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Dual language classes publish book
Not every pre-K and kindergarten student will be able to say they co-authored a book. But, students in Poughkeepsie City School District’s inaugural dual language classes can!
Each student is writing (or dictating) something they’ve learned or enjoyed at school and drawing it.
Once complete, the stories and drawings were sent to a publishing house where they are being made into hardcover books. Each student’s family will receive a copy of the book at a special celebration in June.
The idea came from Lorraine Boughton, a bilingual Community Schools liaison, who wanted to do something special for the dual language program. She spoke with the four teachers: Maribeth Smith and Kristina Parker at the kindergarten level and Joy Marino and Marsha Cotten at the pre-K level and then received a grant from the Community Schools Foundation and the ELC PTA to help them fund the project.
Kindergartener Quintan Andry knew some sight words in Spanish and his favorite one is, “puedo,” which means “I can.”
To illustrate his favorite word, Andry drew a picture of himself jumping over flowers.
“I can jump,” he said, explaining that he drew a picture of himself being happy with his arms up.
As for the book project, doing the drawing was his favorite part and he said he can’t wait to read the book, “We Love Learning,” to his family.
In Cotten’s class, the approach was slightly different because of the age of the students. She explained that her students started with drawing their responses to what they love about school.
For Mia Arreola-Quiroz, her favorite part of being in school is playing with blocks with her friend, Daniella.
When asked about the book she was writing, Arreola-Quiroz said, “It’s beautiful.”
Classmate Austin Snead’s favorite part of working on “What I Love About School” was drawing the shapes on his piece of art. Asked what he liked best about school, he said, “I like to play with my friends.”
Smith said she and Parker work with the students to read their pages in English and Spanish.
“The goal is to have them be able to read it to family members or classmates,” Smith said.
Boughton said she wants to have the students produce a book each year.
“As they get older, they can work on it as a team project, create a chapter book,” she said, adding that she and the teachers contributed to help make the book work.
The district is purchasing additional copies to place in each of the school libraries, at central registration and in other administrative offices.
“This initiative is great, as it supports student’s reading and writing engagement, which aligns with district’s approach to literacy development and the Science of Reading. What is equally exciting is that as students move from grade to grade, they will be able to take their book from the library shelf and show it to classmates. It will be a resource that will encourage and inspire other students to create text,” Superintendent Dr. Eric Jay Rosser said.