Workshop 1: January 5, 2011
Workshop 2: January 12, 2011
Workshop 3: January 19, 2011
Workshop 4: January 26, 2011 (Barbara Korein)
Grade 5:
Author Elizabeth Levy spearheaded a mystery writing program for 5th graders at PS 165.
During the first of three visits, Ms. Levy introduced the class to the basic elements of a mystery, including the emergence of a problem, suspects, clues, etc. Students came up with a premise for their story, using details with which they were familiar.
Prior to the second visit, the students did research in order to incorporate factual information into their mystery story. The students also used their knowledge of Brazilian culture – which they had been studying in school – to further enrich the text. Ms. Levy then helped the students to fill in gaps in the text and clarify the narrative voice. The students learned about the editing and rewriting process from Nancy Mercado, Ms. Levy’s editor at Roaring Book Press.
The final workshop focused on the illustration process. Behind the Book’s resident artist, Barbara Korein, assisted the students in creating pictures for the story and the book cover. The three visits produced an excellent final product: a printed version of the story the students had written and illustrated themselves.
