Math and construction aren't the only things that are important at the Michael J. Perkins School. So are BOOKS and writing! The students of Ms. Dewire's second grade class are about to start writing their first books (on their favorite fish). So our author-in-residence, Susan E. Goodman, dropped by yesterday to tell them how she does it.Ms. Goodman said that the steps the kids will go through to write their nonfiction books are exactly the same ones she does. So they are learning how to be professional authors if they want to be. Authors and second graders all need to come up with a idea, research to find the facts they need for their story, figure out how to best order the information, write a rough draft, and then work hard and long to make it better in many drafts until it's done (with the help of a teacher or editor).
In some ways, Ms. Goodman said, the second graders have a harder job because they must draw their own pictures and many authors have artists to illustrate their books. But professional authors still have some work to do. So Ms. Goodman showed the kids all the other stages that take her words and turn them into the book they could hold in their hand.Let the research begin!
