When our final projects, involving children's literature, history, art, and tiny robots, started developing, I emailed the authors and related organizations with links and information. It didn't take long before I received return communication from each of them.
From Ben Mikaelsen, author of a story about a cerebral palsy patient named Petey (the book titled Petey, as well), we received the following message:
From Ben Mikaelsen, author of a story about a cerebral palsy patient named Petey (the book titled Petey, as well), we received the following message:
What amazing students. I felt so honored you chose my book Petey for this wonderful project....You all get 'A's" from me. :-)
Louis Sachar, author of There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom, a wonderfully sweet story about a troubled boy and his school counselor, wrote:
Thanks... I'm honored. Say hi to your students from me, and also from my wife, Carla, who was a school counselor 30 years ago. With best wishes, Louis Sachar
Kate Messner, author of The Seventh Wish, the book that takes a girl through the confusion of her sister's heroin abuse, wrote:
Oh, what a great, fascinating project! Thanks for sharing the photos [and] the link! Best, Kate
Two of the other projects were based on my own books, Mumsket and Chippin Cleats, so students got face-to-face feedback from the author.
The last project was based on a series of events in American history - the Corps of Discovery (or, the Lewis and Clark Expedition). The "author" of that event in our past, Thomas Jefferson, is no longer living, so I tweeted to Monticello, the mansion and plantation owned by our third president, and the folks there retweeted it. A handful of followers even liked the retweet.
Hopefully these little gestures of response lend some authenticity to the project. Knowing their eyes have been on projects in which our students have participated is a connection we didn't know we could make at the time.
If you didn't see the projects for yourself, check the following links:
The last project was based on a series of events in American history - the Corps of Discovery (or, the Lewis and Clark Expedition). The "author" of that event in our past, Thomas Jefferson, is no longer living, so I tweeted to Monticello, the mansion and plantation owned by our third president, and the folks there retweeted it. A handful of followers even liked the retweet.
Hopefully these little gestures of response lend some authenticity to the project. Knowing their eyes have been on projects in which our students have participated is a connection we didn't know we could make at the time.
If you didn't see the projects for yourself, check the following links:
