CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — First graders at H.T. Faulk Elementary School have worked on a 20-page book titled, "How Do Aliens Persevere?"
On Tuesday, their teacher will ship out the students work to a publisher in Topeka, Kan.
One of the young writers, Aliyah Castillo, said she’s going to write a 5-page story and she’s already on her fourth.
Amanda Hawes' first grade class has worked on their own personal story for the past month. The main character is an alien.
“My story is about riding a hover board,” Theseus Meza said.
Meza said he's practicing using his hoverboard at home, but it’s hard. This is how he's had to persevere.
Hawes said when she first starts teaching, she goes through the steps of writing, including brainstorming and finding something the kids can relate to.
“We talked about how some kids are good at some things but not so good at others. I was really proud of the ones who chose reading as their skill to do because it is really hard for them, and so I felt like they see themselves and how they’re working hard to become writers,” said Hawes.
This group, Hawes said, struggled in the beginning because they were all in pre-kindergarten when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools across the country.
“They missed some very important foundational skills as far as socialization goes. Even foundational reading and writing skills,” she said.
Now, all 20 students sit at their desk to write, count and stretch their words.
All this is in an effort to spark joy in these first grade students. Hawes said she hopes students continue to write and read.
If you would like to help with the project to make students book characters come to life turning them into 3D stuffed animals, click here.
