5th Graders Participate in a Google Hangout with Author, Kate Messner

Today, 5th graders participated in a Google Hangout sponsored by We Are Teachers.  The hangout was organized to celebrate the National Day on Writing.   Author Kate Messner writes books for children and has written over twenty books!  Kate took the students through her writing process: from her fist idea all the way to the finished book.  She shared that one of her books, Ranger in Time, took two years to get published from start to finish!

Kate told the students that writing is hard because it is a huge responsibility to write for kids!  She never feels like giving up, though.  She loves it too much.  Her favorite author growing up was Beverly Cleary and her favorite books were the Ramona books.


After the hangout, students got together with their reading partners to share their thinking.  What were they surprised to hear?  What can they take from what Kate Messner shared and use it in their own writing?  Here are some of their thoughts.

Brett said  he was surprised that it took so long to make a book.

Davis thought it was interesting that authors share their writing pieces with other authors to get feedback.

Laila didn't know that illustrators have to do research too.

Lee thought it was awesome how a single idea that an author has can be turned into a whole series of books!

We better stock up on Kate Messner books in the library!