IMS Trio Talk How To Writing Contest on Studio 13 Live

Wednesday, April 24, 2024 – Islander Middle School eighth graders Alice Liang and Kavya Muralidhar and IMS language arts teacher Taylor Gall were guests on Studio 13 Live this morning. Studio 13 Live is on FOX 13 Seattle from 10-11am.

Watch The IMS Trio on Studio 13 Live

Both Liang and Muralidhar recently won Honorable Mention Awards in the New York Times How To Writing Contest for Teenagers. Liang’s award winning submission is titled How To Survive Middle School Hallways and Muralidhar’s award winning submission is titled How To Play Out of Tune On the Flute.

Studio 13 Live hosts Carly Henderson and Mireya Garcia highlighted the awards won by both students and spoke to them about how they came up with the ideas for their How To pieces. Muralidhar performed on her flute during the segment. 

The hosts spoke to Gall about the eighth grade language arts team incorporating the How To Writing contest into their curriculum.

Prior to the live segment Gall had the following to say about how the eighth grade language arts unit on Informational Writing benefited from the use of the Times contest.

“This was a great fit for IMS 8th grade curriculum in our Informational Writing unit. As an 8th-grade team, we loved how the contest gave students the freedom to choose a topic they were interested in while learning real-world writing skills. Students write differently when their audience expands beyond the classroom: this gives them a new purpose and focus.”

“In the writing process, our team used tools designed by the NYT and created our own to spark creativity in our students. Students journaled and brainstormed to select a unique topic, reflecting on questions like "What is something people your age know a lot about that older people might not?" and "What can you already do well — no matter how small?" During the writing process, students interviewed experts on the subject. For one student this meant asking the biggest Swiftie at IMS for tips on how to swap bracelets at a Taylor Swift concert. Another called a local Qdoba for the secret to their burrito-wrapping technique. We encouraged students to lean into expert advice, practical tips, and humor.”

“All 8th-grade students at IMS wrote How-Tos from topics ranging from the hyper specific "How to Dye Your Own Hair Blue" to the humorous "How to Not Annoy Your Teen Daughter." Around 100 chose to submit their pieces to the New York Times, which led to the results being announced and Alice and Kavya were recognized with runner-up awards!”

“As the youngest grade eligible, it is a major accomplishment for our young writers to have their work acknowledged and their names published in the Times. What the two pieces have in common is a topic both care deeply about told using a sarcastic, humorous tone.”

The MISD Instagram chronicled the trio’s appearance on Studio 13 Live with behind-the-scenes Stories posts.

We are very appreciative of the opportunity Studio 13 Live providing MISD to broadcast student voice, celebrate student successes, and highlighted our innovative teachers.