Curious First Graders Create Their Own Book

What happens when a classroom full of curious first graders gets inspired to write a book? A little desert science, a lot of creativity, and plenty of teamwork!

First graders recently explored the Sonoran Desert and its fascinating creatures, from snakes and spiders to bats. Their classroom even transformed into a bat cave as students learned about these nocturnal animals through fiction and nonfiction books! They discovered that bats are mammals that roost and raise pups, explored concepts like echolocation and migration, and practiced important research skills, including taking notes and documenting facts.

Their learning took an exciting new direction with a special visit from illustrator and graphic novelist Mat Heagerty. Inspired by his work, students had plenty of questions about the bookmaking process, from how illustrations come to life to why books have thin pages and thick covers. Their curiosity sparked a new classroom activity: creating an original book titled The Very Lonely Cactus!

Each student illustrated a character and wrote their own dialogue, while the entire class contributed to coloring the finished illustrations. Along the way, they explored character development, setting, sequencing, and storylines, discovering how dialogue helps bring characters to life. From brainstorming and storyboarding to writing final drafts, students listened to one another, shared ideas, and collaborated to bring their story together.

#SaklanCurious