Gumshoe Room Of Writers (G.R.O.W.) Launches

The Gumshoe Room of Writers (G.R.O.W.) is a program for students in grades K-12 that makes the writing process fun, rewarding, and exciting. Our mission is to to prepare future leaders for a dynamic, information-based global society by developing their creative and critical thinking skills.

Program Synopsis
The G.R.O.W. program tentatively includes the following:

1. GumshoePress sponsors an author to visit your classroom/library to work alongside K-12 students as they write and illustrate their own STEAMM-based stories together.
2. During the term, the author returns weekly/monthly to the classroom to support the teacher and to provide personal encouragement to students as they develop plotlines, characters, and other story elements. Each story will also be reviewed by professional editors for ongoing feedback and revisions.
3. After the editorial process is completed, all final drafts will be sent to professional proofreaders for final review.
4.  Once final reviews are completed, all manuscripts will be collected, and GumshoePress will publish a hardcover anthology and provide a free copy to all participating students. Each story will be accompanied by the student-author’s portrait and a brief biography.

Program Goals
In addition to the accomplishment of having written and illustrated a story, every student who participated will also have achieved:

• Improved literacy skills in grammar, punctuation, sentence mechanics, and storytelling.
• Deeper understanding of multiple STEAMM topics for the purposes of researching, writing, and illustrating their story.
• Status of “published author”, a distinction which will remain with the child for the rest of his/her life.

Critical thinking and imagination are cornerstones of the program, and G.R.O.W. guides students through a diverse series of exercises which systematically strengthen their research, reading, writing, and presentation skills.

Want to Participate?
We are currently seeking educational partners in greater-Pittsburgh to pilot the G.R.O.W. program. If you would like more information, or want to invite one of our authors to your school or library, then please contact us.