Goodrich-Twenty-six published authors read their work aloud to a hushed and attentive crowd of ‘by invitation only? guests at Oaktree Elementary last week.
Audience members sat in rapt silence as the authors read words written about some of the most memorable moments of their lives.
One spoke of her dog’s encounter with a snapping turtle. Another, a scabby knee that healed ‘thankfully? without the need for stitches.
And though the writers were all members of Michelle LaRowe’s fourth grade, the audience ? made of friends and family’smiled and applauded as though each one were a best selling author.
LaRowe said the assignment came to fruition after she was able to obtain grant money for the purpose of letting each of her 26 students publish a hard-bound book of their own narration and illustration.
‘I told them they each had to write a personal narrative, something from their past,? said LaRowe.
Students wrote several different stories before deciding on one to use for the final project.
Kayla Tison, 9, picked ‘The Septemberfest,? as her narrative of choice.
‘It’s about when I went to a Septemberfest and I saw this fake puppy and I wanted one for Christmas,? said Kayla. Luckily, her story has a happy ending; Santa came through with the fake dog.
Anthony Oliver, 9, wrote a story entitled, ‘Summer Weekend.?
‘It was summer and I was going to Michigan Adventures (amusement park),? explains Anthony.
‘The Embarrassing Day? is the title of the book written by Jillian Wamsley , 9.
‘My book is about when I went to the Halloween store with my parents and was walking backwards and fell into a bucket of rubber snakes,? said Jillian.
Andrew Sysak, 9, wrote his story about playing laser tag. Lukas Norgaard, 9, narrated a tale called ‘Bird on the Run? about a rogue bird that somehow made its way into a classroom, and the chaos that ensued.
All seemed immensely proud of their creations.
‘I liked publishing it, like, writing it and drawing the pictures for it,? said Jillian.
Both Anthony and Andrew enjoyed illustrating their books. Lukas enjoyed typing the best, while for Kayla, it was all about the presentation.
‘I probably liked reading the books to our parents (most of all),? said Jillian.
For LaRowe, the project was a success.
It taught students ‘that writing is fun,? said LaRowe, smiling. ‘They absolutely love to write. They beg (to write). And that they love to write’is extremely beneficial to them.?