C.W. McGraw Elementary Third Graders Become Published Authors Through Project

Third-grade students at C.W. McGraw Elementary became published authors after a classroom writing unit culminated in a family book-signing, where pupils read excerpts, signed copies and received "I'm a Published Author!" certificates. Teachers Valeria Andrade and Irasema Becerra led the fable-writing project that produced handwritten and illustrated stories students presented to parents at the school event.

Andrade and Becerra had their class work on fables for months, guiding students to craft short stories that carry a moral. The pupils produced lessons that ranged from kindness and honesty to perseverance, and the teachers accepted an offer from Studentreasures Publishing to turn those stories into a printed class book. After months of work the books arrived at the school and the class held the signing celebration.

"Seeing students' faces light up when they saw their story was in a real book was unforgettable," Andrade said, describing the moment students first encountered their printed work. One image from the event shows a smiling Makayla reading her book with her parent, a scene that underscored the project’s family engagement and pride.

Teachers provided small-group support and translation help so students who are still developing English fluency could take part on equal footing. The district described the project as strengthening writing skills and offering an extra challenge for developing-English students; Andrade said the stories are "a true reflection of our students' voices."

Studentreasures provided only one free class copy under its classroom publishing offer, and Andrade said the limitation prompted plans to expand access. "We hope to build on this success next year and give even more students the chance to share their stories," Andrade said, noting fundraising or collaboration with the school PTO as possible paths to provide additional copies to families.

Several operational details were not disclosed at the event: the exact number of participating third graders, the precise date the books arrived at the school, and whether parental permission forms or district publishing policies governed the project. An Instagram post from the school account celebrated the publication and referenced "Mrs. H" as a guiding teacher, though that name is not confirmed elsewhere in school materials. Andrade said the classroom intends to build on the published collection next year, turning the one-off printed book into a broader family keepsake program if fundraising or PTO support materializes.