Yorba Linda, Calif. (November 5, 2018)— On Monday, November 5th, sixth graders at Heritage Oak Private School had a unique opportunity to meet and converse with author Christina Diaz Gonzalez regarding her book, The Red Umbrella. The students, who just completed reading the novel, met with Gonzalez, via Skype, during their literature class period. The meeting was made possible by Heritage Oak Literature Teacher Rachel Simmonds who is a personal friend of Gonzalez’s.
The Red Umbrella is a historical fiction novel about a young girl’s journey from Cuba to the U.S. during Operation Pedro Pan in the 1960s. The students completed reading the novel last week and emailed questions they wanted to ask the author to Mrs. Simmonds. Mrs. Simmonds then led a class discussion focusing on the questions prior to the Skype call.
“My students learned more about the writing process from the interview with Christina Diaz Gonzalez. They began to understand how authors come up with stories, how long it takes to write one, what it’s like to work with editors, publishers, etc.,” explained Mrs. Simmonds. “It was also a unique opportunity to ask questions about the characters, setting, and plot to the actual author of the book.”
About Heritage Oak Private Education (https://heritageoak.org/)
Heritage Oak Private Education is located in Yorba Linda. The schools overarching philosophy is to develop the whole child. This is accomplished by providing a positive, safe, nurturing climate that enhances learning by establishing and maintaining a high level of academic and behavioral standards. Heritage Oak provides a single location for parents to provide the essential academic, social and physical skills to be prepared for high school and college. The school is open for children from early learning through eighth grade.
