Step 1: Research
- Use this website as a resource for information about electricity and energy. The Learn About Energy section is a great place to start.
- Explore and research the history of the electric cooperative movement by contacting your local electric cooperative office.
- Questions to ask and incorporate into your book:
- What is an electric cooperative?
- When was your electric co-op established, and what makes it unique?
- What programs and services does your co-op currently offer?
- What changes do they see coming in the future for your co-op and electricity providers in general?
- How does the cooperative connect various groups in the community?
- Learn about energy, electricity and how your local electric co-op serves your community. Consult your librarian or media specialist for additional resources, information, and research. As a beginning point, explore these suggested websites:
Step 2: Write and Illustrate
- Using the information you gathered from your local co-op, brainstorm possible storylines that you might use to create your story.
- Pre-write and draft your story using the printable template.
- Write, edit, and revise your story.
- Illustrate your story. Consider using photographs from your local co-op and original artwork.
- Include an “Author’s Summary” or small introduction and a photograph of the author(s) on the inside back cover. Do the same for the illustrator if a different person. Include sources you used to do research for writing your book. List websites and print materials used. Also, list your electric co-op contact’s name and when/how you communicated with them.
An example of a complete Author’s Summary
My name is Jane Smith. I am a fifth grader at Super Fantastic Elementary School in Small Town, SC. I researched my topic on the Children’s Book Challenge website by reading the Learn About Energy section and visiting my local electric cooperative’s website. I also visited eia.gov/kids to learn all about energy. My co-op contact was Shirley Power at Local Electric Cooperative, which is near my school. To learn more about the co-op and energy, I spoke with her on the phone on October 5 and again on October 20. She was very helpful. - Capture moments in the classroom through pictures and videos (with appropriate parental media permissions).
- Each book should have a clear title, author and illustrator.
- Students are encouraged to use colorful illustrations.
- Stories should be students’ own work, written without artificial intelligence.
Suggested Grading Rubric
Use these criteria to evaluate student books. Books may be fiction or nonfiction.
- Originality of the story
- Creative connection of content to energy, cooperatives, and how electricity changes lives
- “Author’s Summary” (introduction) shows evidence of contact with the local electric co-op
- Quality of the book cover
- Quality of illustrations
