From paper to printWalnut Creek students go ‘by the book’ in unique field trip

How does a poem go from the writer’s mind to page, and then to published form?Lisa Miller’s first grade class at Walnut Creek Elementary got a much better idea as to exactly how the process works during a recent field trip in which they were treated to a very wonderful surprise.The students visited Carlisle Printing in order to gain a little better understanding of how books and other items are published.This was on the heels of the class members all penning their own poems based on Spring. Not only did the class members write their own poems, they also helped Miller decide which two of the poems were best suited for publication. The entire process took a couple of days as the kids created the artwork, wrote the poems and got them on the computer.“They had a great time with this project,” said Miller. “I think that they learned a lot about the writing and publishing process.”The trip down the hill to Carlisle Printing was special both as an informational opportunity, but also because of the way the staff at Carlisle Printing treated the excursion as something special.“This field trip tied in well, because one of our aims is to get the kids to better understand technology and how it is connected with writing,” said Miller. “This was a way for them to experience the publishing process, and how technology is used in the production process.”Miller’s idea was to actually have the two chosen poems show up in a newspaper, and found Graphic Publications more than willing to join in the effort.What they got in their trip to Carlisle Printing was far more than anything Miller had envisioned.The Walnut Creek company took photographs of each student as they arrived, and then the children’s pictures kept cropping up at the various stations along the publishing production path.It all tied together when, at the final station, Carlisle Printing had created a book of the children themselves and their trip through the facility.“That was really neat, and the kids were so excited,” said Miller. “And at the very end of the tour, Marvin Wengerd of Carlisle Press had stacks of books they have printed, and each of the kids were allowed to take a book. They really personalized the field trip so the kids got the most out of it.”The two poem winners were Chloe Mast and Sophia Kauffman, and the students chose the two winners based on describing words, rich language, drawing and neatness.“The idea was to get the kids to be creative and to build a mental image of what they were writing,” said Miller.“They learned a lot about the writing process, but the field trip really drove home the point about how these poems are published.”To read both Mast and Kauffman’s poems, and to see their artwork, visit our website at: www.holmesbargainhunter.com.