By Mitchell Roush, Grand Island Public Schools

Insects were all the rage in the 2nd Grade classroom at Shoemaker Elementary. 

Each year, 2nd Graders across the district dive into an insect unit.  Connecting curriculum from CKLA Knowledge, Literacy, and Science, the unit gives the young scholars an opportunity to explore how insects live, eat, survive, and contribute to our natural world.  And at Shoemaker, the 2nd Grade team of teachers found one way to take the unit to the next level… by publishing the students’ work. 

The project itself found students becoming researchers, writers, and artists.  Each skill builds on the other for the students which, in part, makes cross-curriculum learning more fun.  Students implemented their reading skills as they conducted research; their writing efforts pushed them to grow in both comprehension and crafting complete paragraphs; and their creativity was engaged by visually depicting their insects from books and photos they researched.

“We've been really focusing on ‘the writing revolution’ this year, and we have a really hard piece of writing that our students produce in 2nd Grade.” Mrs. Bailey Aupperlee, Shoemaker 2nd Grade Teacher, shared. “It's an informational narrative where they have to pick their own insect, they have to do research, and they have to form it into paragraphs.”

The final achievement made a lasting impression on the young scholars: Every second grader became a published author. 

Mrs. Aupperlee, Mrs. Koza, Mrs. Moline, and Mr. White — the Shoemaker 2nd Grade Teaching Team — worked through Student Treasures Publishing to create a published compendium of the students’ research and illustrations. 

For the excited 2nd Graders, holding a hardbound book containing their very own work was a big moment. 

“They had to activate their background knowledge; they had to tie in all the information that they were getting from outside sources, and writing out their main thoughts through sentences and paragraphs — they did amazing.” Mrs. Aupperlee said.  “All four of our classrooms, we had super high expectations for all of them, and they exceeded those expectations with what they produced. I love it!” 

The journey began within CKLA Knowledge. Students dove into the world of insects, learning vocabulary, understanding life cycles, and exploring how these tiny creatures sustain global ecosystems. 

During Science blocks, students learned to think like scientists through their research and class discussions. This broader science time helped students understand the larger components of insects in the natural world. Then on a granular level, each student dove into the world of the individual insect they chose to focus on.

Throughout the weeks long unit, students wrote drafts, drew sketches, and explored reading resources which culminated in a full visual and written report on an insect.  Ask the students how much work they put in, and they’ll tell you — but they’ll also mention how much fun they had. 

For Lenayah, a Shoemaker 2nd Grader, it was all about the June Bug. 

“A June Bug is attracted to buzzing lights in the Summer. And June Bugs are also social insects.” Lenayah reported. She also confirmed that it feels good to be a published author after all the fun she had researching and writing. 

For Camryn, Cricket was fun to discover. 

“My favorite thing about the cricket is that they’re nocturnal insects.” Camryn shared, “And that only male crickets chirp. But my favorite part about the project was all the reading.” 

And for Riley, illustrating a Moth brought learning to life alongside the lengthy writing. 

“My picture of a Moth was flying around with trees and branches. Drawing the picture was my favorite part” Riley described. “And my writing was really long — like five paragraphs.” 

When the shipment boxes arrived at Shoemaker, the books were unboxed during a fun event hosted in the cafeteria.  All four 2nd Grade classes gathered to explore the pages of their published books, read their passages to teachers and friends, and, of course, celebrated becoming published authors with insect themed cupcakes. For a 2nd Grade child, seeing their name printed on a library-quality binding carrying their own words and artwork — it was more than a learning moment… It was a milestone. 

For Mrs. Aupperlee, seeing it all come together makes the rigor worth it. 

“It’s the importance of believing that ‘all kids can’.” Mrs. Aupperlee reflected. “We have a lot of reluctant writers… But then when we told them that, ‘hey, you're gonna be a published author’, that really kicked them into gear. And it really does show that if you set those high expectations for your kids, they'll go above and beyond, and the results will be amazing.”