Tag Archives: author visit
Tuesday, April 9, 2013 Invite Author Amy E. Sklansky Into Your Classroom
Amy’s distance learning programs through Cooperating School Districts, including full descriptions, including costs and standards covered, can be found at: www.cilc.org.
- INSIDE A POET’S MIND (Grades 2 – 5) Peek inside the mind of a published poet as Amy shares poems from her books and discusses the various places a poet finds inspiration and the different forms poetry can take. Grades 3 and up have the option of writing a poem during the session.
- WHERE DO CHICKS COME FROM?: Author Visit and Eggs-periments (Grades K – 2) Learn what happens inside an egg from fertilization through hatching as Amy uses her book to outline stages of writing: research, revisions, artist’s sketches, etc. She also performs hands-on eggs-periments that reinforce the scientific method.
- COOKING A BOOK (Grades 1 – 3) Meet Amy as she puts on a chef’s hat and coat to “cook” a book. Help her put inspiration, drafts, revisions, pencil sketches, and more into her cooking pot as she explains how an author’s idea becomes a published book.
- FROM INSPIRATION TO BOOKSTORE SHELF (Grades 3 – 6) Work together to learn where an author gets her ideas and how she crafts them into a book. Amy offers ideas around these questions and shares examples from all seven of her books.
“Mrs. Sklansky was engaging and really helped the students get excited about writing not just poetry, but all kinds of writing.”
Tags: Amy Sklansky, author visit, Cooperating School Districts, Distance Learning
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- Posted under Distance Learning, Learning Division programs, Links, Literacy, Videoconferencing
Friday, March 9, 2012 The Many Hats of Author Barri Bumgarner
Author Barri Bumgarner currently is a content provider for Cooperating School Districts’ New Links distance learning program. For 2011-2012, Barri’s videoconferences will be available upon request. For costs, email Rebecca Morrison at CSD. Here are the interactive writing videoconferences she’s offering upon request for middle school & high school classes:
“Let’s Get Digital”: Teaching today should embrace technology when it works for a unit, not just for technology sake. This interactive workshop, with students in a computer lab or with laptops, will demonstrate how to tell a story digitally, using free PC software. We assume kids are tech-savvy, when in reality, they only know the technologies they’re surrounded by everyday (Facebook, texting, gaming). Enticing students to tell a story digitally will open up the world of research, creativity, and show them that they can express themselves in a variety of ways with the world at their fingertips. Join author Barri L. Bumgarner in an interactive workshop that will teach students and teachers the possibilities with digital software.
“Soundtracks of Our Lives”: Let your students explore their lives through the lens of songs. In this session, students will listen to songs during a modeling session, consider the stages of their own lives, and illustrate each with a song that fits that portion of their lives. This interactive session will let students self-evaluate, use media to accentuate their writing, and see the value of technology in the writing world. Join author Barri L. Bumgarner in an interactive workshop that will allow students to see themselves through the eyes of music.
“The Many Hats We Wear: Getting Inspired to Write What You Know”: Tapping into inspiration for students is often as easy as helping them figure out who they are when they write… and can they change “hats” to write something different? This session will help students explore their ma
ny inspirations and find out how differently they can write when they don different hats. Join author Barri L. Bumgarner in an interactive workshop that will motivate kids to self-reflect, write, and explore the nuances of who they are when they write.
“Crime Scene Analysis”: The focus is on a writing exercise designed to be creative, deductive, and interactive. This writing workshop videoconference is for 8-12 grades. Students will see a portion of an episode of CSI. After viewing the initial “crime scene footage,” each writer will play investigator through a variety of interviews. Once they conducted each of their interviews, students will then write their version of what happened. Join author Barri L. Bumgarner in an interactive workshop that will get their creative and analytical juices flowing!
Tags: author visit, Barri Bumgarner, media literacy, videoconference
Monday, February 27, 2012 St. Louis Author Carolyn Lesser Continues to Connect
All of author Carolyn Lesser’s videoconference programs are available upon date request, but preferred connection times include: Teacher sessions at 4 pm CT | Student sessions at either 9 or 11 am CT. She works with third grade and up.
Carolyn, a former classroom teacher and veteran presenter over distance learning, is the author of books including Great Crystal Bear, a lyrical natural science book that follows the polar bear through all seasons and reveals his wisdom and resilience in a stark and beautiful Arctic environment (illustrated by Bill Noonan) and Spots: Counting Creatures from Sky to Sea, a natural science book about spotted creatures and the ten biomes they inhabit. It’s an early counting book with a glossary to spark the imagination of older readers (illustrated by Laura Regan).
She offers three-part interactive sessions which include professional development for participating teachers; the last two sessions are with the students. Selections include:
• Writing Nature Prose or Poetry • Multi-genre Nonfiction Writing
Each session is full of inspiration, enthusiasm, and positive feedback! Carolyn Lesser will engage students with enthusiasm for her nonfiction process. For more information, including scheduling & program fees, contact Rebecca Morrison.
Tags: author visit, Carolyn Lesser, Distance Learning, New Links, Videoconferencing
Tuesday, November 22, 2011 James Otis Thach Author Visit
We’re thankful this week to be able to announce the return of author James Otis Thach to Cooperating School Districts for two videoconferences this December! James is a St. Louis native and the author of A Child’s Guide to Common Household Monsters, The Tickle Monster is Coming and his latest, The Seal Pup. James was raised in Clayton and attended Glenridge Elementary.
This free, one hour videoconference is for elementary students. James Otis Thach will read from his book, The Seal Pup. The story follows the quest of a lone seal, trying to reunite with his herd. James will also talk about the true story than inspired the book, and about the long journey of making a book. He will also share related videos, and invite the kids to use their research and library skills to find the documentary the book is based upon.
There is limited space available for these multipoint, interactive videoconferences, so please reserve your classroom’s spot early. There is a limit of 35 students per site; we are accepting four interactive sites per videoconference. Available times on Tuesday, December 20th include:
• 9 am CST for kindergarten, first and second grade classes
• 10:30 am CST for third, fourth and fifth grade classes
Participating schools also receive a free copy of The Seal Pup, signed by James. Happy Holidays!
Tags: author visit, Cooperating School Districts, Distance Learning, James Otis Thach, The Seal Pup, videoconference
Friday, November 11, 2011 and the videoconference goes to…
Thanks to those who submitted their name to win a free videoconference from Amy Sklansky. Congrats to our winner, who now can bring this bestselling St. Louis author into her classroom via distance learning– at no cost (she will choose a session over videoconferencing or Skype). She will get to select from Amy’s four distance learning programs: Cooking a Book; Author Visit and Eggs-periments Videoconferences; Inside a Poet’s Mind; or Amy’s new program, From Inspiration to Bookstore Shelf. Click on the image to see the video of Amy drawing the winning educator’s name!
Tags: Amy E. Sklansky, author visit, Cooperating School Districts, Distance Learning, videoconference
Tuesday, September 13, 2011 Author Visit Bonus!
Author and New Links content provider Amy E. Sklansky is working on a new videoconference for the 2011-2012 school year- details will come soon! In the meantime, don’t forget to revisit some of your favorite programs with Amy. This year, she will also be giving the first three schools who sign up for three videoconferences an autographed book for their school library!
Author Visit and Eggs-periments Videoconferences with Amy E. Sklansky
Using visuals in an interactive videoconference, author Amy E. Sklansky outlines stages of writing the book— research, revisions, artist’s sketches, etc. She also explains what happens inside an egg from fertilization thru hatching.
Availability: By Request ONLY | Audience: Grade(s): Kindergarten, 1, 2
Cooking a Book with Author Amy E. Sklansky
Author Amy E. Sklansky will put on a chef’s hat & coat to “cook” a book. Into her cooking pot go inspiration, drafts, revisions, pencil sketches, and more as she explains how an author’s idea becomes a published book.
Availability: By Request ONLY | Audience: Grade(s): Kindergarten, 1, 2, 3
Inside a Poet’s Mind: Author Visit with Amy E. Sklansky
Amy E. Sklansky gives students a peek inside the mind of a published poet. Sharing poems from her own books, Amy discusses the various places a poet finds inspiration.
Availability: By Request ONLY | Audience: Grade(s): 2, 3, 4, 5
New Links members get a discounted rate on Amy’s author visits; and she’ll also Skype with schools, too. For more information, contact Rebecca Morrison at rmorrison@csd.org.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011 Skype with Author/Illustrator Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
Here’s a new great program from author/illustrator Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw. Based in New Mexico, though originally from Missouri, Jenny Sue has come to Cooperating School Districts to videoconference a couple of times during visits home. She will now be offering author visits over Skype- at no cost! (So in a way, it’s same, same, but different)!
Jenny Sue’s Skype sessions will run 30 minutes, live from her home-studio in the southwest. Her preferred day of delivery is Thursdays between 9 a.m. and noon Mountain time (one hour behind the Central time zone). During the fall, Jenny Sue will be traveling quite a bit (including to St. Louis, we’ll update you events she will be attending!) She will be available to conduct these sessions between October 3-7th; most of November, and the first half of December.
Prior to the Skype connection, participating classrooms should have read and be familiar with her book(s) and to let the author know if they want a specific one read/discussed. Another option is for Jenny Sue to read her new book, Same, Same but Different. Teachers and students can have a few questions prepared to ask.
Though the half-hour sessions will be catered to the age group participating, here’s the general breakdown on the connection:
- Hello! Introductions & Questions for students.
- A studio tour. Jenny Sue will pan the camera and show them where she work and what her studio is like: painting and writing space, and looking at bookshelves and some of her favorite books.
- She will briefly discuss how she researches and uses her tools.
- Jenny Sue will read one of her books and then share about her process — asking participating classes questions about how they think she does each part and share her research, sketchbooks, how she create illustrations (paint, collage, and more).
- She will also share how she integrates personal ideas into illustrations, and how to work editors.
- Wrap up: answer any questions students have.
If you have questions, or would like to book a session with Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw over Skype, contact Rebecca Morrison at Cooperating School Districts: rmorrison@csd.org. Please note there limited dates and times for this free program. Sign up early!
Tags: author visit, Cooperating School Districts, Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw, Skype
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- Posted under Classroom Technology, Collaborations, Digital Media, Distance Learning, Links, Skype
Friday, August 12, 2011 An Amy E. Sklansky Appetizer
Amy E. Sklansky has been in the “kitchen” this summer – cooking up new ideas for books and author visit videoconference connections (as well as traveling to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons with her family)! Look for a new vc program from this bestselling local author this fall. (But don’t worry- she’s keeping her prices the same they were last year)! She is also expanding her offerings to Skype, not 
just H323 videoconferencing.
To bring Amy to your classroom over distance learning, contact New Links program coordinator Rebecca Morrison. To see a list of her current “menu” click here.
Tags: Amy Sklansky, author visit, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone
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- Posted under Classroom Technology, Distance Learning, Skype, Tech PD, Videoconferencing, VLC Programs
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 Accentuate Student Writing with Digital Media
Author Barri Bumgarner will return as a content provider for Cooperating School Districts’ New Links distance learning program. Here are a few of the interactive writing videoconferences she’ll be offering upon request for middle school and high school classes:
“Soundtracks of Our Lives”: Let your students explore their lives through the lens of songs. In this session, students will listen to songs during a modeling session, consider the stages of their own lives, and illustrate each with a song that fits that portion of their lives. This interactive session will let students self-evaluate, use media to accentuate their writing, and see the value of technology in the writing world. Join author Barri L. Bumgarner in an interactive workshop that will allow kids to see themselves through the eyes of music.
“Let’s Get Digital”: Teaching today should embrace technology when it works for a unit, not just for technology sake. This interactive workshop, with students in a computer lab or with laptops, will demonstrate how to tell a story digitally, using free PC software. We assume kids are tech-savvy, when in reality, they only know the technologies they’re surrounded by everyday (Facebook, texting, gaming). Enticing students to tell a story digitally will open up the world of research, creativity, and show them that they can express themselves in a variety of ways with the world at their fingertips. Join author Barri L. Bumgarner in an interactive workshop that will teach students and teachers the possibilities with digital software.
“The Many Hats We Wear: Getting Inspired to Write What You Know”: Tapping into inspiration for students is often as easy as helping them figure out who they are when they write… and can they change “hats” to write something different? This session will help students explore their many inspirations and find out how differently they can write when they don different hats. Join author Barri L. Bumgarner in an interactive workshop that will motivate kids to self-reflect, write, and explore the nuances of who they are when they write.
For 2011-2012, Barri’s videoconferences will be available upon request. For costs, email Rebecca Morrison at CSD.
Tags: author visit, Barri Bumgarner, Cooperating School Districts, Digital Media, media literacy, New Links, videoconference, writing workshop
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- Posted under Digital Media, Distance Learning, Media Literacy, Videoconferencing, VLC Programs
Wednesday, April 20, 2011 New Links Author Visits with James Otis Thach
James Otis Thach, a published author who spent part of his childhood in St. Louis (he actually shared his first grade class photo from Glenridge Elementary in Clayton with the kids!), came to Cooperating School Districts today and conducted four free videoconferences with area students.
Elementary & middle school students in the Francis Howell School District, the Ladue School District, the Rockwood School District, the Parkway School District and the School District of Clayton connected with James- and each other- for a multimedia presentation to talk about the writing process, including inspiration, research, drafts, illustrations and proof reading.
James shared his three books with the students and read the first chapter of his newest book, The Seal Pup. (Click here to get a little taste of how one of the videoconferences started today). He encouraged the students to do what they love; he stressed he found success by following his passions. For those of you were able to participate what was your favorite part of the videoconference?
If you were not able to participate in one of today’s programs, you can still hear James read The Seal Pup‘s first chapter by visiting his website, thesealpup.com. Thanks again to James for visiting the Virtual Learning Center on a trip home- we appreciate the time and energy you bring to St. Louis classrooms!
Tags: author visit, Cooperating School Districts, Distance Learning, James Otis Thach, New Links, Videoconferencing, Virtual Learning Center
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