“Writing in a diary is a really strange experience for someone like me. Not only because I've never written anything before, but also because it seems to me that later on neither I nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl” (Anne Frank).
Just as Anne Frank had no concept at the time of how her diary would impact generations, we can never tell what impact our students’ compositions may have on the current generation or even future generations. Allowing them an opportunity to exercise their voices and providing them an outlet for others to hear those voices are part of the goal of Magnum Opus Magazine.
Magnum Opus, which in Latin means great work, was the name given to a publication that Dr. James B. Webster compiled each year, consisting of the finest student papers of the year from his college classes. Andrew Pudewa dreamed even further and developed IEW’s Magnum Opus Magazine, which started in 2013 to provide IEW students from all around the world an opportunity to publish their writing. In addition to the print magazine, IEW’s Magnum Opus Magazine publishes an e-newsletter each month that focuses on a specific writing unit, features IEW’s yearly writing contest winners, and occasionally provides an opportunity for budding poets, storywriters, journalists, and even artists to share their work.
How is Magnum Opus Magazine helpful for parents and teachers?
Parents and teachers can use both the print and e-newsletter as unit samples for their students. When introducing a new writing unit, parents or teachers can show the students what the end result may look like. They can provide students with a variety of essays at their students’ levels as inspiration, looking at the structure and the style that is incorporated. Instructors may also have their students imagine what the writer’s key word outline might have been, which can be an encouragement for developing their own organizational strategies before they begin to write their own composition.
Why is Magnum Opus Magazine important for student writers?
Students often put a great deal of effort into completing their writing assignments. Many times, those compositions are graded, returned, and tucked away in a folder or binder. It may be that the only one who really reads them is the instructor. Often students are proud of their accomplishments, especially if the assignment has been challenging or if they have been mastering a new stylistic technique. Submitting work to Magnum Opus Magazine provides an opportunity for students to display their dedication to improving their writing skills. For many students the opportunity to be published further motivates their learning and inspires their creativity. Additionally, when students are preparing a high school transcript, they can include the fact that their work has been published.
What is Magnum Opus Magazine looking for?
The magazine is always looking for excellent examples of any writing unit at any writing level. While we focus each e-newsletter on a specific unit each month, we do not limit submissions that month to only that unit. Parents, teachers, and students can submit work from any writing unit at any time throughout the year. The magazine will retain those pieces for at least one year. If your students are still working on Unit 4 and we have already published that unit this year, we will keep their submissions on file to consider for next year. Take a look through your students’ writing portfolios and consider submitting some of their compositions to the magazine for possible inclusion in future e-newsletters and print magazines.
In addition to the nine IEW writing units, the magazine also accepts poetry, original fiction, and journalism. We also look for student artists using any art medium. Finally, we publish IEW’s yearly writing contest winners in a summer e-newsletter.
How do I submit my students’ work for consideration?
This is the easy part! Head over to Magnum Opus Magazine and click on the Submissions tab. You will be able to read the writer’s guidelines, upload a Word document, and give parental consent for publication all at the same time.
How can I read the magazine?
On the magazine’s website you can click on the Subscribe tab and sign up to receive the monthly e-newsletter in your email. You can also request a copy of the most recent print edition of the magazine. Previous editions of the magazine are posted on the site in a digital format.
So, what are you waiting for? Introduce your students to the Magnum Opus Magazine today!
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Lizabeth Brasells graduated from Bob Jones University with a B.A. in elementary education. After teaching middle school for five years, she was blessed to be able to stay home and care for her family. The transition into homeschooling was natural, and over the past three decades, she has educated and seen all three of her children graduate as homeschoolers from high school and become productive and self-sufficient adults. An opportunity to teach drama at a local homeschool co-op led to the discovery of a need for an IEW teacher. Lizabeth jumped at the chance to learn and work with this valuable tool. After a year of teaching SWI-B, she received her IEW accreditation as a Certified Instructor. She has taught IEW to students for the last two decades in various co-ops and private tutoring sessions and is excited to be a part of IEW's Online Classes teaching team. She has also joined the customer service team as a Customer Service Consultant and enjoys supporting teachers and families using IEW materials with their students. |
