On January 12, we launched our 2016 Young Authors’ Book Project. Twice a week for the next five weeks, an incredible cohort of tutors will be working one-on-one with 80 ninth- and tenth-graders at John O’Connell High School to write, revise, and polish an essay for publication. These young authors are in an integrated Biology and English class, and for this book they’re using their knowledge of ecosystems to respond to these central questions: How do we influence our environment, and how does our environment influence us? How can we use our power to affect positive change?
The project kicked off with the students meeting the tutor who will guide them through the whole writing process, from brainstorming to editing. We spent some time playing a game of getting-to-know-you Tic Tac Toe, and then students and tutors each used the information they’d gathered to write each other’s author bios. There are so many fascinating people involved with this project — here’s a sneak peek!
Oscar Moreno (student) is a San Francisco native. He enjoys playing soccer, hanging out with his friends, and eating (he’ll eat anything at all). Currently age sixteen, his plans include going to college and getting a good job — a job that is not in an office, and lets him work with people. He’s okay if the job includes math, but only if the math is counting money.
Dina Martin (tutor) was born in Redwood City. She lived in San Francisco for more than thirty years. Her mother was born in San Francisco and raised in the Mission. In addition, she studied and worked in a newspaper as a reporter and worked for the California Teacher Association. One of the things she really enjoys doing would be going hiking. She likes to go to the movies but dislikes horror movies. She enjoys seeing her friends and having a great time. She takes classes and loves singing even though she says she “doesn’t have the voice.”
Students then jumped fearlessly into the writing process, choosing a topic and doing some brainstorming and free-writing about the connections between what they’re learning in their biology class and the world around them. We can’t wait to see these rough drafts turn into beautiful, timely, and important essays.
After the tutoring wraps up and the final drafts are turned in, a student Editorial Board will edit and title the collection. Stay tuned to watch it come to life!