In advance of their participation in this year’s Elementary Living Book Project, the fifth-grade students in Barbara Kmiotek’s class at Nassakeag Elementary School created a six-foot long paper quilt displaying 19 major battles from the Civil War.

To create the quilt, the students each selected and researched facts about the battles and incorporated their research into large paper squares. Each square included battle dates, key facts, maps and pictures on the highlighted battle. The completed components were joined together and two decorative side columns were added to complete the design.

“I found it very interesting to visually see how many battles there were in the Civil War,” said Ally Larson. “I really love American history and found it so interesting to learn how divided the country was at the time of the Civil War and how many lives were lost,” added Thomas Loughlin.

This year’s Living Book Project centered on the book “Bull Run,” and joined district fifth-graders together in a day of conversation, collaborative work and interactive workshops.