Robin Forrest
Robin Forrest is a 5th grade teacher at Helen Haller Elementary in Sequim, Washington. For more than nine years, she has made book publishing with StoryJumper a highlight of her classroom. Each year, her students become authors with something real to show for their effort—books they can proudly hold in their hands and share with others.
“Every year, when my students open the box of published books, they are so proud and that moment reminds me why we do this project.”
The Challenge
Robin teaches classes with a range of diverse learners. Some of her students can write independently while others face challenges with reading and writing. Like many educators, she works to differentiate instruction in a way that engages everyone, but that’s not always easy. Writing can feel hard, even boring, for some students. Robin knew that if she wanted all of her students to grow, she’d need a way to make writing feel meaningful, personal, and achievable.
Book Publishing Project
To inspire her students, Robin encourages them to think like real writers. At the start of the project, she tells them, “Good writers think about the process, the content, and the final product.” That simple idea becomes the foundation of the entire project.
Process
Robin uses digital tools to remove barriers and help each student succeed. For those who struggle with writing or spelling, she introduces speech-to-text dictation technology so they can express their ideas more freely. More advanced writers explore StoryJumper’s creative tools to bring their stories to life with styled text, images, voice narration, music, and sound effects. The platform’s simple interface makes it accessible for all levels. Every student, regardless of ability, learns that good writing takes editing and refinement before it’s ready for readers.
Content
Students choose what they want to write about, whether it’s something personal, something imaginative, or even a topic they explored in another assignment. Some use StoryJumper templates to get started, while others begin from scratch. What matters most is that they care about what they’re writing. That sense of ownership makes all the difference.
Final Product
Each student publishes a hardcover book, creating something they can be proud of. Robin saves an extra copy of every book for the school library so future students can read and be inspired. The books are more than just class projects—they’re keepsakes, capturing a moment in time that students will remember for years to come.
Schoolwide Celebration and Results
Robin’s project didn’t just stay in her classroom. The other five 5th grade teachers at Helen Haller decided to do it, too. Robin introduced her colleagues to the basics of StoryJumper, and they launched their own publishing projects with their classes (about 28 students per class). To keep the process manageable, each teacher started as early as November and as late as March and wrapped up by May. Robin helped coordinate the final book order by getting the link to the shared class library from each teacher and placing one large order.
The project ended with a special Author’s Tea event in June. Fifth graders spread out on blankets, cookies nearby, and read their books to groups of visiting third graders. It was a celebration of creativity, effort, and voice.
The benefits went beyond one afternoon. Robin challenged her students by saying, “I’m your editor. If you want me to buy your book, you need to make it better.” As a result, her students’ published books reflected stronger writing skills than she typically sees in their everyday assignments and reluctant writers gained more confidence. Students took feedback more seriously because they knew the final product would be published.
Funding
Thanks to funding from the Sequim Education Foundation, every 5th grade author received their own hardcover book. Students even wrote testimonials about what the project meant to them. Here’s one example:
Looking Ahead
Robin and her fellow teachers already have plans to improve next year’s book publishing project. Students will also be introduced to StoryJumper’s StoryChat digital writing tutor tool to help them brainstorm and organize their stories. And they’ll be encouraged to record their voice narration—even after their books are printed—so they can bring their stories to life in a new way.
Robin’s advice to other educators? Start early, give students tools that meet them where they are, and create something they’ll remember long after the school year ends.
