Writing taught by a writer
Books, in person workshops and digital lesson plans by a qualified teacher and published author
Get Your Students Published!
An unforgettable, authentic writing experience guaranteed to engage young writers both reluctant and exceptional.
Let by experienced teacher and published author Bill Bendall, students will produce a work of fiction that will then be professionally edited, formatted, published and printed, ready to live proudly alongside “real” books in the school library or on a bookshelf at home.
Beyond the books
Bill Bendall is…
Primary school teacher, 10+ years experience in Victorian schools
Currently VIT Registered
Learning Designer (Cool Australia, Deakin University, NSW Department of Education)
Published Author (Dani the Dingo, Invasion Bros.)
Young Australian Best Book Awards (YABBA) Presenter
My Mission:
Teach Writing Like a Writer
When studying maths, students work through real-world equations, and become equip them with the tools and thinking patterns to succeed when they encounter these problems throughout their lives.
When studying science, students experiment, predict, and analyse, just like they would when exploring the real world.
But when it comes to writing, too often students are told to “go off and write”: write about their holidays, write about why cats are better than dogs, or how to make vegemite on toast, or “anything, just be writing!”
It’s no wonder then that one in 10 students are falling behind on literacy and Australian 9-year-olds' literacy at a standstill when teachers assign inauthentic writing tasks.
My mission is simple: teach writing the way that real, professional, published authors write.
Teach persuasive writing the way journalists and lobbyists use it.
Teach expository writing through meaningful and engaging instructions, like board game manuals.
And teach narrative writing the way authors approach their craft.
Why teacher created makes all the difference:
I’m a teacher who has taught. These aren't purely theoretical designs cooked up by academics who haven’t seen a classroom in twenty years. They’re also not just an author coming in for a speech and a muck around. I’ve tested these books, workshops and activities with thousands of real students, refined them, and tested them again. You’ll see instantly that they are practical, applicable, and effective. Content created by a teacher, for teachers, just hits different.
I’m a writer who has written and sold books! My philosophy is that everything we do in the classroom has to be applicable to the real world. So no more writing because it’s what we’re studying today. We write because it’s purposeful, meaningful, and productive.
I understand teachers. And I want to help teachers with the constraints of planning time, reporting, budgets, and aligning to the curriculum, without compromising your own creativity. That’s why every program includes explicit curriculum alignments, learning intentions, and assessment opportunities, so that you can justify me to leadership. But all lesson plans, workshops and PD courses are about uplifting you as the ultimate expert on your students.
I understand readers. The literacy gap in Australia continues to grow. Generic strategies often don't cut it. Kids have more distractions than ever in a digital world, and boys especially increasingly look up to sports stars rather than artists as their heroes. I've spent years figuring out what specifically engages kids who think reading and writing are "boring"—and I can share those strategies with you and your students in ways that actually work.