I love visiting with students! My goal on my school visits is to inspire students to dream great dreams for their lives and in the process be the best that they can be while on their way to achieving their life goals. My school programs are briefly described below:
1) FOLLOW YOUR STAR is a program for junior high & high school students.
The program is designed to talk about hard choices in life that sometimes have to be made. Students will discuss some of the choices Lauren is faced with in The People In The Park. Students will share what they would do in same or similar situations.
This program works best with students in groups of 25 and under.
Book: The People In The Park
2) STORIES OF THE SOUTH is a program for elementary students.
I talk about my historical fiction books (Uncle Jed’s Barbershop, Granddaddy’s Gift, When Grandmama Sings) and my reasons for writing them.
Students will learn: the importance of having a dream, why persistence is vital in pursuing dreams, and how to remain focused while working on their dreams. They will also share their own dreams.
Uncle Jed’s Barbershop has been adapted into a musical. I will also show a video from the musical.
Books: Uncle Jed’s Barbershop, Granddaddy’s Gift, When Grandmama Sings
3) WRITING WITH THE AUTHOR (3 – 5 Day Residency)
This program can be adapted to all ages groups, including adults.
The first day the author will talk about her books and her reason for writing them and show a PowerPoint presentation. She will also help students devise their questions for their story.
Students will have the opportunity to write an imaginative story and/or a research story. The stories will strike a balance between encouraging creativity and requiring correct use of writing principles. We will emphasize revision, with the expectation that students will revise and edit to produce a finished product that is thoughtful, well-organized, and reasonably correct in grammar and spelling.
IMAGINATIVE STORY
Students will write a historical fiction story with attention to defining a main idea and supporting the idea through use of correct items and materials from the time period used. Students will interview people who either lived or knew someone who lived through that time period. Students will write a story in the vein of Author’s historical fiction books: UNCLE JED’S BARBERSHOP, GRANDDADDY’S GIFT, WHEN GRANDMAMA SINGS.
RESEARCH STORY
Students will select a person from history. They will gather relevant data through library, museum, and Internet research. Students take notes, define a main idea, organize an outline, and write a story.
For additional information:
email: mkmcastlewood@gmail.com
Telephone: (913) 708-8038
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