SJ Preston and Purchase Students Survive A Shark Attack

Fourth graders from SJ Preston and Purchase Elementary schools came together in a collaborative learning experience called Read Watch Connect.

The event was designed by the Preston and Purchase Library/media specialists Thomasine Mastrantoni and Deb Goldstein and was supported by a generous grant from the Harrison Educational Foundation. Before the event, the students learned about sharks and their environment from a shark expert at the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium who visited the elementary school.

The students read the book I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916, a novel written by acclaimed children’s author Lauren Tarshis about a Great White Shark that terrorized the New Jersey coast in the early 1900’s.

Then the students watched the movie Soul Surfer, the true story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton who survived a shark attack and continued on her path to becoming a professional surfer. After reading and watching, the fourth graders made connections through interactive, multimedia learning stations to tie all the pieces of their learning together.