Jessica’s classroom presentation to early chapter book readers is a behind-the-scenes look at the daily experiences she chooses to write stories about. Her presentation lasts between 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the age group, and involves props and short readings. This is accompanied by images from her books as well as video clips and personal photographs shown on Powerpoint. Jessica brings all her own equipment.
Jessica uses humour and poses questions to students about similar experiences they might have had that her main characters face. In so doing, she demonstrates how they, too, have had experiences worthy of writing about. In terms of curriculum outcomes, students will:
- identify sources for creative inspiration
- understand how brainstorming works to launch a writing assignment
- discover how to take an idea and shape it into a story
- and, develop an appreciation for all the stages of editing and good writing habits
Reported outcomes following her visit have included: an increase in library borrowing; an enhanced understanding of the writing process; a surge in creativity; and the application of new techniques for creative writing.
Jessica has presented to schools across Canada and the United States. Her publisher, Kids Can Press, has developed teacher resources to accompany school visits. Her fee structure is available upon request.
For schools outside of Halifax, Nova Scotia where travel costs are an issue, she offers a book club kit package.
Here are some comments from previous visits:
“I can honestly say that every student and teacher who I spoke with enjoyed Jessica’s presentation very much. Many students in my grade six class wanted to borrow her books from our school library including some very reluctant readers. It was a great day for my kids and Jessica made a difference in their education.” ~ Colby Village Elementary, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
“Jessica gave one of the best presentations we have had at the school. It was amazing, it kept the attention of the children, and they were able to make connections with her real life pictures. Showing them her revisions was great. They said she rocked!” ~ Dutch Settlement Elementary School, Elmsdale, Nova Scotia
“Our Grades 2 to 5 classes were treated to outstanding presentations by author Jessica Scott Kerrin. The presentations focused on how Jessica decided to become a writer, what it was like to be a writer and where she gets her ideas from.” ~ L.T. Westlake School, Taber, Alberta
“Jessica was informative and friendly. The students listened very attentively to her. Our school is a special needs school and I was worried about the attention span of our students. I was thrilled when they remained interested to the very end.” ~ Dr. Oakley School, Calgary, Alberta
“Grade 3 students and staff attended and very much enjoyed Jessica’s hour-long presentation. Her reading and PowerPoint slides were very clear and kept the students’ interest. Some quotes from the attendees were: ‘awesome!’, ‘lots of fun’ and ‘really good’.” ~ Coaldale Public Library, Coaldale, Alberta
“Jessica Scott Kerrin was one of the best authors we have had at the school. She successfully motivated our students to want to read her books and provided them with tools to write about their own life experiences, sparking interest for both students and teachers.” ~ John MacNeil School, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
“My class was enthralled with Jessica’s presentation and keenly interested in what writers do and how they do it. They could relate, very well, to her crafting a story from idea (and one they could relate well to through her interesting real life experience) to ending (that is finishing a rough draft). They’re just learning that ‘the end’ is only the beginning of their job as writers. Her wonderful slide show presentation added so much to the telling! It truly made what she had to say more powerful and gave all of us encouragement!” ~ LeMarchant St. Thomas, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Illustration used by permission of Kids Can Press. Illustration © 2005 Joseph Kelly.
