(BOSTON, MA) May 8, 2018 - BoomWriter Media, Inc., a leading provider of online collaborative writing solutions for education, today announced that best-selling children’s books author and Diary of a Wimpy Kid series creator Jeff Kinney will expand his role in The 2018 Writing Bee by providing the story start for the Finals rounds.
Kinney’s compelling first chapter will serve as the starting point for the next phase of the event, as thousands of 4- and 5-graders representing U.S. and U.K.-based school districts read, write, share, and vote on the best-written submissions to create an original nonfiction story and determine The 2018 Writing Bee Champion.
“I’m excited to take part in this event that celebrates students and their writing, and I hope my contributions to The Writing Bee will help inspire these children to pursue more and more writing opportunities throughout their lives,” said Kinney.
First published in 2007, Kinney has since sold more than 200 million copies of his books following the journey of middle schooler, Greg Heffley. This year, he also wrote the story start for The Writing Bee’s qualifying rounds.
Throughout these rounds, students in participating districts, schools, and classrooms have used BoomWriter’s interactive yet competitive writing platform to complete their own unique version of the story. After reading Kinney’s story start, students then independently write what they believe will be the best next chapter. When they have completed the writing phase, students log back on to review the anonymous submissions of their peers and cast votes for their favorites. A winning submission is identified for each round, and the process continues until the story is completed.
All qualifying-round chapter winners and top vote-getters have been invited to participate in the Finals with a chance to become The 2018 Writing Bee Champion. Throughout the Finals, all School/District Level participants can read and cast votes for their favorite submissions, while also cheering on their peers who remain eligible to compete.
This year’s event builds on the success of BoomWriter’s first annual Writing Bee, which challenged almost 800 Milton (MA) Public Schools students to collaborate on a story using the classic 1980s movie The Goonies as inspiration. At the end of the project, BoomWriter published the story in paperback and the students celebrated with actor Jeff Cohen, who played the iconic character “Chunk” in the film and wrote The Writing Bee story’s inspirational first chapter.
“We are thrilled to partner with Jeff Kinney this year, while also delivering a Writing Bee that’s nearly 10 times bigger than last year’s,” said Chris Twyman, the founder and CEO of BoomWriter Media, Inc. “It’s an opportunity for students to exercise their creativity, and when you throw a little friendly competition into the mix, it really gets the kids engaged, not only in writing but in reviewing the work of their peers. And when the competition is over, publishing the final story gives everyone involved a tangible feeling of accomplishment.”
The Writing Bee Finals rounds begin June 4. The Finals chapter winners and top vote-getters from each round move on, and the author of the competition’s final chapter will be crowned The 2018 Writing Bee Champion.
For more information and to get involved in next year’s competition, visit TheWritingBee.Org or email info@boomwriter.media.
About BoomWriter
BoomWriter is an educational technology product of BoomWriter Media, Inc., a leading provider of online collaborative writing solutions and a Google for Education Partner. The collaborative writing site allows students to develop and enhance their writing, reading, vocabulary, and peer-assessment skills on any device. With a presence in more than 45,000 classrooms, BoomWriter’s award-winning tools and writing platform are an ideal fit for a variety of learners in grades 2–12, and can be easily integrated into any curricula. BoomWriter also offers premium features that include standards-aligned rubrics, easy grading, and progress monitoring writing analytics. To learn more, please visit BoomWriter.com.
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Jacob Hanson
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