The Process:
Creating and Publishing a Book
Step 1: How to Make a Book
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For this part of the project, students met with Amy Denecker, school librarian, to discuss each aspect of the publishing process, from writing to art to publicity. While the book would be self-published, we used this guide from Random House to help students consider the various responsibilities they would have to take on in order to bring their book to life.
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Step 2: Defining the Purpose
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Once the students had a better understanding of the scope of this project and the extent of their responsibilities, they decided who would take on the various roles required by the work and began brainstorming what content they would need to include in the final product. It was during this phase that they met with Dorothy Hall-Riddle to gain a deeper understanding of the attributes of a successful middle-grade non-fiction book.
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Step 3: Drafting and Research
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At this phase of the process, it was time for students to begin generating content. The students assigned themselves a portion of the topic to write about, and they began researching and writing drafts of their chapters.
In addition to writing, students also had to develop a plan for diagrams, examples and any other content besides the written word that they would want to include in their chapter. |
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Step 4: A storyboard is created...
This is the initial mock-up of the book. It represents the first time the group pulled all of their ideas together in one place. It was also the point at which they began recruiting outside help, like student designers and illustrators, to bring the project to fruition.
Step 5: First Draft was Printed
It became clear at the end of the semester-long class that Water Maine (our original title) would become more than we had originally envisioned. Our partner, the Portland Water District, was fully invested in developing the book into a teaching tool for their education group. Though we knew we had more work to do before the book would be finished, we chose to mark the end of the class by drafting a copy of the book to share at a publishing party for our community, which acted as the students' final exam.
Step 6: Revising and Redesigning the 1st Draft
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Once the class had concluded and we had a core group of students who wished to continue work on the project independently, we began collaborating regularly with the Portland Water District to redesign and revise the content.
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Step 7: 2nd Draft Presented at Reading Roundup Conference
Water District, Students produce 'Water Maine'
People involved with the production of “Water Maine,” included, from left, Windham High School student graphic designer Olivia Verrill, WHS author Dakota Ennis, WHS author Haley Stedt, Portland Water District Environmental Education Coordinator Sarah Plummer, WHS Librarian Amy Denecker, WHS teacher Jeff Riddle, consulting librarian Dorothy Hall-Riddle, WHS author Julia Rand, WHS illustrator and author Bailey Card and WHS author Emily Algeo. Courtesy photo
Friday, April 18, 2014
WINDHAM - On April 10, a group of Windham High School students presented their published book, entitled “Water Maine,” at the Maine State Librarian Conference.
During the course of the year, Jeff Riddle’s Earth Science class researched, wrote, illustrated and designed the book as a learning tool for middle school students engaged in the Portland Water District’s environmental education programs.
“‘Water Maine’ engaged students, asked them to produce something real, something others could learn from,” said Riddle.
“There was never really anything easy about this project, which was one of the lessons we learned. Real projects facilitate authentic learning with effective outcomes for all involved.”
Education in America and here in Maine is experiencing an overhaul; one with a focus on students showcasing proficiencies within different content areas. Within Windham’s science education, the priority is mastery of scientific “skills and practices.”
“An authentic learning experience is at the heart of the curriculum as it holds the power to motivate, reach and teach students. These experiences provide students with the skills and knowledge they will use throughout their lives,” Riddle said.
“A project like ‘Water Maine’ is a dream come true, as it offers a unique opportunity for students to consider many facets of information literacy, including copyright regulations, proper crediting of sources and relevant and reliable information they can use to teach others,” said Windham High School Librarian Amy Denecker.
“Water Maine,” a collaborative effort between Windham High School students, the Portland Water District, and other support staff, was written to share information about water in Maine and the world. In the introduction, the students share their aspirations for the book, “we hope you take the knowledge and put it to use in your daily lives so that Earth’s water, which comes around and goes around, stays available, clean, and safe so all may benefit for generations to come.”
http://www.keepmecurrent.com/lakes_region_weekly/community/water-district-students-produce-water-maine/article_bdafbd7c-c70b-11e3-9dfb-0019bb2963f4.html?mode=print
WINDHAM - On April 10, a group of Windham High School students presented their published book, entitled “Water Maine,” at the Maine State Librarian Conference.
During the course of the year, Jeff Riddle’s Earth Science class researched, wrote, illustrated and designed the book as a learning tool for middle school students engaged in the Portland Water District’s environmental education programs.
“‘Water Maine’ engaged students, asked them to produce something real, something others could learn from,” said Riddle.
“There was never really anything easy about this project, which was one of the lessons we learned. Real projects facilitate authentic learning with effective outcomes for all involved.”
Education in America and here in Maine is experiencing an overhaul; one with a focus on students showcasing proficiencies within different content areas. Within Windham’s science education, the priority is mastery of scientific “skills and practices.”
“An authentic learning experience is at the heart of the curriculum as it holds the power to motivate, reach and teach students. These experiences provide students with the skills and knowledge they will use throughout their lives,” Riddle said.
“A project like ‘Water Maine’ is a dream come true, as it offers a unique opportunity for students to consider many facets of information literacy, including copyright regulations, proper crediting of sources and relevant and reliable information they can use to teach others,” said Windham High School Librarian Amy Denecker.
“Water Maine,” a collaborative effort between Windham High School students, the Portland Water District, and other support staff, was written to share information about water in Maine and the world. In the introduction, the students share their aspirations for the book, “we hope you take the knowledge and put it to use in your daily lives so that Earth’s water, which comes around and goes around, stays available, clean, and safe so all may benefit for generations to come.”
http://www.keepmecurrent.com/lakes_region_weekly/community/water-district-students-produce-water-maine/article_bdafbd7c-c70b-11e3-9dfb-0019bb2963f4.html?mode=print
Step 8: Redesign with a Graphic Designer
After presenting at the Reading Round Up conference, the students were satisfied with the content of the book. They had had it edited by numerous professionals, including water scientists and middle-school teachers, and they were ready to move on to design. The Portland Water District was clear that if they were going to fund the project, the students would need to present them with a professional-looking text that they could share in classrooms through their education program. To help meet this objective, the students collaborated with designer Stacy Smith, who worked closely with the student artist and graphic designer on this project to develop the look and feel of the final book.
Which design would you choose?
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Step 9: Choosing a cover...
The cover samples were all beautiful, but the decision on the right one for us was nearly unanimous.
Step 10: Final Drafts of the Book
Once we had settled on a final design and reviewed the content one last time (or multiple last times!), we were able to send a version to print. We did this just before graduation, in June 2015, nearly two years after the start of the project.
In August of 2015, after review and feedback came in from various groups, but most importantly our users (teachers and students), we made final changes and printed version 2, which is currently in print today.
In August of 2015, after review and feedback came in from various groups, but most importantly our users (teachers and students), we made final changes and printed version 2, which is currently in print today.
Step 11: Publishing Party!
Windham High School Library
June, 2015
What's Next: iBook
Our publishing party created a great deal of excitement about the project and inspired our curriculum coordinator to reach out to Apple to find out if we could make the book more universally accessible by turning it into an iBook and ebook. Work on this next phase of the process began in the spring of 2016 with a few members of the original team who had not yet graduated and new students who were interested in seeing this book through to another version.
