanted them to see that their words were just as powerful and just as valuable as the words of their heroes! 

I started to listen more intentionally for their great "quotables" throughout the day. I would say "WOW! What you said was so cool! Let's add that to our Inspiration Wall!" and after a few days, the kids would call each other out for their power statements. Sometimes it was just a funny joke, sometimes it was a deeper thought or reflection, or sometimes it was something that reflected a really cool moment. 

We'd pause, I'd pull up Canva, and I'd throw their words and first names into a graphic. When I first started to do this, I'd just print out one copy. One day a student asked if I could print an additional copy to take home. That night I received a text message from a mother who was so overjoyed to have their child's words published into a graphic. She told me she was going to buy a frame for it! So from them on, I'd print TWO copies each time (one for us, one for their family). Kids would be so proud to see their work published. 

The cool thing is it only took 20 seconds total. Canva has tons of free templates. You  might even ask the kids for their input on color and design. Try it out and keep me posted! Check out a few samples below! 







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