Author, author

Christine Carrillo

Many students entering first grade struggle with turning individual

words into sentences. As the year goes by, they struggle turning

those sentences into paragraphs.

For the nearly 20 students in Laura Parker’s first-grade class at

Newport Elementary School, the challenge has been much more. They

must each become a full-fledged author by the end of the year.

Last week, they did.

And Parker held an authors’ tea to celebrate their achievement.

“They’re really excited about their published pieces,” said

Parker, who has been hosting authors’ tea in her classroom for three

years. “The kids love it, and it’s fun to see their progress.”

Although many of them did find the writing process daunting at

first, they quickly acclimated themselves to it and adopted an

authorial voice.

“It was a little hard because some things I didn’t know,” said

7-year-old Brooks O’Hea, who wrote about the Titanic. “My teacher

helped me.”

Their lessons didn’t end with writing. These first-graders also

had to work on their presentation and public speaking skills so they

could read their works in front of an audience: their parents.

“It’s such a great tradition,” said Gail O’Hea, Brooks’ mother. “I

think the more you challenge these kids, the more they’re going to

give.”

For these first-graders, it gave them a chance to share their

stories and show off their writing prowess.

“I was really excited to write about my story,” said 8-year-old

Ryan Schroth, who wrote about a triple he hit during a baseball game.

“I thought my story was sort of exciting.”

Expressing a plethora of interests with their prose, the students

presented a wide variety of works. In fiction and nonfiction,

magazines and newspapers, and mysteries and histories, each of them

demonstrated their interests creatively.

They began with an idea. They brainstormed their topics. They

wrote rough drafts, which were edited and re-written, and then

dabbled in illustrating.

Their books were bound and published by their teacher.

They became authors.

“We really walk them through the project and take them through all

the stages,” Parker said. “What we’re trying to do is help them

understand the writing process. ... I think this makes it more

meaningful for them.”

* IN THE CLASSROOM is a weekly feature in which Daily Pilot

education writer Christine Carrillo visits a campus in the

Newport-Mesa area and writes about her experience.