Published authors at Union Street School

Elementary children at Union Street School got a taste of what goes in to becoming an author while attuning their research, writing and editing skills when they published their books.

http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/published-authors-union-street-school

Elementary children at Union Street School in Springfield have become published authors in their own right. Third, fourth and fifth grade students got a taste of what goes in to becoming an author while attuning their research, writing and editing skills when they published their books. At the second annual Author’s Night last Thursday, proud students got the chance to show off their books, all fully illustrated, to parents and teachers. Each third and fourth grade class wrote a book together while fifth grade students made their own memoir. Rachel Jones, third grade student, hurried through her class’s book to the pages she wrote and illustrated. She wrote about the “icky sticky messes” that the janitor cleans up in school. “I like being a published author because it’s awesome,” she said. Some classes wrote poems; others wrote about Native Americans, animals, and Vermont. Christina McCutcheon’s class researched animals for their book, which they titled “Animals A-Z.” “They had to write, revise and edit,” said McCutcheon. “They are so proud. These are keepsakes.” Each of her students chose the animal that most interested them, researched the animal, and then began writing, revising and editing. Kelly Ranado’s fourth grade class focused on personification while writing their Vermont themed poems for their book, “Ranado’s Tornadoes.” “(Children) can keep these forever. It means a lot to them to know they’re an author,” said Ranado. Fifth grade student, Nathan Swan dedicated his memoir, “The Song I Remember,” to his parents. He based his book on a song by Rodney Atkins called “Watching You,” which Swan remembers singing with his dad growing up. “I remember singing ‘I wanna be like you,’ with my dad,” said Swan. “It’s about a boy who wants to be like his father.” Swan wrote about the daily challenges in life and “a mom who works a lot just to pay the bills.” Other fifth graders titled their books, “Since I was Born,” “My Life,” “Where I’m From” and “My Favorite Memories.” Alison Sylvestor’s 5th grade class worked on word choice and figurative language to produce their memoirs. “They were very excited knowing that they were going to get their own book,” said Sylvestor. Students are on vacation now, but school counselor Jan Rounds hopes this event inspires them to pick up a book on vacation instead of a video-game controller. “The hope is that kids are excited when they see that they can do it. When they’re home on break, they might grab a book and read it differently now they see that they themselves are published authors,” she said. Published Authors at Union Street School Submitted by VT Journal on Tue, 02/19/2013 - 2:45pm By BY KATY SAVAGE The Shopper SPRINGFIELD –