Pleasant Valley 6th graders create a book for kindergarten students
Jan. 13, 2022
What animal name starts with the letter ‘X’?
That was just one of the many problems for students in Lori Wilson’s 6th grade Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) class at Pleasant Valley Middle School to solve as they worked on an Animal Alphabet book to share with the kindergarten students next door at Pleasant Valley Primary.
On Wednesday of this week, the students gathered with Danielle Farnham’s kindergarten class to read Aardvark to Zebra: A children’s animal alphabet to the younger students, who received their own copy to take home.
“This project taught the 6th graders the time and dedication that it takes to publish a book,” Wilson said. “They also learned real-world collaboration skills through the peer editing process, having input on the layout and theme and the opportunity to physically present the book to the younger kids.”
Once students settled on the idea for their project, they had to figure out animals for every letter. The letter ‘X’ stumped the students for a bit, until they discovered a tiny see-through aquarium fish known as the X-Ray Tetra. With all the animals identified, students researched them and drafted descriptions using kindergarten sight words. They also learned how to create illustrations using the Google Drawing program.
Wilson said the older students are often reluctant to give live presentations, but by the end of the reading session it was obvious everyone involved was having a great time.
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