Students in Kelsey Dwyer’s kindergarten class will help to inspire future kindergarten students through their “Kindergarten Survival Guide,” which advises incoming students on how to be successful kindergartners.
The kindergartners spent several weeks writing and illustrating the book. Last week they published the book using a kit.
Niles Community School Superintendent Dan Applegate visited the classroom on March 24 to see the polished product.
The project came about through the weekly work students do with their school counselor Nicole Sherbun, who helps to teach students about respect in the classroom and other important topics.
According to Dwyer, Sherbun found a website that will send a publishing kit to students to create their own book.
“We put our minds together to come up with a book idea,” Dwyer said. “We settled on making a book relating to school behaviors, rules and important things to know that can be read each year to incoming kindergartners in my room.”
Dwyer said that the idea was also influenced by the Niles Learning Community, a group of teachers that come together on their own time to meet and discuss a common interest. The NLC focuses on building behaviors, rules, protocols, expectations and how teachers help assist, set up procedures, enhance those in place, and discuss concerns.
Dwyer asked students creating the book to write about classroom rules and things they had learned throughout the year that would be helpful to incoming kindergarten students to know.
Each of the 25 students got to create their own page in the book.
Sherburn and Dwyer helped the students to copy their ideas onto official paper.
“Students took their time to copy their information and then to draw a picture to match their words,” Dwyer said. “Then Ms. Sherbun and myself got out the markers to really make sure our book was extra special, as markers only get used during special times.”
The box arrived this past Wednesday, and Dwyer emailed Applegate asking if he could come and read the story to the class to really help celebrate their success as authors.
“We were all able to sit and enjoy hearing and seeing our hard work in our story for the first time,” Dwyer said.
Dwyer said Applegate enjoyed reading about students’ advice to incoming kindergartners, which included:
• “Walk in a straight line so you don’t get lost or run into a wall.”
• “Always make your lunch choice so you get what you want.”
• “Making friends is easy, just be nice.”
Applegate told the class he would be purchasing his own copy to read to the preschoolers over at Northside Childhood Developmental Center.
Dwyer said students enjoyed hearing Applegate’s feedback on their work. She said he then told the students they have a great teacher.