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Nico the Gnatcatcher and the Upside Down River

School: High Tech Media Arts

City/State: San Diego, CA

Grade(s): 7

Format(s): Children's book

Subject(s): English Language Arts, Science and Technology, Visual Arts

Project Overview

7th grade students from the High Tech Media Arts Middle School, in San Diego, California, created this children’s book about the ecosystem of the San Diego River.

The story is told through the perspective of a bird – a gnatcatcher – to engage younger students to value and protect the river.

The book was collaboratively researched, written and illustrated by 7th graders. Research included extensive fieldwork along the river and work with local experts.

Students worked with the San Diego River Park Foundation, an organization that works to create a network of parks and public spaces along the river. The foundation was both a partner in research and book production and also an avenue to broad distribution of the book as a resource for local students.

Work on this book educated students about the politics of political advocacy. Balancing commercial and public needs for river use is more difficult in real life than in a classroom discussion. Working with a foundation that subsists on both public and corporate donations, students learned that a strident anti-development message would not be acceptable to all the constituencies contributing to this project.

The publication of Nico the Gnatcatcher was funded through a grant from the National Geographic Society which allowed the school to produce and distribute 5000 copies of the book. The original book was 8 ½ by 11 inches and was professionally glue-bound.

This book, and others like it, may be purchased from the school.

How This Project Can Be Useful

  • Professional book production funded entirely by a grant
  • Exemplifies a product with a real audience and a real purpose
  • The format of having full-page illustrations on the left hand page juxtaposed with text and smaller, inset illustrations is unique and appealing
  • Illustrations show care, aesthetic appeal and evidence of multiple drafts. See page 31, 7, and 25
  • Shows an excellent format for students to convey content knowledge about river ecosystems and a vehicle for becoming deeply involved in the caring of a natural resource
  • Contextualizing information at the end gives the reader a sense of the students’ purpose in writing the book and information about contributing organizations
  • Highlights a grade-level project – students from multiple classes engaged in producing one product

Common Core State Standards

Standard Long Term Learning Target
W.7.3
  • I can write narrative texts about real or imagined experiences using relevant details and event sequences that make sense.
W.7.4
  • I can produce clear and coherent writing that is appropriate to task, purpose and audience.
L.7.1
  • I can use correct grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
L.7.2
  • I can use correct capitalization, punctuation and spelling to send a clear message to my reader.
L.7.3
  • I can express ideas with precision.
L.7.6
  • I can use resources to build my vocabulary.
WHST.6-8.4
  • EL has not created long-term learning targets for WHST standards.
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