Writing Humor for Kids – A Writer’s Workshop/Teleclass
February 21, 2012 by admin
Filed under Writing for Children
Do you want to make kids laugh?
Then register for this teleclass/writer’s workshop called Writing Humor for Kids.
In this fun and informative workshop, children’s author Nancy I. Sanders will use popular published examples of funny kids’ favorites to show you how to help your manuscript tickle those funnybones.
From crafting scenes with a laughter-inducing punch to writing silly slapstick, join in this teleclass and learn techniques you can implement in picture books as well as novels to make young readers chuckle and laugh out loud.
Get all the details about this writer's workshop/teleclass at the Working Writer’s Club now.
Predicting with Picture Books
February 15, 2012 by admin
Filed under Writing for Children
Children learn to more fully comprehend what they read when they are taught to make predictions before and during the reading process. Picture books make perfect tools for teaching prediction to young readers and pre-readers.
Here are 3 picture books and some prediction activities to try in your classroom or at home with your own young children.
PAPER BAG PRINCESS by Robert Munsch
Teacher Says to the Students: Remember the weatherman. He is wrong about half the time but he doesn’t lose his job. If you make predictions, it does not have to be correct. Your idea may be even better than the author’s idea. Write your guess on scratch paper, then listen while I read the next page and see if your prediction matches what I read.
Rational: For some reason, after students have committed themselves to a prediction in writing, they listen avidly to the next part of the story. Using scratch paper signals that it will be discarded, not graded when finished. The other value in this kind of activity is the students begin to take risks. They lose the idea that in school there is one correct answer to every problem and the teacher is the all-knowing authority. It seems to empower them to believe in their own creativity. Eventually the students will employ a predicting frame of mind in all their reading and become eager to find out what happers next.
Procedure:
1. Draw a circle and write “princess “ in the middle. We web and brainstorm words that come to mind when I say princess.
2. I cover the outside of THE PAPER BAG PRINCESS and ask “Why is that the name of this book? Write why you think that is the name.” I model my answer on the board. “When I go to the grocery store, they ask if I want my groceries in a plastic bag or a paper bag. Maybe the princess always wants a paper bag so she is called the paper bag princess. If you can’t think of anything, you may copy mine.”
3. Read the first two pages and stop.
4. Write what you would do next if you were Elizabeth? Read the next page to validate the first two answers. Emphasize the value of predicting so none of the answers are “wrong. Read through page about the dragon burning up forests.
5. Why does Elizabeth ask the dragon about burning the forests?
Continue until the page on flying around the world
6. Why does Elizabeth ask the dragon to fly around the world?
Remind the students that they know how stories work, so they can use the clues and their story knowledge to write their answer.
7. After the dragon goes to sleep, ask what will Elizabeth do next?
8. Before reading the last page, ask will they get married, yes or no?
This story initiates a great discussion of which is more important, inside self or outside self?
Nearly any picture book that is told in narrative form can be adapted to teach the reading strategy of predicting.
ELMER by David McKee
Teacher can ask students the following questions to help them make predictions:
1. Who is Elmer?
2. Why is Elmer not happy?
3. What is Elmer looking for?
4. When Elmer gets back to the herd of elephants, what is wrong with the herd?
5. When Elmer lifted his trunk, what did he shout?
6. How does Elmer get back to his old self?
MUCKY MOOSE by Jonathan Allen
Try these questions to get some predictions started:
1. Why is he called Mucky Moose?
2. Knowing what you know about Mucky, who do you think would be friends with him? There are four. Can you name two of them?
3. How does Mucky solve the clothespin problem?
4. How does Mucky solve the gas mask problem?
5. What kind of work does the wolf find to do in the city?
*****************
JoAn Martin has published several children’s novels, which include Yankee Girl (2002), Goodnight Mrs. Dinglewall (2006), Inventing Chloe (2009), and an adult novel, Retrieving Morning(2009). With the assistance of sixth grade teachers, she compiled Read and Write with Yankee Girl, materials to teach the reading objectives of TEKS. Visit her website at www.joanwmartin.com.
Meet Marie-Grace – This Friday on Book Bites for Kids
January 26, 2012 by admin
Filed under Writing for Children
Listen to Book Bites for Kids on blogtalkradio this Friday, January 27th, 2012, at 2:00 CST, when the guest will be author Sarah Masters Buckey.
Masters Buckey will talk about her new book Meet Marie-Grace, which is the first book in a new series of American Girl Books.
To listen to the show, just go online to www.bookbitesforkids.com at 2:00 CST on Friday.
To call in to ask a question or to make a comment, call 1-646-716-9239 during the live show.
Book Bites for Kids – This Friday, January 13, 2012
January 11, 2012 by admin
Filed under Writing for Children
Listen to Book Bites for Kids this Friday, January 13, 2012, on blogtalkradio when my guest will be literacy specialist Carol Fraser Hagen.
Hagen will talk about her upcoming book, How to Help Children Learn to Read – A Handbook for Parents and Teachers.
To listen to the show, on Friday at 2:00 p.m. central, just go to www.bookbitesforkids.com.
Write a Middle Grade Novel in ONE Month!
November 6, 2011 by admin
Filed under Writing for Children
Learning how to write a Middle Grade (MG) novel is a big step on your way to success as a writer!
* It’s one of the easiest ways to experience breakthrough and get a book published in the children’s market.
* If you write for children, the strategies you’ll learn will help you write better Picture Books and Young Adult novels, too.
* If you write for adults, the strategies you learn will help you write better novels for the adult market. AND you can practice these skills here in a short project, which you’ll actually complete in just one month.
In this 4-session Writer’s Workshop:
*You will start a BRAND NEW Middle Grade novel.
Why?
Experiencing success as a writer doesn’t mean getting your one dream book published.
It means learning how to write book after book after book.
Starting a brand new MG novel for this workshop will get you off to a brand new start based on award-winning strategies Nancy will teach you. Then, after the workshop is over, you can go back and use the skills you learned to fix and complete a MG novel you already started.
* You will study plot, chapter-by-chapter, of two Newbery-winning MG novels.
* Nancy will teach you how to plan your story’s main plot along with 4 subplots for your own MG novel.
* Nancy will show you how to develop your cast of kid-appealing characters.
* Nancy will provide you with charts and handouts you will actually fill out during the workshop to help guide you through the process from beginning to end (there are over 25 handouts included when you register for this workshop).
YOUR Commitment
* Read two Middle Grade novels Nancy assigns to use as references during the workshop (both Newbery winners)
* Write one chapter each day, 5 days a week, during the 4 sessions of the workshop for a total of 20 chapters. (A chapter in many MG novels is just 3-4 typed pages. You can do this!!!!)
Recommended Supplies
Have these supplies handy as you listen to each session to get the most benefit from these workshops:
Your own personal copy you can write in of The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleishman and Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
Spiral notebook
Expandable pocket folder with empty file folders
Zipper pencil pouch holding 6 highlighters of various colors (suggested: blue, pink, purple, green, yellow, and orange)
6 pens of various colors (suggested: blue, pink, purple, red, light green, dark green or black)
White-out, sticky note pad, paper clips, binder clips
The Workshop Sessions
Here’s What Will Be Presented and What You’ll Need to Do for Each of the 4 Sessions -
Session 1: Act 1, The Set-Up
* Establish setting
* Choose your Main Character, 1-2 Supporting Characters, and 1-2 Bad Guys
* Brainstorm ideas for your main story plot/problem
* Introduce the 3-Act Structure
* Identify Subplots
* Brainstorm key elements of a winning first chapter
* Plot Chapters 1-5 of your story
* After this session: Write Chapters 1-5, a total of about 15 pages
Session 2: Act 2, First Half
* Develop the conflicting middle
* Identify the turning point of your story
* Scene versus Narrative: Show, don’t tell
* Flesh out your characters
* Choose memorable names
* Develop character tags for your Main Character
* Plot Chapters 6-10 of your story
* After this session: Write Chapters 6-10, a total of about 15 pages
Session 3: Act 2, Second Half
* Write the turning point of your story
* Increase the stakes
* Confirm setting details
* Format first and second page correctly
* Determine page count
* Check for cliffhangers
* Plug in metaphors and sensory details
* Develop character tags for Supporting Characters
* Track your Background Characters
* Plot Chapters 11-15 of your story
* After this session: Write Chapters 11-15, a total of about 15 pages
Session 4: Act 3, The Conclusion
* Chart the main story plot for your novel
* Make your Main Character change in a significant and meaningful way
* Make subplots surface to influence main plot
* Wrap up the conflict in a satisfying way
* Plot Chapters 16-20 of your story
* Make To-Do List for finishing novel
* Tie up loose ends
* Discuss self-editing process to make your novel shine
* What to do next? How, when, and why to start your next MG novel
* After this session: Write Chapters 16-20, a total of about 15 pages, to finish your novel.
Register here now for this 4-session workshop and you’ll immediately receive the audio and handouts for Session 1. Then, a few days later you’ll receive the audio and handouts for Session 2. A few days later, you’ll get the audio and handouts for Session 3 and then, finally, a few days later, the audio and handouts for Session 4.
This 4-session Writer’s Workshop includes almost 4 hours of audio instruction and over 25 handouts! All for just $49.97!
Click here to register if you’re NOT a member of the Working Writer’s Club!
Click here to register if you ARE a member of the Working Writer’s Club and get a $10.00 discount!
Write for Children: Nancy I. Sanders Shows You How!
October 9, 2011 by admin
Filed under Writing for Children
Nancy I. Sanders has written over 80 books for children and teens. And now she shows others how to write for children in her book Yes! You Can Learn How to Write Children’s Books, Get Them Published, and Build a Successful Writing Career.
Listen to my recent interview with Nancy on Book Bites for Kids. She talks about the book and gives some tips for aspiring children’s writers.
THE SOLSTICE MFA IN CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAM OF PINE MANOR COLLEGE OFFERS FOUR FELLOWSHIPS FOR WRITERS
September 23, 2011 by admin
Filed under Writing for Children
Chestnut Hill, MA — The Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program of Pine Manor College is pleased to offer four $1,000 fellowships for writers: The Dennis Lehane Fellowship for Fiction; the Michael Steinberg Fellowship for Creative Nonfiction; the Jacqueline Woodson Fellowship for a Young People’s Writer of African or Caribbean Descent; and the Sharon Olds Fellowship for Poetry.
All fellowship awards are based on the quality of a writing sample.
Fellowship applications are due October 14, 2011 (not a postmark date; materials must be received in our offices before or on October 14). Fellowship applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early. Notification letters will be mailed to winners only on November 15, 2011. Awards must be applied toward the winter residency/spring semester directly following acceptance; fellowships cannot be deferred or applied toward a summer residency/fall semester start.
About our donors (underwriters of the Sharon Olds Poetry Fellowship wish to remain anonymous):
A former staff writer for HBO’s The Wire, Solstice MFA writer-in-residence Dennis Lehane is author of nine novels, including Mystic River, Shutter Island, and Gone, Baby, Gone —each of which has been made into a feature film— and the fall 2010 release, Moonlight Mile.
Solstice MFA writer-in-residence Michael Steinberg is a memoirist, essayist, and founding editor of the literary journal, Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction. His memoir Still Pitching was named the 2003 Independent Press memoir of the year.
Solstice MFA consulting writer Jacqueline Woodson is author of numerous books for children and young adults, including Feathers, a Newbery Honor Book; Miracle’s Boys, winner of the Coretta Scott King Award; and Locomotion, winner of the Horn Book Award.
ABOUT SOLSTICE & PINE MANOR COLLEGE
As an undergraduate institution consistently ranked among the most diverse in the country, Pine Manor College emphasizes an inclusive, community-building approach to liberal arts education. The Solstice MFA in Creative Writing reflects the College’s overall mission by creating a supportive, welcoming environment in which writers of all backgrounds are encouraged to take creative risks. We strive to instill in our students an appreciation for the value of community-building and community service, and see engagement with the literary arts not only as a means to personal fulfillment but also as an instrument for real cultural change.
Directions to Pine Manor College, complete bios of our authors, and more information about the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program can be found at www.pmc.edu/mfa.
Writers Workshop: Write for High-Profile Children’s Magazines
September 15, 2011 by admin
Filed under Writing for Children
If you want to learn to write for high-profile children’s magazines, plan to attend this Writers Workshop (via telephone) presented by Nancy I. Sanders.
Date: September 22, 2011, Thursday, 10:00 A.M. PST
Topi: Step Into the Stable of Writers for a High-Profile Children’s Magazine
Presenter: Nancy I. Sanders
Learn the step-by-step strategy you can employ to become a regular feature writer for a high-profile children’s magazine. Join Nancy I. Sanders as she guides you to set specific short-term and long-term goals to experience breakthrough into a high-profile children’s magazine and eventually acquire the coveted position as one of its regularly-featured authors.
This Writers Workshop will cover:
* The benefits of being part of a stable of writers
* Short-term goals
* Long-term goals
* Take the Periodical Challenge
* Answers to Your Questions about High-Profile Magazines
Cost for the workshop:
Just $9.97 for Working Writer’s Club members
(log in at www.workingwritersclub.com to register)
Just $14.97 for non Working Writer’s Club Members – Register here now!
Just the Working Writer’s Club for just $9.99 per month!
Students Voice – Why Honoring It Is Important for the Diverse Classroom
August 26, 2011 by admin
Filed under Writing for Children
by Dorit Sasson
When you walk into the classroom for the first time and you see a sea of 30 student faces, you are, at that very moment, absorbing the physical diversity of your classroom – ethnicities, religion, languages, and multi-cultural backgrounds. But behind each face is a student. “How am I going to cater to all these abilities and levels without any stress and discipline problems?” is the question that teachers normally ask themselves.
When integrating your students in the diverse classroom, the most important piece teachers often fail to take into account when planning lessons is the bigger educational picture – honoring a student’s voice. It is when you are able to honor a student’s unique and rich voice, that you are able to truly able to make a personal connection.
What is Voice in a Diverse Classroom and Why is it So Important?
Honoring students voice is one of the highest educational values you can do for your diverse students. Every student enters the classroom with a rich story, but many don’t think their story is important to other students and to the teacher. Some of these students have witnessed terrible things, and they bring their emotional baggage with them to school. For many, school is the place off the streets. Lots of fears, hopes and dreams become tangled and this complicated web, becomes part of a student’s voice. Deep inside, they want to feel a sense of belonging, but often something gets in the way, which make them feel vulnerable.
How to Cater to a Student’s Voice?
In your classroom, you’ll have silent learners, learners who are much more active and learners who will be your faithful class leaders. You start by planning lessons that appeal to their levels and abilities. Evidence of their knowledge may confirm for you their level and ability, but at this point, you may still need some supplemental activities to integrate your students in the classroom community and increase their performance. You may need, for example:
1. An activity that encourages them to share part of their life story
2. Activities that encourage more student interaction around their life story
3. A game that promotes active listening
4. Fun activities to help students get to know one another
Incorporate these activities as part of your routine lesson planning but always with the bigger picture in mind – how to cater to the uniqueness of a student’s voice.
To learn more about Dorit Sasson, visit www.doritsasson.com
How Teacher’s Guides Can Help Sell Children’s Books
June 6, 2011 by admin
Filed under Writing for Children
If you’re a children’s book author you know that when teachers and school librarians can easily use your book(s) in the classroom they are more likely to buy your books. With that in mind, it’s a great idea to create a Teacher’s Guide for each of your books – whether those books are fiction or nonfiction.
Today, freelance writer and homeschooling mom, Amy O’Quinn was my guest on Book Bites for Kids. She gave tips for using tradebooks in the classroom and tips to help authors create Teacher’s Guides for their books.
Listen to the replay of this interview here:
