Pike County Ninth Grade Academy Students in Mrs. Hudson’s 9th Grade Literature classes and Coach Moon’s World History classes collaboratively wrote, illustrated, and published a children’s book, “Sanna-Tizer Disinfects the Substitute.”
What are the capabilities of ninth grade students in a rural Georgia, public high school, to engage in a collaborative project that would not only imitate a real world experience, but help students discover their passions, and gain an understanding of how their work and voice might influence and educate others? Big question, right? Too ambitious? One might think so, considering Clayton Moon, Jan Hudson and principal Sheryl Watts asked each other this question in July of 2020 at a project based-learning training when so much in education regarding the next few months was still an unknown; but what we did know, was that we had confidence in our students, and we missed the classroom.
Students in Mrs. Hudson’s 9th Grade Literature class and Coach Moon’s World History Class participated collaboratively to write and publish a children’s book. Clayton Moon had students in his World History classes study and research these pandemics. They studied the CDC guidelines and related what they learned from past pandemics to help them better understand how to be proactive today in helping prevent the spread of Covid-19.
In Language Arts, with the help of my co-teacher, Shannon Turner, students studied the archetype of the hero’s journey. They followed heroes in literature where the character began the story in the ordinary world, accepted the call to adventure, crossed the threshold, and then returned with the elixir.
Six classes of 9th grade Literature and two classes of World History were divided into illustrators, writers, editorial and marketing teams, designers, and software engineers. What we thought would take days, took hours. What we thought would take hours, took days. And just when we thought things started to hum like an oiled machine, over 50 students had to leave school to be quarantined. What did they do then? They worked from home, emailed illustrations, and used their iPhone to FaceTime students who were still in the classroom.
With determination and perseverance, we pushed through with one goal in mind…getting back to a normal world.
Purchase a copy today: Hardcover is $20, Softcover is $16
Proceeds will go to families in Pike who have been adversely affected by COVID -19.
Right now and while supplies last, books can be purchased at Pike County Ninth Grade Academy, 7360 US Highway 19 South, Zebulon, GA 30295. You may also call the school at 770-567-2960 to learn more.
To visit the Pike County 9th Grade Academy website, click here.
Reserve your copy today. Additional copies will be ordered.
