One person can make big changes in the world around her. What changes could you make? Through a reading of the picture book Grow, group discussion, and a very special craft, students will create their own garden of colorful flowers and ideas about how to make the world a better place.

For ages 5-8

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.2
Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.8
With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.8
Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

Learning to be a writer can be like setting up a science experiment. You start with asking yourself a question: What are the elements of a good story? Then it’s time to design your writing experiment. How do character, plot, setting, and tension affect your experiment? Through trial and error, revision and redesigning your creative experiment, a story is born. Students will experiment with their own writing, and I’ll share stories about my own writing experiments. Sessions end with a reading from Parker Bell and the Science of Friendship and Q&A.

For ages 7-10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3.a
Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3.b
Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.4
With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.5
With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 3 here.)
ented.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3

Getting a book published takes more than just writing down your idea. From first drafts to revisions, submissions to working with publishers, sketches to final artwork, copyediting to final proofs, I share my experiences as an author and children’s book editor to provide an inside look at how books get made.

Can be custom-tailored for students ages 5-12


Length of programs: 40-60 minutes