How to use this Page

The winner of our latest giveaway is Beastly Betty, the super villain also known as Beverly Herrera. :-) Congratulations, Beverly!
(Beverly, if you haven't received our email asking for additional information, please check your Spam folder.)

Beverly will be receiving an autographed copy of The Rotten Adventures of Zachary Ruthless, by Allan Woodrow. Thanks again, Allan, for your terrific "Student Success Story" interview.

A big THANK YOU, also, to all the super villains who participated in the contest. Don't feel bad if you didn't win--we're planning another interview and giveaway for later this month.

And, as always, happy writing!

Carmela

Display Comments Add a Comment

Welcome back from our little "summer blog break."  I don't know about the rest of you, but we took a real vacation -- to the beach and NYC! (Have I mentioned how much I love being married to a teacher?)  We peeked at the Statue of Liberty and got rained on in Central Park and spent a lot of time convincing our daughter that one doesn't drive four hours to the beach to spend the whole time at the hotel pool.

In big news, let me start by announcing the lucky winners of our latest Book Giveaway contest.  Winning copies of Deborah Halvorsen's Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies are Clare (who posted as “anonymous”) and Debbie, an email follower of our blog who won the copy reserved for a blog follower.  Congratulations!
**

Summer typically being a time to relax and recharge, I decided it was well past time to give myself a writing kick in the butt.  Since graduating from Vermont College ten years ago (yikes!), I've been so busy with kids and work, etc., etc., that my own writing has mostly taken a backseat to other, more obviously pressing pursuits.  And when I do manage to carve out writing time, the process feels very lonely.  So... I decided to enroll in a class in McDaniel College's online certificate program taught by the wonderful editor (and fellow VC alum) Jill Santopolo.  Let me just say -- WOW! 

Like my beloved VC "Hive," my McDaniel classmates are a wonderfully talented, committed, and supportive group.  Jill has been amazing, and this is probably the best thing I've done for myself since I started at Vermont College 13 years ago.  I am so sad that it's going to end next week, and I know I will need to find a way to continue to make myself accountable for producing weekly pages.  On the bright side, many of my classmates live nearby, and I do believe that we are going to find a way to keep cheering one another on.

I also just (today) returned from my first-ever local SCBWI Conference.  It was a two-day, hands-on intensive, and the experience of communing with other local writers was long overdue.  I'm not sure what took me so long, but it's great to be back in the thick of things.

I'm also happy to be noodling on a new novel set in a summer camp.  Wouldn't it be great if it could be summer forever?

Display Comments Add a Comment

Add a Comment

On Friday I was lucky enough to escort a group of 6th graders down to Santa Barbara for Author-Go-Round. Sponsored by the Santa Barbara County Office of Education, this annual event gives hundreds of students the chance to meet and learn from four different authors.

This year we heard from Bruce Hale (yay!!), Michelle Markel, Joe Cepeda, and Amy Goldman Koss. The event gets it's strange name because after hearing each of the authors make a presentation to the full assembly, students break into groups based on the color of their name tags. Each author has a booth decorated with a corresponding color. Students start off with the author matching their color. For 12 minutes they can ask questions, discuss books or learn how to draw some of the illustrations. When the circus music plays, everyone moves to the next author booth. It was a fun way to spend time with each author in a smaller group.

The hands-down favorite for my 6th graders was Bruce Hale, and not just because I kept saying how wonderful he was. He impressed everyone with his funny anecdotes, his hilarious voices when reading Snoring Beauty, and his easy-going cameraderie with the kids. He also encouraged them to write down their stories, telling them, "We're all story people. The world is waiting to hear your story."

Author/illustrator Joe Cepeda showed examples of where he has painted friends and family into his illustrations. He also taught everyone to draw using simple shapes, telling students to, "Use your artists eye to really look at what you see." He encouraged them all to keep a journal, not just for writing, but for sketching as well. "Use it as a receptacle for your creativity."

Amy Goldman Koss revealed herself as a pantser when someone asked if she likes to outline her stories. "If I already know the ending, the thrill would be gone. It's the best feeling in the world when everything becomes so real."

My husband was jealous that I got to meet Michelle Markel. He often reads one of her books, Dreamer from the Village (about painter Marc Chagall), when he teaches art classes. Since he couldn't be there, she was kind enough to sign our copy of the book to him.

The best part of the day, though, was just hanging out with the kids, and listening to their opinions on the books, the authors, and getting to "ditch" school for a fun event like this.

And now, for those of you eager to see if you've won a copy of Lois Lowry's classic, The Giver, I won't make you wait any longer :)

The winner is...

Display Comments Add a Comment

I am so happy to announce the winner of The Secret of the Sacred Scarab! It is. . . Lisa W. (Comment number 4) Thank you, Lisa, for leaving a comment, and thank you to everyone else, too. It always means a lot to the author (and me!) to have your support!

If you did not get a chance to check out the post about The Secret of the Sacred Scarab by Fiona Ingram and all the great resources and activities on Egypt that she suggested for parents and teachers, then please see Wednesday’s post!

Add a Comment

photo by joi www.flickr.com

First, I’d like to announce the winner of the book: Coolhead Luke and Other Stories. It is Kim W.! Congratulations, Kim, I hope you enjoy the book and all the silly poems/illustrations with your children. Now to today’s post. . .

On Friday the 13th, it’s only natural to write about a book that contains a monster-eating frog, goblin, troll, and ogre.

*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*A very-hungry, special frog and his owner Mrs. Collywobbles as main characters
*Rating: I absolutely love fun and silly picture books with a twist. So, believe me, Beware of Frog by William Bee will not disappoint!

Short, short summary: Mrs. Collywobbles lives near a big, dark, scary wood. Thank goodness she has her pet frog to protect her from a goblin, troll, and ogre. Although, do these scary monsters pay any attention to the “Beware of Frog” sign on Mrs. Collywobbles’ gate? Of course not! Should they pay attention to the sign? YES! Once the monsters are taken care of, Mrs. Collywobbles and her pet frog sit down to some tea, and then the real fun begins!

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Adjectives are everywhere in this book; so if you are talking about adjectives with your children or teaching them to your students, this is a great book to use. You could also use this book with a word choice lesson if you are teaching the six traits of writing.

2. This is a FUN, FUN, FUN read-aloud book for teachers to their classes or parents to their children. Have fun with the different monsters’ voices and rhymes. Children can do the “gobbles” with the frog!

3. Do children know the story of The Frog Prince? Compare and contrast what happens at the end of Beware of the Frog with The Frog Prince or The Princess and the Frog. Comparing and contrasting with a Venn Diagram is always an easy shared writing activity.

Have you read Beware of the Frog? Share your feelings and experiences here!

Add a Comment

And the winner is Linda. Check out her blog, “Travels With Children” at http://minnemom.com/ . If you didn’t win a copy of Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko, think about purchasing a copy and giving it to your favorite kid during whichever winter holiday you celebrate!

Now on to Maniac Monday. . .

photo by D’Arcy Norman www.flickr.com

On this Maniac Monday, I want to celebrate the dedication of teachers to their students. There are some absolutely amazing teachers out there that I know do not get enough credit. I’m a big Twitter fan (follow me at www.twitter.com/Margo_L_Dill), and let’s just say these teachers should be the ones that have a million followers! One teacher in particular that I noticed from Twitter is Leigh Brockway. Here are her answers to some questions I asked about technology in her classroom. Just take a look at her answers. She is absolutely amazing!

Margo: Welcome, Leigh! Let’s start with the basics, so people can put you in a setting. Where (school name, city, state) do you teach? What grade/subject?

Leigh: I teach sixth grade in La Puente, CA, a suburb of Los Angeles.

Margo: Sixth grade in California. WOW! I know you must be tired by the end of the day. I used to teach fifth grade in a suburb of St. Louis. Why is it important to use technology in your classroom or with your students?

Leigh: We are preparing our students to do jobs that, for many, haven’t even been created yet. In addition, kids from low socioeconomic backgrounds are at a disadvantage regarding technology in that they don’t have the access that other, more affluent kids have. We have to try to bridge the gap; yet funding for technology in poorer areas seems to be less than it is in more affluent areas. It’s a tough situation. I am continually trying to find donations or buying computers with my own money to give my kids a decent shot and understanding and using different types of technology.

Margo: You make some great points, and all kids need to learn about using a computer today! I admire you so much for going the extra mile to provide that for your students. So, what technology do you have available to you, i.e., computers, smartboards, Internet access, etc.?

Leigh: My school has provided one desktop computer with an Internet connection. In addition, I have purchased three laptops and won a grant to have four more computers. So, the kids have access to eight computers. They are allowed to use my “teacher computer,” but that doesn’t happen in many classrooms.

Margo: Your students are so lucky to have a teacher like you, and so is your district. Congratulations on winning the grant. I know grants are terribly hard to write and very time consuming. How do you use technology in your classroom?

Leigh: I have a few students who bring their own laptops, so we have about one computer for every four students. Each student uses the Internet for research, and we have several class Wikis that we have made. We have a class web blog, and students are able to showcase their work there. We are in the process of getting a class website, but that has yet to be approved by the district. We do have a class web page at Scholastic, but I want each student in my class to have their own web page on a class site. In addition, I borrow LCD projectors from the high school teachers, who have them on occasion. I use them to do powerpoints, show the kids how to create their own powerpoints, how to word process, use Excel spreadsheets, etc. We are in the process of fund raising for our own LCD projector.

We also have a class Twitter page, and some of the students have their own Twitter pages. They had to get parental consent to do so. They are able to Twitter at certain times during class. They absolutely love using Twitter! We do not really use any other social media. Facebook and Myspace are, of course, banned websites on our server.

Margo: I love that your students are using Twitter! As I mentioned earlier, I am a Twitter fanatic, and I can see why students would love using it, too. You are teaching them such important skills, and I know that students love technology. It makes learning more fun for them. You are the perfect example to teachers who feel like they can not provide their students with computers or with technology due to funding. You are showing that it is possible. I hope that people can get some useful tips from you! In closing, please share with us your Twitter and blog addresses.

Leigh: Sure. Our class blog: http://sunkisttigersroom10.blogspot.com/ On Twitter: http://twitter.com/Sunkist_Room10. We actually update the Twitter page more often than the blog.

Margo: Leigh, thank you so much for being with us today! We look forward to all the wonderful things you and your students will be doing with technology. I want to give you a cyber hug for all your hard work and dedication to education.

Add a Comment