The Fourth Grade Projects

By Meagan Kelly

Who are those characters sitting on the windowsill at St Rose School? Why could that be Old Yeller, Maniac McGee and Mr Popper with his Penguins? Yes, they are! You see, Mrs VanZanten’s fourth grade class was instructed to read Newbery Award winning books for their reports. After the students read the books and finished the book reports, they were asked to make the books’ main character out of a paper bag. All 29 students changed ordinary paper bags into “their” main characters. Oh, boy! Did they come to life! Some students added real clothing and beach balls for heads to their paper bags. The final projects were colorful, creative and a lot of fun.

These fourth graders are now sharing these paper bag creations with their peers, their principal Mrs DeLuca, and with Father Larry during their oral presentations. By bringing the main characters of each book to life, every fourth grader can enjoy these stories.

I can’t wait to see what Mrs VanZanten will do next!