Reading a book can enlarge the imagination, support independent thinking and widen a person's world. Writing a book can do even more. Educators now are using book-writing to help students develop creativity and a love of reading at an early age.
This is a third grade classroom at Taylor Elementary school in Arlington, Virginia. The students of eight or nine years old are busy writing, making pictures and talking with their teacher. And today, each student is working on writing a story.
Creating a book begins with the children finding the ideas that interest them. Then they write the first version (版本). After that, they edit their work, which means to make corrections and changes. In the process, students learn to think like real writers.
Holly Karapetkova writes children's books and teaches literature at Marymount University in Arlington. She says she is happy that her 8-year-old son K. J. and his classmates are writing books at school. She thinks creating books sends them back to books. It encourages them to read more, both the books they are creating and other books.
Creating books is one of her favorite activities at home with K. J. and his 3-year-old sister, Kalina. "We have made books about animals about weather, a lot of books about letters and numbers to reinforce skills. One of our favorite kinds of books to make is an alphabet book, just with a simple letter, then pictures, either pictures that we print out from our real photos or pictures that the children draw to match those letters." She says the way to keep children interested in creating books is to give them freedom of choice.
K. J. has written more than 12 books on different subjects. His mother hopes the skills he and Kalina are developing-writing, reading, thinking, imagining-will help them succeed in the 21st century job market.
