I taught middle and high school English for twelve years, and I absolutely love working with students! While my writing is best suited for students in Grades 3-8, l can tailor presentations to any grade level. Knowing that many schools are not physically in session, I’m also happy to arrange virtual visits. Contact me for rates and availability!
Presentations:
Big Dreams, Small Steps: Writing a book sounds like an intimidating task, but it’s made up of many more manageable steps. Students will learn about the steps I took to fulfill my dream of becoming an author, and I’ll encourage them to plan steps for achieving their own dreams.
The Power of Place: How do settings inspire writers and shape characters? Students will learn about the real-life settings behind The Light in the Lake and The Wild Path and consider how other authors have used vivid settings in their stories. I’ll encourage students to look at their own surroundings with fresh eyes and think about what kinds of stories might grow from it.
A Clearer Vision Through Revision: The most important part of writing is rewriting! Students will learn about my own revision process, and I’ll encourage them to apply some steps to their own writing. This presentation can also work well as a workshop if students come prepared with a piece of writing to revise.
The Magic of Science: The Light in the Lake blends the scientific method with hints of magic. How can we balance our scientific understanding of the world with our awe at what we might not be able to understand? I’ll give students nature-based examples of science that also feel magical, and encourage them to find facts and magic that could enrich their own storytelling.
Custom: The Light in the Lake offers many opportunities for cross-curricular collaboration between Language Arts and science; and The Wild Path explores social and emotional health. I’m happy to craft a presentation connecting the book to what students are learning in their specific classrooms.
Scheduling:
I work full time as a curriculum developer in addition to being an author! I’m grateful for both of my jobs and love sharing my passion for stories with students. School visits of two hours or fewer are relatively easy for me to schedule, but longer visits are more limited. Generally speaking, morning visits are best, but I’m happy to work with your school’s schedule too.
Free Visits:
I offer free 20-minute Q&A sessions to answer students’ questions about my books, my writing process, and what it’s like to be an author.
Testimonials:
“Sarah captivated my students with her enthusiasm, passion, and kindness, and she inspired my students to consider their goals and pursue their dreams, small steps at a time.” -4th Grade Teacher (Petoskey, Michigan)
“We loved having Sarah visit our classroom. The pictures she shared in her presentation helped give the students visuals to reflect on, and the paper revisions she brought were powerful for students to see. Now they have a better understanding of all the steps an author goes through in order for a book to be published.” -6th-8th Grade Teacher (Bluffton, Indiana)
“Sarah inspired our students…She also opened their eyes to the possibility that any student can become a professional writer as long as they never give up! She did an amazing job speaking to our class.” -5th Grade Teacher (Bluffton, Indiana)