MANSFIELD Twenty years from now, readers may see articles in the Register News written by the current third-graders at John Hydock Elementary School.
By:David Koch
But for now, these budding authors will have to settle for parents, teachers, and fellow students reading their hardcover books.
On May 23, scores of parents crammed into the gym and cafeteria of the school to get a glimpse of books created by the third-graders.
"Author Night" was a culmination of a three-month research project by the students, who began by researching nonfiction topics, such as golden retrievers or baseball.
Then, students had to write a fictional story based on their research.
The fiction and the nonfictional parts of their projects were combined into one hardcover book.
One third-grade student, Jamie Smith, wrote about the Philadelphia Flyers.
"I learned a lot about hockey, and how many times the Flyers won the Stanley Cup or lost it," said Jamie.
Jamie’s fictional story was about how he got to play with the Flyers in a championship game.
The program was created eight years ago by John Hydock school librarian Joann Hersh.
"I heard about another (school) district that did it," said Ms. Hersh. "We though it would be a wonderful project for students to work on. "
Ms. Hersh got help in starting the project from John Hydock third-grade teacher, Linda Elliot, and it has since become a school tradition.
Over the past eight years, third-grade students have created more than 320 books, all of which have been stored in the school’s library.
"It’s just funny that they’re the most popular books in the library," said Ms. Elliot.
Creating the books really begins in March when students do the "brain drain," the prewriting research part of the project. It is here where students choose their nonfiction topics.
Next comes "sloppy copy," when students begin the rough drafts of their nonfiction and fictional stories. It’s a rough draft that children cut and paste into a dummy book.
Revisions from students and teachers come next with "fabulous feedback," followed by the "neat copy" which is the final and perfected version.
All of this finally culminates with the "glowing showing," which is the special evening.
Besides giving students training in writing and creating books, the program successfully integrates technology with many different aspects of learning.
"It’s a great step forward in our curriculum as we integrate technology into the learning experience," said Joseph Langowski, vice principal for the school.
Students spend two months doing computer work using graphics programs to create their books.
The students also do all the typing and create front covers for their books.
Local parents said they were impressed with what they saw during the evening.
"This is the most integrated program," said Lisa Ghaul, a parent who works as an occupational therapist for the Hamilton Township School District. "It involves writing, reading, illustrations, the knowledge of books, and research. The wealth of it is so much."
Ms. Ghaul’s son, Derek, named his book, "Derek Jeter: the Amazing Shortstop," based on the life of the baseball player for the New York Yankees.
"This is truly an original creative production," said Ms. Ghaul.
