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Giselle Prieto, pictured at right, excitedly shows her reading buddy, Mileena Cazares, the dedication page at the beginning of a book starring the first-grader. —Johnson Publications

Personal connections excite local readers in grades 1, 8

    “Superheroes and princesses seem to be the common theme,” said Holyoke eighth-grade English teacher Amber Schroetlin over the excited chatter of reading in the Holyoke Elementary cafeteria.
    Every eighth-grader in HJHS had written a book starring a first-grade reading buddy, and they were sharing them with their main characters for the first time Wednesday, May 17. Some eighth-graders had two buddies, as there are a few more first-graders than eighth-graders.
    “I love this project,” said Schroetlin. It’s the second year that she has led the buddy activity at Holyoke. A twist from the traditional reading buddy program, the two grades met only three times over the course of about a month.
    The eighth-graders first interviewed their buddies, learning about their families, friends, pets and interests. They then wrote fictional stories with the first-grade buddy as the main character that the first-graders could keep.
    Buddies met again to play games, maintaining familiarity as the eighth-graders continued to write. When the classes met for the final time to reveal the books, it was nothing short of precious.
 

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