by Dorothy Bredehoft, SSJ, Ed.D.

This semester early childhood education students at Chestnut Hill College explored the many methods and materials used to teach elementary school students before authoring and illustrating their own children’s books.

After careful evaluation of the numerous materials on the market used in teaching elementary school students, the one that caught the eye of students in EDP4-204 was titled “Author Study.”

The project focused on different authors and the children’s books they’ve written and concluded with students authoring and illustrating their own books. Each student in the class picked a different author and explored the author’s biography and the books that he or she wrote for school-aged children.

The next part of the project required students to list approximately 10 books and then explore the ways their content could be used to teach math, science, social studies, and writing skills. To the students’ amazement, they discovered a wealth of information and various teaching skills by studying the books and their respective authors.

Students then prepared a presentation for the class about their particular author and, conversely, had the opportunity to learn from their classmates’ individual projects.

The author study prompted the students to want to become authors themselves.