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Author Gordon Korman Visits E.H. Greene Intermediate
“It was life changing,” said sixth- grade student Meredith Brinkman after the writing workshop.
Korman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 75 books for kids and young adults. He has sold nearly 17 million copies of his books worldwide. Nickelodeon recently brought Gordon Korman's New York Times bestselling "Swindle" series to life in a made-for-TV movie.
Students and staff at E. H. Greene spent over a year preparing for the annual author visit, reading Korman’s books in preparation for his visit. The school held a reading contest, encouraging every students to read at least one of his books. Some students read as many as 36 of his teen novels. The top 10 students who read the most from each grade level attended a meet and greet with Korman.
Amye Kelly inspired her every single student in her fifth-grade language arts class to participate in the reading contest.
"Gordon Korman's books sell themselves. Once the students start a series, they are motivated to keep reading,” Kelly said. “It is awesome to hear the kids talking passionately about their reading with each other. I love having the author visit; it helps my students get excited about reading and writing."
Principal Phil Hackett hosted a lunch book club the week prior to Korman’s visit. More than 140 students attended to discuss the book, “Masterminds.”
“Having an author visit a school is a wonderful opportunity to inspire students to become creative writers and avid readers. Gordon Korman truly inspired our students to work hard and to write about something they love,” Hackett said.
At the writing workshop, Korman was surprised that every child had the chance to participate using their district-owned Chromebooks, thanks to Sycamore’s recent One2One commitment. Students were able to read and listen to streamed eAudiobooks and to access eBooks via the media center’s online Follettshelf using their Chromebooks, in addition to reading print books.
“Even reluctant readers are able to expand their interest levels when they meet the actual author,” said Leslie Burklow, English Language- Arts teacher. “This opportunity changes the task from being a chore to being a pleasure. They begin to view books and authors in a more favorable way.”
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