Students see work professionally published - Jun. 24, 2010
Barb Rayner/Courier
Students in kindergarten to Grade 3 at Blacks Harbour Elementary took part in an innovative learning project throughout the school year which culminated with the publication of books by all three grades. Shown here (from left) Gracyn Glennie, Mandy Leeman, Dawson Hatt and Dylan Melanson. Behind them are the teachers who have worked with them on the project (from left) Tracy McCluskey, Alyssa Draper, Jo Ann Schwarze, Krysta Hanley and Debbie Smith.
BY BARB RAYNER
barbrayn@nbnet.nb.ca
BLACKS HARBOUR – The past school year has been a tremendous learning experience for students from kindergarten to Grade 3 at Blacks Harbour Elementary as they have participated in an innovative learning project.
Friday was the culmination of that project when they got to see for the first time, professionally published copies of the books they have worked on – and each student got to take one home.
Parents and sponsors were invited Friday morning to the school’s “Can Film Festival” – the “can” is used because the theme for the project was “we can read at grade level, we can get published and we can make reading and writing fun” plus Blacks Harbour is home of the sardine canning industry.
During the morning they learned all about the projects the students have been involved in since last September, viewed slides of the work in progress, heard presentations – including songs – and gifts were presented to community members and sponsors who helped out.
Last spring, Brent Bond made a presentation at one of their staff meetings and said he was looking for a school to partner with local businesses and industry to work on an exciting reading and writing project. She said they knew immediately it was something they wanted to do.
Since September, she said, they have achieved every one of their goals for the project and along the way the teachers involved have been learning with the students.
They have received a tremendous amount of community support, said McCluskey, not only from sponsors but from volunteers who came in to read – and, in the case of Andrea Savoy to sing – with the students.
During October alone they read aloud 817 books.
The students have recorded the books they read and created a lending library for other schools. Some of these recorded books have been sent to the IWK Hospital in Halifax where sick children can listen to them. McCluskey said they have been really pleased to hear these are being used frequently.
Krysta Hanley’s Grade 3 class researched and interviewed people for a history of Blacks Harbour they compiled for a presentation.
Teacher Debbie Smith said it was important to make writing fun for the students so they came up with lots of different genres and interesting forms of writing.
Vice-principal Jo Ann Schwarze said the final part of the project was publishing their writing. The kindergarten students chose to do an 18-month calendar featuring endangered species, the Grade 1 students did a biography of the local hockey team, the Silver Kings, the Grade 2 students did a “Welcome to Kindergarten” book for new students coming in and the Grade 3 students did the history of the village.
Principal Fraser McMullin, after watching the presentation, said, “I am very proud of our children, of our teachers, of our parents and of our community.”
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