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Dear Friends,

As you probably know, I’m a teacher who uses and benefits from DonorsChoose.org, an amazing nonprofit organization that is a finalist in The Members Project. The prize is up to $5 million, and the outcome will be decided by votes of American Express card holders. If folks like you and I help DonorsChoose.org win, all the proceeds will go to classroom projects in public schools.

This doesn’t require money; it requires just 2 minutes of your time. You could impact hundreds of thousands of public school students by voting now for:

Teachers Ask. You Choose. Students Learn.
http://www.membersproject.com/Education/5630

If the registration/voting process is at all confusing, please see these simple instructions at:

http://www.donorschoose.org/html/AMEX_voting_guide.pdf

And if you don’t have an American Express, please take a few minutes to forward this message on… DonorsChoose is up against some tough competition! The outcome will likely be decided by fewer than a hundred votes. Your vote now is essential.

On behalf of all the schoolchildren whom your vote will impact, thank you for helping this great charity at such a critical moment!

Warm regards,
Stacey Shubitz

If You Were a Parrot
Listen as Book Bites for Kids host, Suzanne Lieurance, talks with children’s author Katherine Rawson about her delightful new picture book, If You Were a Parrot.

Book Bites for Kids if you were a parrot Katherine Rawson parrots Picture Books Suzanne LieuranceBook Bites for Kids if you were a parrot Katherine Rawson parrots Picture Books Suzanne Lieurance

by Renee Kirchner, Teaching Tips Contributing Editor

Success in school is not just a matter of luck. Parents can help their children become successful in school by starting early and helping their children establish good habits. If you get children off to a good start during their first few years of school chances are the following years will go much more smoothly.

Here are some tips that have worked very well for my own children:

Establish Good Study Habits

Young children must learn good study habits and develop a homework routine. First, you need to find a quiet place where children can do their homework. I have found that the kitchen table works very well for young children. A large table allows a child space to spread out and they don’t feel isolated and alone while working on homework. Parents can cook dinner while monitoring the child’s homework. Let children try to do their own work, but stay close enough so they can call for help if they need it. When children get older they may want to retreat to desks in their bedrooms for a quieter environment. My kids still tend to gravitate to the kitchen table.

Communicate with Your Child’s Teacher

Teachers want every child in their class to succeed. The likelihood for success is increased when parents and teachers communicate regularly. Attend parent/teacher conferences. Express your concerns. Parents usually know what is best for their own child. However, have an open mind and listen to what they are seeing in the classroom. Children often exhibit different behavior at school than in the home.

Spend Time at your Child’s School

The more time you can spend at your child’s school, the better. Children love to see their parents at school musicals, plays, and performances. It makes them feel special. Volunteer to help their teacher if you have time. Younger kids especially like to see their parents in the middle of the day. Transitioning to school after staying at home with a parent can be a big adjustment. The more time you spend at the school, and the more you learn the school routines, the more you will be able to contribute to conversations with your child about his or her day at school.

Establish a Bed Time Routine

One of the most important things a parent can do is to make sure their child is getting enough sleep before going to school. Set a bedtime and stick to it. Children who are sleepy cannot pay attention to the lessons.

Read with your Child

Many parents of young children (Kindergarten – 2nd grade) do not realize the importance of reading with their children. Being a good reader is critical to success in school. Good readers can read passages from text books, and can comprehend test questions better. Children do not become good readers over night. The only way to become a good reader is by reading. Try to read a book or two together every night. You can take turns and let your child read one page and then you read the next page and so on. This makes the task of reading an entire book much less overwhelming for a young child.

Ask Your Child About School

When your child gets home from school, you should ask them what they did each day. Children will feel as if you really care about what is going on in their life. If they respond with “Nothing,” you can pose more specific questions. Don’t just ask about their grades. Ask them what they did at recess or at lunch. Ask them if anything funny happened during the day. I’m sure they will have a lot of great stories to tell you.

Start the Day Right

Give children enough time to get ready in the morning. Do not wake them up five minutes before they need to be at school. Children will have a more productive day at school if their morning gets off to the right start. Make sure they have plenty of time to wake up, get dressed and eat a good breakfast.

Talk About the Future

Let children know early on that you think they are bright and capable. Talk to your child about his or her future. Discuss careers and college from a young age. If you believe in your children, they will believe in themselves.

Make Sure Your Child is Ready

Children begin getting ready for school long before Kindergarten. Your children need to develop fine motor skills such as holding a pencil or crayon and being able to use scissors. Teach your child how to write their name. There are simple ways that you can help children learn at home. Watch educational programs on TV, read books to your child, color pictures with them, or explore nature together.

Acknowledge Their Success

When your children do well in school, acknowledge their success. If they bring home a terrific report card, gets a ribbon in the science fair, or makes first chair in band, have a family celebration. You could cook their favorite meal as a reward.

Renee Kirchner Tip For Teachers tips for parentsRenee Kirchner Tip For Teachers tips for parents

We’re trying to choose a logo design for our weekly podcast, Book Bites for Kids, and we need your help.

Please leave a comment and tell us which of the three logos you prefer - #1, #2, or #3.

Thanks so much for your input!

logos for Book Bites for Kidslogos for Book Bites for Kids

We have such a great group of writers in the Children’s Writers Coaching Club here at the National Writing for Children Center. Some are beginning writers, but several are published children’s book authors.

Today, the spotlight is on Coaching Club Member Pat McCarthy!

Pat McCarthy has written over a dozen published nonfiction children’s books. Pat’s experience teaching elementary school for many years helped her understand kids and how to write for them.

Besides writing, Pat loves photography and has sold many photos with her articles and books. She also loves birding, scrapbooking, travel and camping. She’s been to all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, and Europe. Pat lives in the small rural city of Greenville, Ohio with her cat, Oz, who rules the roost.

Here are a few of Pat’s children’s nonfiction books:

Here’s what Pat tells us she’s up to right now:

“I recently finished writing a leveled reader for Trillium Press. It’s a biography of George Washington Carver, written for sixth graders reading on a fifth grade level. It had a quick turnaround, but I was glad to get back into writing books after a dry spell.

I’m working on a proposal for Chicago Review Press for their “for Kids” series. It will be a book on Pioneers in America, with some emphasis on Laura Ingalls Wilder. It also will contain 21 activities. Of course, this isn’t a sure thing yet, but the editor is very nice to work with and says he’ll help me get the proposal into shape.

To learn more about Pat and her writing, visit her blog.

Here’s what Pat likes about the Children’s Writers Coaching Club:

“I’m enjoying the coaching club for a couple of reasons. It’s always good networking with other writers. I’m also enjoying the teleconferences, like the one with Margot Finke the other night. The monthly membership materials are great, too.”

We’re glad Pat is enjoying the Children’s Writers Coaching Club. It’s a pleasure having her as a member.

Look for more children’s authors to be featured here soon in our new CWCC Member Spotlight.

member spotlight Pat McCarthymember spotlight Pat McCarthy

by contributing editor Maurene J. Hinds

Whether you write for children or adults, characters are the driving forces of your stories. What happens to your characters and how they solve their problems are the outlines of plot. A plot can be summarized in three simple questions.

1. What does my character want?
2. What is getting in his/her way?
3. How will my character solve or deal with what is getting in the way?

That’s it.

In order to answer these questions in a way that is compelling and leads to an interesting story, however, you need to know your characters well. Once you have an intimate knowledge and understanding of your characters, you can create interesting roadblocks for them while knowing how they are most likely to respond.

How writers choose to learn about their characters varies greatly. Authors’ personalities are as varied as the characters they write about. Here are some of tools and exercises that writers use.

The Profile A character profile is exactly as it sounds. It profiles everything you know about your character. Not all of this information ends up in the story, but the more you know about your character, the more authentic he or she will come through in the story. A profile can and should contain as many details as possible, such as:

* Physical description, including age
* Where he or she lives
* Favorites and preferences (favorite color, food, chocolate or vanilla, etc.)
* Likes and dislikes
* Hobbies
* Sports
* Occupation
* Family and marital status

A profile is similar to those email questionnaires that circulate among your friends every now and then. If you’ve ever received one of those emails, consider answering the questions about your character instead (whether or not you reply with those answers is up to you!).

The Interview This is similar to the profile, but conducted more like an interview than simply writing a profile. Consider it a “getting to know you” interview. You can talk aloud with your character (yes, many writers do this), or you can write the questions and then answer them as your character rather than yourself.

Write from the Character’s Point of View Get into “character mode” and have your character write about him or her. Invite the character to include as many details as possible. Include the types of information that are listed in the profile or conducted in a “getting to know you” interview. What your character writes may surprise you!

Talk to Your Characters Many writers do this. Yes, it means talking aloud, first as yourself, and then as your character. Allow yourself to “channel” the character so that his or her voice can come through as authentically as possible. If this process inhibits you, consider talking to your characters in places such as your car when you’re driving alone, or turn up some music in your room and hold a quiet conversation. The process can be surprisingly fun, and you may be pleasantly surprised at what you learn.

Maurene J. Hinds writing for children Writing For Kids Writing TipsMaurene J. Hinds writing for children Writing For Kids Writing Tips

Last night, members of the Children’s Writers Coaching Club, here at the National Writing for Children Center, enjoyed a special teleclass with children’s author Margot Finke called, How to Self-Edit Your Middle Grade Novel.

Children’s Author Margot Finke

It was an excellent teleclass, and I would highly recommend Margot Finke to anyone who needs a professional manuscript critique. She’s thorough, to-the-point, and, most importantly, she knows her stuff when it comes to writing for children.

She’s also one of the most generous children’s writers I know. Visit her website here to learn Powerful Writing Tips, and get her Editing Tip Sheet.

Thanks so much Margot, for the wonderful teleclass. Members of the Children’s Writers Coaching Club learned so much last night!

Suzanne Lieurance
Coaching Coordinator
The Children’s Writers Coaching Club

writing for children Writing For Kids Writing Tipswriting for children Writing For Kids Writing Tips

Linda Oatman High, author of 21 books for children and teens, is available for writing workshops for all ages.

Linda is a frequent presenter at schools, libraries, conferences, and writing workshops.

She’ll be teaching a workshop for all levels of writers in Italy in March of 2008, and details may be found at www.lindaoatmanhigh.com

Linda Oatman High’s most recent books for children include:

writers workshop writing for children Writing For Kidswriters workshop writing for children Writing For Kids

This week’s edition of Book Bites for Kids features Kevin Janison talking about his new picture book Deputy Dorkface: How Stinkville Got Cleaned Up

Deputy Dorkface: How Stinkville Got Cleaned Up

Listen to the podcast here:

Book Bites for Kids Deputy Dorkface Kevin JanisonBook Bites for Kids Deputy Dorkface Kevin Janison

by Renee Kirchner, Teaching Tips Contributing Editor

The Sun is the closest star to Earth and it is the center of our Solar System. In fact, the Sun makes up 99.8% of the mass of the Solar System. Without the Sun, there would be no life on Earth. The Sun provides us with heat, light, and energy. Plants use the Sun’s energy to grow and in turn animals survive by eating the plants.

The Sun is made up of hot gases such as hydrogen, helium, calcium, sodium, magnesium and iron. It is also extremely hot. At the center, the Sun is at least 10 million degrees.

Even though we can easily see the Sun, it is very far away. The Sun is 93 million miles away from the Earth. It is easy to see because it is so large. The Earth is about 8,000 miles wide, while the Sun is about 900,000 miles wide.

Questions:

Q1: Is the sun a star?

Q2. Sunlight is the Earth’s primary source of what?

Q3. What is the Sun made of?

Q4. Is the Sun larger or smaller than the Earth?

Imagination Question: How old is the Sun and when is it expected to burn out?

Answers:

A1: Yes
A2: Light, heat, and energy
A3: Hot gases (hydrogen, helium and other elements)
A4: much, much larger

Imagination question:

The Sun is about 4.5 billion years old. It is expected to burn out in about 5 billion years.

Books about the Sun:

Sun: Our Nearest Star by Franklyn Mansfield Branley

Sun by Seymour Simon

Sun Bread by Elisa Kleven

The Sun is My Favorite Star by Frank Asch

Under Alaska’s Midnight Sun by Deb Vanasse

Deb Vanasse Elisa Kleven Frank Asch Franklyn Mansfield Branley Renee Kirchner Seymour Simon Tip For Teachers tips for parentsDeb Vanasse Elisa Kleven Frank Asch Franklyn Mansfield Branley Renee Kirchner Seymour Simon Tip For Teachers tips for parents