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Author Study with Kwame Alexander and Special Guest Jason Reynolds

Tue, Oct 29, 1PM ET

Author Study October

Kwame teams up with his friend Jason Reynolds to teach young readers and writers about generating ideas in writing – and more.

This event focuses on idea generation in writing. Students will hear Kwame read from his new book, Black Star, then learn a strategy for idea generation in a brief writing craft lesson. Kwame then turns attention to award-winning, highly acclaimed author Jason Reynolds for a conversation about his creative process as an author, poet and podcaster. Students will hear Jason and Kwame discuss where their ideas come from, how they know when it's time to pursue a writing idea (and when to walk away), and other tidbits kids can apply to their own writing practice. The 45-minute virtual session wraps with a live Q&A session.

Learn how Author Study supports student learning goals.

Register HERE!

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The October 29 Author Study is sponsored by Beanstack, the leading solution for motivating people to read. Instead of a quiz-based approach, Beanstack uses proven gamification and modern reading accountability tools to motivate students to read and grow a school district’s reading culture.

Author Study December

Tue, Dec 10, 1PM ET

Author Study with Kwame Alexander and Special Guest Mo Willems

Join Kwame and iconic children’s book author Mo Willems to learn about developing strong characters with words and illustrations.

Students will hear Kwame read from his book, Acoustic Rooster, then learn a strategy for creating strong characters in a brief craft lesson. They’ll then learn from Kwame and Mo in a conversation about Mo’s approach to character as an author, illustrator, animator and playwright. The 45-minute virtual author visit ends with a live Q&A session, in which Kwame answers questions from children in the chat.

Register HERE!

Learn how Author Study supports student learning goals.

Author Study February

Mon, Feb 3, 1PM ET

Author Study with Kwame Alexander and Special Guests Tracey Baptiste and Caroline Starr Rose

Imagine what students can learn about the power of revision from three prolific and acclaimed authors in a virtual author visit!

First, students hear Kwame will read from one of his recent books, highlighting how his own revision process makes his work shine. Then Kwame will teach a brief writing craft lesson focused on revising and editing. Next, Students will learn from a conversation between Kwame, Tracey, and Caroline about how revising and editing differ, and about these magical authors’ tricks and tips to the revision process. Our 45-minute virtual author visit concludes with a live Q&A, where students get to ask Kwame whatever is on their minds.

Register HERE!

Learn how Author Study supports student learning goals.

Author Study April

Tue, Apr 22, 1PM ET

Author Study with Kwame Alexander and Special Guests Jasmine Warga and Alicia D. Williams

It’s National Poetry Month! Let these three superstar poets show students how poetry can be a starting point for other forms of writing.

Kwame will demonstrate the magic of poetry by reading to students from his award-winning classic, The Crossover. In a brief craft lesson taught by Kwame, students will learn how poetry can be a jump-off point for other writing. Then, students will learn from Jasmine, Alicia, and Kwame in conversation about their poetry and the importance of making our writing public by publishing or performing it. This one-of-a-kind virtual author visit ends with a live Q&A session.

Register HERE!

Learn how Author Study supports student learning goals.