Muskegon 3rd graders write and publish their own book

Third graders in Muskegon Public Schools’ two-way Spanish Immersion Program are becoming authors. At the end of the school year they received a hardcover book that was written by the class.

“In my story, the characters are Kelly the protagonist. Next is the evil stepdad,” said teacher Mrs. Tiffany Hirdes. She knows the authors of the book she is reading because the book, All in One: Cinderella Tales, Fan-Made Cinderella Stories , was written by her students.

“Each couple of pages there is a story, and students added their own illustrations,” said Mrs. Hirdes.

The book was a result of her students learning about fairy tales and how to write tales of their own. Mrs. Hirdes says, “I really wanted a way for students to be able to show off all that hard work that they'd been doing.”

The book was published by Student Treasures Publishing, and the kids got to see it for the first time at the end of the school year.

“So, they were very excited when we got it in. We sat down; we read everyone's story together,” said Mrs. Hirdes. She says she wanted her kids to learn that writing has a purpose, saying, “Many students struggle to find motivation when it comes to writing. And knowing that there was an end goal, knowing that other people were going to be reading this, that it was going to be inspiring other writers, that was really, really important to them.”

A great motivation for her students, a real book, their own writing and illustrations.

Mrs. Hirdes says, “I thought this is the perfect way for my students to be able to show and demonstrate what they've been learning.”

Next year the Spanish Immersion Program moves to Glenside Elementary School, and Mrs. Hirdes plans to have her students’ stories published again.

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