Last Thursday, 38 excited Year 7-10 students put on their creative hats to attempt to write a book in a day. The Kid’s Cancer Project runs this national event, and all final books are given to sick children in hospitals around Australia to read. At Kennedy, the Research and Study Centre organised the day, which started at 8 am and finished at 8 pm. The students arranged themselves into five teams and took over the entire Research and Study Centre for the day. Each team had to write at least 3,500 words and set parameters at the start of the day. These parameters included random primary characters, setting, issue, plus five words. They also had minimum guidance from the teaching staff involved in the day. This was a proper student-led activity.
The books, including illustrations, were all submitted online in a flurry within the last 30 minutes of the day. Students had commented before the day that it would be easy to write a novella within 12 hours. I am sure that they all know now that isn’t the case! The day was a valuable one for each student as they learned the following life skills:
- Problem-solving
- Teamwork
- Time management
- Communication skills
- Self-direction
The teams produced books that were fun, inventive and creative. The book titles were The Secrets of the Vault, The Time Tizzy, Shrunk by a Lizard, Stowaway: An Easter Story, and Uncovered Secrets. Well done to all the students and staff involved in this unique event.
Mrs Natasha Georgiou
Head of Research and Study Centre
