Category Archives: Professional Development

Wondering and Writing About Nature

I was excited to hear that the NAEYC annual conference was scheduled for November, 2018 in my new home, Washington, DC and thrilled when my proposal for a workshop was accepted.

 Wondering and Writing About Nature helps teachers create an environment of wonder for their students. I share tools to bring nature awareness into the daily classroom routine and innovative ways to investigate nature on school grounds – painter’s palette, sensory hikes and more.

Bring nature into the classroom with a wonder bucket and use it to inspire students to write wonder journals, poems and nonfiction nature books.

And no worries if the teacher doesn’t know the names of  the animals and plants. In fact, names are rarely used as my focus is AWARENESS. With today’s kids spending 90% of their time indoors, they need help in getting in touch with nature. So the first step is helping them become aware of their natural surroundings.

Awareness is the first rung on the ladder to understanding, appreciation and ultimately, conservation of our environment.

Participants discover exemplary nature-themed picture books and biographies of noteworthy naturalists to enhance the science curriculum.

 

Wondering and Writing about Nature bibliography

 

 

Picture books including my book LITTLE ARIZONA are used as writing models for creating classroom books.

 

Offer your staff the opportunity to participate in this  professional development workshop by inviting me to your school or conference.

Power of the Picture Book workshop

 

Floyd Cooper and Barbara Gowan

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enhance your knowledge of picture books.  I participated in an intensive literacy workshop this summer at the Highlights Foundation in Boyds Mill, PA.  At the helm was Rosemary Agoglia, the Senior Museum Educator at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, along with special guest illustrators Floyd Cooper and Vera B. Williams.

We experienced how to evaluate art using Visual Thinking Strategies, the Whole Book Approach as a story-time model and discussed elements and principles of book design in a session called Picturing Stories.

Rosemary Agoglia of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
Rosemary Agoglia of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
Whole Book Approach
Whole Book Approach

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Vera B. Williams

Vera B. Williams, the Caldecott Medalist, is the author/illustrator of many children’s books including A Chair for My Mother.  If you are familiar with the book, you may recognize a similarity between the chair’s cover and Vera’s blouse.

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Floyd Cooper

Floyd Cooper uses an eraser to create his unusual illustrations.  He takes away color and the results are amazing.

 We tried his technique using chalk and gum erasers.  IMGP2991I was so thrilled with all the new ideas that I learned at this workshop and want to share them to you.  I presented the Power of the Picture Book at Gardner’s Book Service in October and will update this post with new dates and locations of future Power of the Picture Book workshops.  Participants in my Power of the Picture Book workshop look at art with a fresh approach that will help link literacy and learning to picture books.  Discover the power of picture books by exploring the illustrations and the messages they share with readers.  I bring over 100 picture books for participants to explore in this hands-on workshop.  Schedule this professional development workshop at your school for your staff.

“Everyone who reads with students should immerse themselves in this workshop.”  Librarian, SS. Simon & Jude Cathedral School