Whiz Kids: Shoemaker First-Graders

Name:  First-graders at

Accomplishment:  They wrote their first books.

Key to Awesomeness:  Parents and grandparents were treated to a special tea on June 14.  It was an author tea -- their children and grandchildren were the authors.

Beginning sometime in the middle of the school year, the first graders started working on their “All About Me” books and family books. In these books, students described themselves and their family members, how they look, their likes and dislikes, as well as various other bits of interesting information and pictures.

According to the teachers, this project encourages the students to write and teaches them assorted writing skills including punctuation, spelling, sentence structure and putting their thoughts into words.

The tea was the culmination and celebration of the book-writing.

During the event, children, parents and grandparents huddled together while each student read his or her book.

“It’s so much to read what I write,” one student was heard to say.

Others were proud to say to their family members, “I wrote it myself.”