Creative Bees of Character
Drawing from everyday experiences that make up their world, elementary students in every classroom at B. D. Lee Elementary wrote and illustrated a class book centered on character traits. Students were responsible for their book from the cover, to the dedication page, to the complete contents of the selections written and illustrated. A few of the titles from this practice include: A Better Me, Buzzin’ with Good Character, A Class of Character, Painting a Rainbow of Character, and Responsibility Rocks. The experience helped to raise awareness, and the book also includes a plea for the reader to take a stand, and make a change. Our goal was to publish students' writings, while integrating character traits into the everyday curriculum. Our 406 students and 36 faculty members worked tirelessly during the first semester understanding character traits, and then they engaged in the writing process, and illustrating the book.