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December 9, 2014 STERLING | LINCOLN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Fifth-graders rock book Pre-teens relish chance to publish findings BY JERMAINE PIGEE
STERLING – Out of sight, out of mind? Not for Jozlyn Johnson, whose class at Lincoln Elementary School will publish its own book. “We are nervous because this is not just for our class and people that we know,” the fifth-grader said. “This is for people that we will never really see, and they will be reading our writing.” Students in Suzi Hesser’s class at Lincoln have spent the past few weeks working on a book through a project called Authentic Writing Through Book Publishing and Sharing. As part of the project, students are creating a book about the different types of rock in the world. Each student will author a page in the book. “Every student has a rock that they are researching,” Hesser said. “In order to engage them more deeply, we want to create a book with our findings, publish it, and put it in libraries.” By placing the books in local libraries, Hesser said, students will have an audience for their writing while developing pride in their finished books. She hopes they can eventually become self-motivated readers and writers. “When students write a paper that ends up in a folder, the writing is not as engaging and authentic,” Hesser said. “When they are writing and sharing their work with others, they become true authors.” With the help of U.S. Cellular’s Calling All Teachers program, which funds different classroom projects, Hesser was able to get a book-binding machine and binding materials for the book. U.S. Cellular donated almost $600 for the project. “U.S. Cellular was a huge blessing to the class,” Hesser said. “We also received hardcover blank books and softcover blank books to use for our project.” Kaya Strohmayer, 11, said writing the book is a once-in-a-lifetime-experience. “We may not be able to make a book again,” Strohmayer said as she researched the geode rock. “This is a class coming together to make this big, good, creative book that no other class will be able to make.” Destiny Hodge, 11, agreed. “This is a good memory of doing
something as a class,” said Hodge, who is studying the arkesia rock. For their projects, students have to learn to write a topic sentence, come up with a main idea, and create supporting details. They also must cite sources used in research. Students also have to answer questions, such as how their rock is formed, what it’s made from, where it’s found, and how it’s used. “What goes in the book is what they research,” Hesser said. Johnson,10, said writing the book is fun, but it was hard at first. “We actually got the hang of it after we started it,” said Johnson, who is researching a diamond. “This is also fun because we have never had this experience.” If all goes well, the students’ book will be completed by Christmas. This is not the only book the students will create this school year. Other book topics the students have come up with include bullying and prevention, U.S. history, and books on how to write. “This is something we will remember when we are 26,” Johnson said.
Photos by Philip Marruffo
Destiny Hodge (left) and Jozlyn Johnson work together on their pages of a book on rocks in Suzi Hesser’s fifth-grade class at Lincoln Elementary School in Sterling. The class is publishing the book through a project called Authentic Writing Through Book Publishing and Sharing. “This is something we will remember when we are 26,” Johnson said of the learning experience.
Keegan Castillo (left) and Ethan Janssen research their rocks on the Internet in Suzi Hesser’s fifth-grade class at Lincoln Elementary School in Sterling. Celeste Lopez (left) and Kaya Strohmayer research their rocks on the internet in Suzi Hesser’s fifth-grade class at Lincoln Elementary School in Sterling. “We may not be able to make a book again,” Strohmayer said.
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