Seeking volunteers to listen to North Minneapolis 7th graders pitch their story ideas (mid to late May 2021)

I am a 7th grade teacher in North Minneapolis. My students are starting on a unit called Expanding Literature. The unit inquiry question is: "How can we create and publish imaginative stories featuring underrepresented heroes and protagonists?" In particular, we have been reading about underrepresentation of BIPOC characters, but this also can include any underrepresented group of people (LGBTQ+ characters, for example).    

I am seeking caring adult writers to listen to the students pitch their story ideas and give them feedback sometime in the middle of May. The students will be expected to give an overview of their ideas with visuals and read a sample of their writing. They are allowed to work as individuals or in a small group. The preferred option for pitch meetings would be during Google Meets for the most meaningful experience for everyone involved, but in a pinch, we could also do this using an easy-to-use app, Flip Grid. Students can record their pitches in videos and get video responses. This is a new unit, so I believe we will be ready in the middle of May, but there may be delays depending on how the pandemic affects in-person learning. 

My hope is that having real grownup literary types as an audience will infuse school with relevance (and perhaps even some excitement).  

Thank you for considering us,

Jamie Rowe-Osborn

Franklin Middle School