INA, Ill. (4/28/2023) — The Rend Lake College Foundation Children’s Center Pre-K class has announced that its 20 students have become published authors through a national student publishing program. As part of the publishing process, students in the Pre-K classroom at RLCFCC planned, wrote, and illustrated their own class book using a free publishing kit provided by Studentreasures Publishing. The title of their class created book is “We Put the Kind in Pre-Kindergarten.”
The students of Rene Crouse’s Pre-K class worked hard on creating their books for over two weeks. The idea for their “We Put the Kind in Pre-Kindergarten” book started when the class was learning about the Children’s Center’s four, social-emotional, center-wide behavior standards: Be Kind, Be Responsible, Be Safe and Be Healthy. The four standards are part of The Pyramid Model, which is a comprehensive, multi-tiered framework of evidence-based practices that promotes the social, emotional, and behavioral development of young children.
“The children had been focusing on being kind to one another in the classroom and discussing as a class what it meant to be a good friend," Crouse said. "They each had such great ideas to share that I, along with my assistant teachers Tommie Hall and Kadi Petersen, thought it would be a fun and meaningful topic to make a class book about."
The Studentreasures publishing program provides teachers an easy way to incorporate any lesson plan – from math and science to history, art, and more – into a fun and memorable activity. Publishing a book in the classroom engages students through hands-on learning and inspires a love of reading and writing.
The best part? A classroom full of proud, smiling young authors, with a memory that will last a lifetime. Plus, a full-color, deluxe hardcover copy of the book for the teacher or school library. The students’ parents were also given the opportunity to purchase copies of these unique, childhood keepsakes.
The RLCFCC Pre-K class held a Red Carpet Book Publishing Party on April 19, hosted Crouse, Hall and Parent Educator Kadi Petersen. The event began with the student created published class book being revealed for the first time and read by Crouse to the children and their families. The book reading was followed by refreshments, releasing of family ordered books, a family photo booth opportunity, and time for children and families to enjoy viewing the newly published book together.