Kendra Levin, Viking editor, was our inspiring speaker at the luncheon.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Wisconsin SCBWI Spring Luncheon
Kendra Levin, Viking editor, was our inspiring speaker at the luncheon.
Wonderful Wisconsin & Marvelous Missouri
Author visits are such fun in so many ways. I did presentations as well as lots of writing funshops during my April sojourn. I was interviewed on a St. Joseph television station. I reconnected with wonderful acquaintances, a high school friend, and my niece. I attended the SCBWI Wisconsin spring luncheon, which was lovely. Viking editor Kendra Levin spoke and was smart, warm, and gracious. Here's a link to one teacher's blog, where she shares photos of my visit: www.konitzer.blogspot.com.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Wisconsin and Missouri School Visits
Just returned from a wonderful two weeks of school visits in Wisconsin and Missouri. I usually do presentations and just a few writing workshops, but this trip, I did lots of writing workshops with groups from K to 8. I had a wonderful time!
I always talk about ideas for stories and also how an idea isn't a story, but needs well-defined characters and a strong plot to become a story. In my thank you notes from some of the younger students, they shared some of their ideas for stories:
The pencil that talks. (I might steal this one. :-) )
What you need to know about dinosaurs.
Learn the Spanish alphabet.
Babies attack me and my family. (Intriguing...and scary!)
Healthy foods. (Love this girl.)
A silent world. (Could this child be craving silence in this noisy world?)
A cupcake land. (Yum.)
Aliens versus robots.
The attack of the giant tarantulas. (HELP!)
Robot monkeys in space. (Brilliant.)
I always talk about ideas for stories and also how an idea isn't a story, but needs well-defined characters and a strong plot to become a story. In my thank you notes from some of the younger students, they shared some of their ideas for stories:
The pencil that talks. (I might steal this one. :-) )
What you need to know about dinosaurs.
Learn the Spanish alphabet.
Babies attack me and my family. (Intriguing...and scary!)
Healthy foods. (Love this girl.)
A silent world. (Could this child be craving silence in this noisy world?)
A cupcake land. (Yum.)
Aliens versus robots.
The attack of the giant tarantulas. (HELP!)
Robot monkeys in space. (Brilliant.)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
How To Be a Reading Mentor
*****READ A STORY.*****
***TELL A STORY.***
**WRITE A STORY.**
*BE A STORY!*
We seem to enjoy making things complicated in our world. Often things are very simple. Reading with your child should not be something you are afraid of because you are overwhelmed with advice, information, or lists of “must-read” books. It should be fun.
Read to foster a love for language in your child and a wonder about our world. Read together to have fun and to enjoy each other’s company.
Below are some thoughts and ideas you might enjoy trying:
*** Read aloud with your child –
Twenty minutes a day is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, but if you don’t have twenty minutes, read anyway! Read a few poems together in five minutes. (My children loved Shel Silverstein.) What’s important is to expose our children to print and to allow them to hear the beauty and rhythm of strong narrative.
We’re not sounding out words here, we’re sharing wonderful stories!
Make read-aloud time special. Flop on pillows. Make hot chocolate…or…
Read with expression and be versatile. Take turns reading. Have each family member bring one book to share.
*** Be a Reading Mentor
Does your child see you reading? How many books are in your home? If you can’t afford a lot of new books, you can still have a shelf full of library books. My library allows me to check out 30 at a time!
*** Connect Children to the real people behind the books
It’s important for children to know there are real people and real artists behind the wonderful stories you’re sharing. Children should know that telling stories is something any of us can do.
Bring an author to visit your school on a special “Author’s Day”.
Take your child to the bookstore when an author visits.
Visit the website of a favorite author and learn about him/her.
*** Visit your local library
As soon as your child can write his own name, take him to get his own library card. Then have a celebration!
Find a librarian who knows children’s literature. They can help tailor reading to a child’s interests.
***Visit bookstores
Allow your child to browse the children’s area.
Purchase books as gifts together.
***Connect books to real life situations This helps answer questions children may have about the world around them.
Books to explore:
How to Get your Child to Love Reading - Esme Raji Codell
Read-Aloud Handbook – Jim Trelease
Websites to explore:
www.trelease-on-reading.com
www.marshaoakarnold.com ☺
Kids like to explore “the story behind the story” to discover where the ideas for my books came from. There are also activities under “Parents and Teachers” and “Fun
***Tell your own stories
Share stories of your childhood with your child or begin your own “book” full of childhood memories to share with your children.
Assist your child in writing a story. Write down the words as your child tells it. Then let your child read her own story.
Have fun with Magic Word Bags. Use a fun/fancy purse or bag as a Magic Word Bag. Fill it with pieces of paper with a word on each piece. When you child pulls out one, have him make up a sentence with the word in it. Depending on age, time, etc., he can make up a whole story around this word. With older children, you can use three separate bags and fill them with ideas for characters, settings, and problems. Your child can pull one idea from each bag and create a story around these. Watch out for some WILD, WILD stories!
***TELL A STORY.***
**WRITE A STORY.**
*BE A STORY!*
We seem to enjoy making things complicated in our world. Often things are very simple. Reading with your child should not be something you are afraid of because you are overwhelmed with advice, information, or lists of “must-read” books. It should be fun.
Read to foster a love for language in your child and a wonder about our world. Read together to have fun and to enjoy each other’s company.
Below are some thoughts and ideas you might enjoy trying:
*** Read aloud with your child –
Twenty minutes a day is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, but if you don’t have twenty minutes, read anyway! Read a few poems together in five minutes. (My children loved Shel Silverstein.) What’s important is to expose our children to print and to allow them to hear the beauty and rhythm of strong narrative.
We’re not sounding out words here, we’re sharing wonderful stories!
Make read-aloud time special. Flop on pillows. Make hot chocolate…or…
Read with expression and be versatile. Take turns reading. Have each family member bring one book to share.
*** Be a Reading Mentor
Does your child see you reading? How many books are in your home? If you can’t afford a lot of new books, you can still have a shelf full of library books. My library allows me to check out 30 at a time!
*** Connect Children to the real people behind the books
It’s important for children to know there are real people and real artists behind the wonderful stories you’re sharing. Children should know that telling stories is something any of us can do.
Bring an author to visit your school on a special “Author’s Day”.
Take your child to the bookstore when an author visits.
Visit the website of a favorite author and learn about him/her.
*** Visit your local library
As soon as your child can write his own name, take him to get his own library card. Then have a celebration!
Find a librarian who knows children’s literature. They can help tailor reading to a child’s interests.
***Visit bookstores
Allow your child to browse the children’s area.
Purchase books as gifts together.
***Connect books to real life situations This helps answer questions children may have about the world around them.
Books to explore:
How to Get your Child to Love Reading - Esme Raji Codell
Read-Aloud Handbook – Jim Trelease
Websites to explore:
www.trelease-on-reading.com
www.marshaoakarnold.com ☺
Kids like to explore “the story behind the story” to discover where the ideas for my books came from. There are also activities under “Parents and Teachers” and “Fun
***Tell your own stories
Share stories of your childhood with your child or begin your own “book” full of childhood memories to share with your children.
Assist your child in writing a story. Write down the words as your child tells it. Then let your child read her own story.
Have fun with Magic Word Bags. Use a fun/fancy purse or bag as a Magic Word Bag. Fill it with pieces of paper with a word on each piece. When you child pulls out one, have him make up a sentence with the word in it. Depending on age, time, etc., he can make up a whole story around this word. With older children, you can use three separate bags and fill them with ideas for characters, settings, and problems. Your child can pull one idea from each bag and create a story around these. Watch out for some WILD, WILD stories!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Imagination and play
Think of your imagination as a muscle. If you don't exercise it, it will wither away. Actually, it will just lie beneath the surface, buried, so no one can see it. Imagination is always there for you to call upon when you're ready.
Playfulness is a pre-requisite for creativity, I think. Adults should add "PLAY" to their "To Do" lists. Play makes us joyful and also releases our creative juices. So, take a play break and make a break through...to you!
Playfulness is a pre-requisite for creativity, I think. Adults should add "PLAY" to their "To Do" lists. Play makes us joyful and also releases our creative juices. So, take a play break and make a break through...to you!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
My book HEART OF A TIGER
Children latch onto stories of hope and cling to them for dear life. Each story becomes a foothold to their dreams. I think children relate so strongly to HEART OF A TIGER, not only because they like tigers and cats, but because it's a story of hope. You might be small, like Little Four, but you can still have a big dream that can be accomplished in your own way.
The Blogging Begins
I have been so uncomfortable with the idea of blogging and putting my ideas out into the universe quickly, off-the-cuff. Today, though, while preparing for student workshops in Wisconsin, I found an old file full of ideas and scribblings. I threw quite a few away before I realized these could be recycled onto my blog. So I shall share them now with the universe...and you. I should be blogging a little more consistently than once a year now, at least for awhile. :-) I may share some of the ideas on Facebook, so if you know me from there, you may get a double dose.
March 15, 2005, I wrote "Writing a story is like looking down a long, curvy, dangerous road and not having any idea where it will lead you." Maybe it's really not so dangerous, but it is curvy!
March 15, 2005, I wrote "Writing a story is like looking down a long, curvy, dangerous road and not having any idea where it will lead you." Maybe it's really not so dangerous, but it is curvy!
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