I am available for VIRTUAL VISITS!
Talk to me about creating a virtual visit that engages your students and gets them even more excited about writing and reading. PRESENTATIONS I am an award-winning educator, comfortable in any learning environment. While I use my books as a jumping off point for all writers to develop their craft, I am comfortable designing a fun, collaborative and active workshop that fulfills a specific learning need in the classroom. I have a fairly energetic style, but I am warm, patient and kind. Please contact me if you would like to arrange an in-person (local) or virtual visit for your school or library. Meet the Author, Read Aloud and Q & A For younger children or for brief visits--includes an intro, interactive read aloud and time for questions. (20-30 mins). Cats vs Dogs A fun, interactive 30-minute presentation that aligns with Grade K-1 STEM curriculum; based around "How to Give Your Cat a Bath." The Writer's Journey In this introduction to being a picture book writer, we look at the writing process from idea, to draft, to revision, to publication (45 mins). The Music of Language This presentation looks at sound in story telling, and engages the students in creating their own soundscapes for The Pirate's Bed (45 mins). Words and Images How do the pictures and words relate to one another in a picture book? How do the illustrator and the writer work together? How can we bring images to life with words alone? (45 minutes). For older students, this presentation can be a starting point to writing their own poetry. (See below.) WORKSHOPS How to Write a How-to Comic Focusing on both sequential writing and visual literacy, this one-hour workshop can be tailored to any age group. Ideas! Use a collaborative process I call creative collision to generate stories out of thin air! In this fun workshop, students of any age think about where ideas come from, then work together to create stories through a mash-up technique. Character+Problem+Solution=Story In this collaborative workshop for any age, students develop a character together, then think about that character in the context of story structure. Poetry: Sounds/Images In this poetry workshop, students will learn how to use sound and image to create powerful, personal poetry. |
"Nicola has an innate understanding of how to connect with her audience . . . She is therefore one of our “go to” authors for our year-round school programs and Family Literacy Events. " Telling Tales Festival |