Did you know that on December 8, visiting guest author Kevin Kurtz not only engaged Ellenville Elementary School students in lively discussions, but actually gave a lesson on writing? At the end of the day, the children’s author, who specializes in books about science and nature, met with Grade 6 students and shared some secrets of the trade! During the interactive writing lab, Kurtz led students through all the steps of the writing process, from coming up with an idea to the story’s final editing. Students brainstormed potential topics, voted, and decided upon the “Megalodon,” a prehistoric shark. Next, they conducted research with Kurtz and listed the things they already knew. Finally, they listed adjectives that could be used with each of the facts they found. Each student then wrote a sample paragraph with Kurtz’s coaching. “Many were very impressive!” said Library Media Specialist Sarah Mitchell. Hats off to these budding young writers!
