SSFS Students Participate in Author Study with Kwame Alexander and Jason Reynolds

On October 29, fourth- and sixth-grade came together for a livestream Author Study with Kwame Alexander and Jason Reynolds. The sixth grade has read excerpts from Reynold’s book, Look Both Ways and will read Alexander’s book, The Crossover, when they begin their poetry unit next month. Fourth graders drew on their experiences of writing “Where I am From” poems to connect with excerpts from Alexander’s newest novel in verse, Black Star. 

The presentation was truly inspiring! The energy in the room was electric as we connected with the talented writers. Beginning with a lesson on how to generate ideas for writing, Alexander had students use the “I Remember” strategy to draw a picture from their memory. These illustrations ranged from swimming pools and snuggling with puppies to meeting new friends at school and getting food poisoning. The writers then added sensory details to these illustrations as part of a brainstorming exercise. Students in both grades will use these strategies in the coming weeks as they craft their creative writing projects. 

Next, students and teachers were introduced to Alexander’s friend and guest, DC native Jason Reynolds, “about generating ideas and how to tap into feelings and experiences to get started with writing.” Reynolds shared that, like many of his main characters, the protagonist in his novel, Ghost, is based on a person he knew. Although the character experiences a traumatic event, the event happens in the first ten pages of the book. Reynolds explained that these events can happen to us, without these events having to define us. On their capture sheets, several 6th-grade students, including Sophia Hoff, Leo McCabe, and Zelda Burton, noted Reynolds’s strategy for when he gets stuck in his writing; he likes to add a character. Reynolds shared with the writers that whenever he gets stuck in life, he needs to add new experiences. He explained that writing is the same way. 

The workshop wrapped up with a Q&A session, where students had the chance to engage directly with both authors, posing their burning questions and diving deeper into their creative insights. Reynolds responded to Michael M. and shared that his favorite book he’s penned is The Boy in the Black Suit, a 2016 Coretta Scott King Award honor book, and Marvin A. was excited to connect with Alexander again after meeting him during a different presentation. 

Following the presentation, the sixth graders dove into a discussion, reflecting on the insights they had gained from the Author Study. Their excitement continued to fill the room as they shared their thoughts and revelations. 

• “Kwame Alexander is proud of his culture.”- Charlie B.
• “Writing is more than just putting words and letters on the paper.” - Savir K.
• “Writing is another type of art.” - Zach D.
• “You wanted us to learn real writing strategies that writers use in the real world.”- Sebastian I.

Students departed with enthusiasm, prepared to apply the strategies and insights acquired during the session to their own short stories. Learning about the beautiful poetry woven into the authors' works will be invaluable for our fourth and sixth graders as they dive into the novels Inside Out and Back Again and The Crossover. This experience has sparked their creativity and opened up a whole new world of storytelling possibilities!