On Friday, March 24, Rocco’s students were the stars of a red carpet event screening NJTV’s Classroom Close-up episode featuring them.
The students in Sandy Rocco’s fifth-grade class at Kresson School were given a great opportunity when they were able to interview Joyce Hansen, the author of one of the class’ favorite books, “The Captive.”
Then, NJTV sweetened the deal. They offered to film the interview and air it on television.
On Friday, March 24, Rocco’s students were the stars of a red carpet event screening NJTV’s Classroom Close-up episode featuring them. The episode followed the students as they learned how to ask good interview questions in preparation for their interview with Hansen.
“We came up with questions and divided them into two categories; Google-able and non-Google-able,” said 10-year-old Aniha Bhut, who spoke to an audience of fellow fifth graders, parents of the students and staff before the screening. Rocco taught the students to ask questions only the person they are interviewing could answer, as opposed to simple questions with information available on the Internet.
“I never thought we would actually be on TV,” Aniha added.
Hansen appeared via Skype to talk to the audience and thank the students before the screening.
“This is like coming back to the classroom, but I don’t have to be there all day long,” Hansen said to laughs from the audience. “I’m like the grandma of the classroom.”
Hansen’s teaching experience was evident. She is a retired sixth- and seventh-grade English teacher in Brooklyn, N.Y., and spoke highly of the students’ interviewing skills. Hansen’s appreciation for teaching was also clear, and she complimented Rocco’s teaching methods.
“This is the way you have to teach a novel in the digital age,” she said to Rocco, who was out of the school all week, but made sure to come in for the event.
“The questions from the students were profound,” Hansen continued. “Your questions have made me see my own book in a different way, and made me see things I could have done better.”
The five-minute episode showcased the process Rocco taught the students for interviewing others. First, they read “The Captive,” a novel inspired by a true story. In the novel, a prince of a West African village is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the United States.
Once students brainstormed enough “non-Google-able” questions, they practiced by interviewing each other.
“We’ve gone full out 21st-first century with technology, speaking and listening, and critical thinking,” Rocco said. The students are also building a website containing questions and answers about the book.
“They’ve really reached the expectations we set for them,” Rocco added.
The episode was met with much applause from the two rows of parents who were able to attend.
Afterward, all attendees were invited to stick around to enjoy pizza and refreshments to celebrate.
Students were grateful for the experience both to interview Hansen and appear on television.
“It’s not every day that you have questions for an author and actually get to ask the author the questions,” said 10-year-old Evan Garber, who did have one joking complaint, though: he wasn’t the main star of the episode.
“It was exciting and a great experience to be able to meet [Hansen},” said 10-year-old Zoey Blackman. “Everything came together and our hard work paid off.”
Rocco said the point of the lesson was to learn human decency from the characters of the book, as well as help them realize the deep thinkers they are.
The full episode can be viewed on Classroom Close-up’s website.
