Everyone Writes Day – October 21, 2022, history, significance

Everyone Writes Day – October 21, 2022, history, significance

Everyone Writes Day is celebrated in the United Kingdom on October 21, although if a school can’t manage this date, they’re encouraged to celebrate on the day that is most convenient to them. It could even coincide with Science and Engineering Week, Arts Week, or Summer Fair.


Primary and secondary schools change the curriculum for one whole day to celebrate writing in all its forms. Every pupil and staff member gets to enjoy writing — including catering staff, site managers, and parent volunteers. Schools may choose to run one big writing event to engage all pupils or opt for a series of playful and engaging writing activities.



HISTORY OF EVERYONE WRITES DAY


The origins of writing begin at the start of the pottery phase of the Neolithic when clay tokens were used to record specific amounts of livestock or commodities. These tokens were initially impressed on the surface of round clay envelopes and then stored in them.

The earliest known writing may be the Kish tablet from Sumer, with pictographic writing, from 3500 B.C. The tokens were then slowly replaced by flat tablets, on which signs were recorded with a stylus. True writing is first recorded in Uruk, at the end of the fourth millennium B.C., and soon after in various parts of the Near East.


An ancient Mesopotamian poem from circa 1800 B.C., called “Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta,” gives the first known story of the invention of writing, which says: “Because the messenger’s mouth was heavy and he couldn’t repeat (the message), the lord of Kulaba patted some clay and put words on it, like a tablet. Until then, there had been no putting words on clay.”


The history of literature begins with the history of writing, but literature and writing, though connected, are not the same. The very first writings from ancient Sumer by any reasonable definition do not amount to literature. Early Egyptian hieroglyphs and ancient Chinese government records are similarly regarded.

Scholars disagree when record-keeping shifted into literature, but the oldest surviving texts date from nearly 1,000 years from the first recorded use of writing. Early authors such as the Egyptian Ptahhotep, from the 24th century B.C., and the Sumerian Enheduanna, from the 23rd century B.C., are some of the oldest examples recorded.



EVERYONE WRITES DAY TIMELINE


3500 B.C.
Earliest Known Writing
The Kish tablet from Sumer, with pictographic writing, is believed to have originated.


3000 B.C.
First Record of True Writing
It is found in Uruk.



2400 B.C.
Earliest Literary Author Known by Name
Ptahhotep writes in ancient Egypt.



1800 B.C.
First Story About The Invention of Writing
It comes from an ancient Mesopotamian poem called “Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta.”

EVERYONE WRITES DAY ACTIVITIES


Give children a writing prompt
You can do this by simply giving them a written prompt, or going beyond for younger kids. For example, you could stage an alien landing in the playground, and assign them the roles of reporters to make it exciting.



Create a collaborative story with the whole classroom
You can write the first sentence or paragraph yourself, ask the first student on the list to write the next one continuing from yours, then the next student, and so on. Everyone will be very surprised at the wild turns the story takes.


Ask students to rewrite their favorite stories
This one is for the older kids. There are many ways to do this, you can tell them to rewrite it from the point of view of another character, like the antagonist, to change the genre or the setting.


5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT EVERYONE WRITES DAY


It can raise children’s confidence
This was discovered in a study by the University of Sheffield in 2009, concerning writing.


It can improve several skills simultaneously
It can improve children’s innovation, creativity, and technical writing skills at the same time.


V.R. technology
Stanhope Primary School explored Kensington Palace without leaving their classroom using V.R. technology to inspire them to write about it.


National Literacy Trust recommends having an audience
They recommend publishing an anthology of the children’s stories for the parents or people at the local store, for example, and say that having a real audience positively affects the exercise.



A school made a T.V. news program
For a two-day Everyone Writes Day project, Moss Hey Primary School produced and presented a T.V. news program in which each class became a different department.



WHY WE LOVE EVERYONE WRITES DAY


It’s a day for students and teachers to have fun
Normal activities are suspended on Everyone Writes Day in favor of something different. Everybody needs a break every once in a while, even if it can still be considered work, it’s a good enough change of pace.



It encourages creativity
We believe it’s a very important skill for children to learn, as it will impact every facet of their life. Even if they are not personally interested in writing, creativity is useful in any task.



It can inspire children to write on their own
They could end up becoming fantasy authors, scriptwriters for Hollywood, award-winning journalists, and more. You never know what lies in store!

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