Kids tackling big ideas in Middletown, CT
Russell Library, in Middletown, CT, is organizing a September Project event that focuses on a segment of our population often left behind when important topics surface: children and teens.
Together with the Middletown Rotary Club and The Middletown Press, they are co-sponsoring a creative writing contest for kids grades 1-8. Participants are asked to focus on the theme of "America and the World for Me."
Specifically they are asked to:
Think what our country and the world mean to you. Think how America and the world are always changing. Think of unity, tolerance and understanding. What does this mean for you and your family, for your friends and your school? Your writing can be about the past, present – or even the future!This event gets even better. Art Meyers--librarian and mind behind this event--has incorporated the results of this effort into a program on September 11th, where the winners of this contest read their essays aloud to an audience of community members. I love this idea. What a tremendous way to show that the community values the perspectives of this age group, and what a thrill for those kids to be involved in such a program!
Did I mention that winners also get a gift certificate to a local book store? How great is that? To learn more, check out the event page on their web site.
posted by sarah @ 9:21 PM
2 Comments:
It's nice -- from my perspective -- to see kids being asked to adopt a global perspective on things. I think each child who participates in the Russell Library event should get their own entry laminated. Keep it. Then take it out and read it at different stages of their own lives. And reflect. It'll be an interesting experience, I'm sure. :)
Roberta Malcolm, Librarian
The Country Day School(www.country-day.com), Huntsville, AL
As one of the first libraries to take part in this project, I have faithfully observed September 11 at school with the children who range in age from preschool to eighth grade. This year was a bit different. As a result of the overwhelming media attention to the 5th 'anniversary', I made the decision to be very low key as my concern was that I not upset students who are just becoming aware of the events.
To that end, I chose to read The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Gerstein to the K-2 grade followed by On That Day by Andrea Patel. We talked about patriots and who and what they are, heroes and how they come in many ways but did not indulge in heavy discussion of the events eventhough one student ( aged 6!) had been given a very graphic copy of the newspaper by his mother and wanted to share and discuss the "...guy falling..."!
The 3-8 graders observed a moment of silence, rang the bell in out bell tower 4 times for the rememberance of the planes and victims and then I read Fireboat- The Heroic Adventure of the John J. Harvey by Maira Kalman as well as On That Day by Patel.
Post a Comment
<< Home