Help Fund an Author Visit for My School!

Funded Oct 13, 2018

On Wednesday January 23rd, our school was able to have our first ever Author Visit! Students in grades K-5 had the pleasure of meeting with Author of close to 20 original titles and Illustrator of close to 50 books, Mr. Peter Catalanotto! Peter inspired our kids in ways I couldn't predict when this project began. He started his presentations by describing the writing process to our students, highlighting the importance of planning, drafting, editing, revising, and publishing. Students made connections between real life editors and their own classroom teachers who work to make stories sound even better! They were given a new perspective on writing as he said,"Start with your real life and ask yourself what if this happened instead? 'What if' are two of the most important words for a writer, because it connects your real life to your imagination".

Peter went on to discuss the importance of trying new things and not worrying about making mistakes. He said "I know my first try is not my best. I don't call it a mistake. You are not able to improve something that you throw away, so stop worrying about erasing! Use that mistake and learn from it!" He then asked the students to look at their eraser in a different way- as a tool for the arts! Peter displayed his amazing artistic abilities as he taught our students how to use their eraser to shadow- a common technique used to make a picture come to life!

The visit was truly amazing for both students and faculty alike. My kids have been coming in with their very own pictures and stories. I've been chased down the hallway hearing them scream, "Ms. Singer last night I drafted four chapters of my story can you come in and read it????? Can you?????" My favorite was walking into a fourth grade class and seeing my students taking books they collaborated on! "Ms. Singer, Elianny and I are partners in the book business and I'm the author and write the words and she illustrates the pictures for me!" The student's have a newfound admiration for the writing process and for the first time I didn't hear their groans of annoyance when asking them to go back and edit their work for correct grammar this past week. It's truly amazing that they are beginning to see themselves as part of the writing community-- all thanks to this amazing experience!

I could not have done it without the help and support of all of you. Please be on the look out for your "Thank You" Packets (Created by the kids!!!!!!!) with Letter's and Pictures. This experience has been wonderful and I can't thank you enough.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Singer