LISBON, Ohio (WKBN) — Students at Lisbon’s McKinley Elementary recently unpacked a special delivery.
For about 10 years, third grade classes at Lisbon’s McKinley Elementary have written and published a class book. Led by third-grade teachers Dave Guy and Tiffany Toot, every year the class comes up with a different topic and title.
Students chose their own topic for this year’s book, titled “How to Do Anything.”
Laura Conaway, a third grade student, demonstrates how to turn a piece of paper into a piece of art: “Follow these steps to make an origami fox, do it slowly. First, take a small square of paper.”
The project that began in November, was a step-by-step process that included researching a topic, writing a rough draft, collaborating with classmates on ideas and editing.
“Easily able to carry those skills over to third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade — all the way up through high school,” says Toot. “It gives them the confidence that they can read and that they can write.”
Before beginning this project, some students weren’t able to write more than a few sentences. Now, they are writing multiple paragraphs in story form — and gaining a newfound inspiration to take on more challenges.
“We can see the final product, that our writing was for something, there was a reason that we started writing,” Guy says. “We all need a reason to write, or a reason to want to do something, so that we will do it and finish something.”
“Knowing that they can write something, that there is purpose for writing — a lot of times we write sentences out, but now they understand the purpose to the writing, it goes somewhere,” Toot says.
A publishing company from Topeka, Kansas, sent back 40 copies of the book for students to share with friends and family, giving the kids an opportunity to read their authored pages with the school.
