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Village Charter School Students Author Book about Asthma Management

The Student Authors Performed a Reading of their Newly-Published Work at an Author?s Tea

June 11, 2008
Philadelphia, PA
– A group of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students from Village Charter School recently hosted an "Authors' Tea" for their parents, teachers, local leaders, and members of the community. At the Authors? Tea, the students read excerpts from Tucadeluca?s Big Asthma Attack, a book about asthma management which they wrote, edited, and illustrated themselves.

This book was created through the Young Publishers Program, a community-based program that teaches reading, writing, and authentic literacy by immersing students in the publishing process. Keystone Mercy Health Plan partnered with Village Charter School to offer this program to the students.

The program provided an initial health education component, led by several physicians who taught the students about asthma and how to manage the disease. The students then used their new knowledge to choose a topic and title for their book, guided by a writing coach from Songhai Press Corporation. The students wrote, edited, and illustrated the book themselves, working together like a real publishing company.

This program at Village Charter School was sponsored by Keystone Mercy Health Plan, AstraZeneca, and the Healthy Hoops Coalition, as part of the Healthy Hoops Program, a community health education program that educates children and families on how to manage asthma, obesity, and cardiovascular disease through proper nutrition, exercise, and medication use. The title character in Tucadeluca's Big Asthma Attack attends a Healthy Hoops event to learn how to manage his asthma and still be able to play sports.

Village Charter School Students Author Book about Asthma Management

About Keystone Mercy Health Plan:
Keystone Mercy Health Plan, a health care ministry of the Sisters of Mercy in affiliation with Keystone First, Inc., is the largest Medical Assistance managed care organization in Pennsylvania, serving more than 300,900 Medical Assistance recipients. Keystone Mercy's mission is to provide accessible, quality health care services to its members, with a special concern for the poor and disadvantaged. For more information about Keystone Mercy Health Plan, please visit www.keystonemercy.com.

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