The word audience conjures up a crowd, perhaps people watching an opera late at night at the Santa Fe outdoor amphitheatre, as the moon rises over the spectacle of Cosi Fan Tutte. Or wearing sparkles and friendship bracelets as they scream themselves hoarse at the Eras tour. Or packing a stadium as they stomp their feet and cheer at a Lakers game.

But audiences don't have to be so huge, or dramatic. When it comes to students, what they need is to know they'll pretty often have one for their best work. A friend, the kids walking through the hallways every day, the school principal, the 2nd grade class at Wilson elementary down the street... it matters.

It changes the way they work, and helps their work parallel the writing they'll do one day across a wide variety of careers, in which their emails will go to someone, their presentations will be to a room full of co-workers, and their social media posts will make the difference between their small business making it or not.

An authentic audience brings engagement and motivation, helping students be successful at school and beyond. So today, let's talk about where to find it (hint... around every corner!).

One quick note before we begin - for any of these audiences that exist online, keep in mind that you would need appropriate parent and/or school permission for students to submit to be published, and that students should never share their personal information or photos of themselves.

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Sources:

Landay, Eileen and Kurt Wooton. A Reason to Read. Harvard Education Press, 2012.

Warner, John. Why They Can't Write. John Hopkins University Press, 2020.

Zemelman, Daniels and Hyde. Best Practice. Heinemann, 2005.

411: 41 Authentic Audiences for your ELA Students