School visits, talks, and teaching

I visit schools and libraries throughout the U.S. (and occasionally abroad) to talk to children about my books, the process of writing and what it is like to be an author. I emphasize that the process I go through when writing and researching a nonfiction book is similar to the process that kids go through when writing a school report. I also give talks and workshops for teachers and librarians in which I show ways to use books like mine in the classroom. Once a year, usually during winter quarter, I teach a course on writing nonfiction books for children in Los Angeles at UCLA Extension.

Contact Information: For more information about my school visits, talks or class, click here: Caroline's email

Current Writing Class Announcement:

I will be teaching a class at UCLA Extension on Thursday evenings, January 17, 2008-February 7, 2008, 7-10 pm, called "Writing High Interest Nonfiction for the School Age Child." To enroll call 310-825-9416 or go to www.uclaextension.edu/writers

School Visits:

On a typical school visit I spend the day at a school and make three or four presentations in an auditorium or library setting. I talk briefly about how I started writing, give a Powerpoint presentation about my books and my research, and demonstrate the steps in the making of a book. If there is time during the day I also sometimes visit classrooms, meet with groups of young writers and sign books. For school visits longer than one day, I usually do classroom writing workshops, each designed to be appropriate to the age of the students.

Talks and Workshops:

My talks to teachers. librarians and parents at conferences and workshops focus on my books and how they can be used to reinforce learning in related areas. I provide handouts and give a Powerpoint presentation in which I share ways that students have used my books in the past. Because each situation is different, I tailor each presentation to the needs of the occasion.

Class:

My course in writing nonfiction for children in the Writers' Program at UCLA Extension is both lecture and workshop. In the lecture portion I cover the range of nonfiction genres and show examples from current books. In the workshop portion we discuss the student's own writing projects with the goal that each student will have a manuscript in progress by the end of the course.