Students Helping Students

University of Pittsburgh at Bradford writing students are helping area elementary school students prepare for a regional reading competition April 2 at Floyd C. Fretz Middle School.

The students are members of Dr. Nancy McCabe’s Writing for Children class. McCabe, associate professor of writing, is the director of the Pitt-Bradford writing program.

“The reading competition is a great event that really gets kids enthusiastic about reading,” McCabe said. “And helping out was a way for my Writing for Children students to familiarize themselves with books for a middle-school audience and gauge what that audience values in its literature.”

For the reading competition, teams made up of 8 to 10 students read 40 books, then compete against other teams in a quiz bowl-style trivia competition, explained Melissa Cornelius, librarian and reading competition coordinator at School Street Elementary School. Each team member is responsible for the contents of at least four or five books, about which they are expected to be able to answer questions.

McCabe and each of her students also read at least one book from the list, then met with the elementary school students who had read the book to help prepare them for the competition, reviewing the books and practicing sample questions.

Nick Jones, a sophomore writing major from Wynnewood, said that by hearing the children’s reactions to the books, he is learning what works and doesn’t work in children’s writing.

“It’s a lot different writing for children,” he said. “You have to put yourself in the mindset of a kid. It’s harder.”

Having the Pitt-Bradford students help prepare the fourth- and fifth-graders was a huge help to Cornelius, she said. “We had a review session about every single book this time because of the Pitt-Bradford students.”

Pictured, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford writing major Nick Jones helping School Street Elementary School fifth grader Josiah Garges prepare for the upcoming regional reading competition. The two discussed “Murder in the Middle Pasture,” which is part of the “Hank the Cowdog” series for children. At left, writing student Sarah Dorben asks girls questions about “Tom’s Midnight Garden.”
(Photo courtesy of Pitt-Bradford)