Elementary school students pen book
Robbinsville – Being a third grader is not easy, but sometimes you have to let the good times roll.
That is exactly what Ms. Welker’s third grade class did throughout the last school year. They took the hard stuff – like learning to write sentences and spell words correctly, while learning to comprehend what they just read – and then they wrapped the school year up nicely with a book that was written by the entire class and published by Studentreasures Publishing.
Robin Welker has been an educator for seven years. When she took on the third graders at Robbinsville Elementary, she brought expectations with her. She expected students to take more responsibility for their learning and ask questions when they needed extra help or understanding. Welker worked hard to adapt strategies that would allow them to master basic writing, editing and revising skills.
They were expected to learn how to construct complete thoughts and write in paragraphs. They were to punctuate the sentences correctly. Then she invited students to collaborate and create a book that would become a treasured keepsake.
Welker began by reading short stories to the class and asking questions. They learned the structures of a short story, like, “How did the story begin?,” and “How did it end?”
At first, the spelling was rough.
“It was a test of endurance,” Welker explained. “I didn’t realize how long it would take to complete.”
As the class continued to listen to stories, read and write their own stories, she noticed they began to add detail and structure. This was the first year that students had written stories that required revisions. She returned assignments, asked for more details and created teachable moments that allowed the students to create a product they could be proud of.
Each student created a short story and illustrated a picture to accompany their story. It turned out to be a beautiful book that they could be proud of. That was one of the things she enjoyed the most about the whole process.
“The incredible ‘ahh’ moment when the students saw their work in print …” Welker fondly recalled.
Writing, editing, illustrating and publishing a book proved to be a teachable moment for Welker and her class, but the result was well worth all the hard work. The class donated two of their publication, Let the Good Times Roll, to the school library and two copies to the Graham County Public Library – where the community can come by and read their stories.
Welker plans to do another writing project with her new students this school year.