Teaching kids with uplifting news

Diana Sloan-Basner is a 4th grade teacher at Birchtree Charter School.

She looks forward to reading uplifting and joy-filled stories during

the holidays and throughout the new year.

This fall, I was longing to find a newspaper that was filled with

great news. Inspiring news. News that left me smiling and feeling

cheered up. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why I decided to start

a newspaper with my 4th graders this fall. Our focus would be sharing

good news. Of course, there are many academic benefits with students

writing for a newspaper, but there are also many emotional benefits.

Our paper is published every Friday, and I make a point of reading it

one more time before I leave school for the weekend, as it always

helps me walk out the door with a smile.

In the fall, we brainstormed as a class what we wanted to have in our

newspaper, and after much discussion, the students came up with the

following weekly columns: what we’re learning during our main study

unit, a poetry corner, sports, travel, a classmate interview, a staff

interview, a book review, a cartoon, jokes and riddles, music,

upcoming events, and a note from the teacher. One student takes on the

role of photographer and learns how to take quality pictures from a

talented parent helper, and one student is in charge of editing and

the layout of the paper. We have rotating assignments on a

spreadsheet, so every child learns each of the tasks. I split the

class into two groups, each of which contributes every other week.

It has been fascinating to observe additional and unpredicted benefits

that have come about because of this paper. When we were initially

talking about including a music column, I was picturing that the

students would write about one of their favorite songs and why they

liked it. What a surprise to see that the first student who had this

task wrote down all of the notes to a song on a piece of musical staff

paper. She carefully drew the treble clef sign on each line, and

included the time signature and the sharps. She set a high standard,

but it has been followed by all of the other students who have been

assigned the musical column. So far, no one has written an original

song, but I feel confident that it’s coming.

The child who writes the classmate interview column draws the name of

a classmate out of a jar, and then has to think of and write down ten

questions to ask during their interview. Using the responses, the

interviewer then writes a little biography of his/her classmate. Not

only are we finding out interesting information about our classmates,

but the students are learning interviewing skills, how to synthesize

information, and how to write an interesting biography.

An artistic skill is also included as the interviewer then carefully

draws a portrait of their classmate, paying close attention to details

such as shape of face, proportional placement of eyes, nose, mouth,

ears, and any other facial features.

Cartoons are taking on a life of their own. I think this is the

section that many of the students have the hardest time with

initially. It really makes them stretch their thinking and do

something that most of them have had no practice with. Once they come

up with a topic, they have to decide what kind of characters they want

to draw.

Although this is rather challenging for many of them, the students

feel quite proud when their classmates see their final creation in

print.

It’s enjoyable to watch the students who write the poetry column

pouring over the many poetry books in the classroom, searching for

just the right poem for the week.

It’s also fun to observe the student who is assigned to the column of

jokes and riddles. These usually involve a play on words, so as

students are reading through different jokes and riddles, it’s obvious

to hear when they really get the joke.

The student who is assigned the staff interview gets to choose who

he/she wants to learn more about. These interviews often create a

bonding experience for the adult and child. The children come up with

their own questions of what they really want to know about the staff

member, and then they write up a biographical sketch.

They also photograph the staff member, under the guidance of our

parent photographer.

One of the advantages of having a column for a book review is that

it’s like a mini book report, and it gives the classmates ideas of

additional books they might want to read.

Reading the sports column usually makes me chuckle. The perspective of

sports from a child’s point of view is quite different from an adult’s

point of view. The students have reported on topics such as hiking

trips, NASCAR, soccer, their 4th grade basketball tournament, and a

wide variety of other activities that they deemed worthy of reporting

on.

Since I love to travel, the travel column is one of my favorite.

Again, it’s all about perspective! Highlights from a 4th grade point

of view might not register on an adult’s fun-meter.

After the paper is printed, the students are in charge of

distribution, and they have gained a great deal of confidence in

passing it out around the school, especially when it involves going to

classes of older students.

In our 4th grade world, our newspaper spreads good news, not only

during the holiday season, but throughout the year. I wish more

newspapers could focus primarily on uplifting news that leaves the

readers with a smile on their faces.