Carrie Pearson
Biography:
Carrie Pearson lives in Marquette, Michigan on the sandy shore of Lake Superior. A former early elementary teacher, she is ten year member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and is the co-Regional Advisor of SCBWI-Michigan. She is the author of two narrative nonfiction picture books about animal adaptations to heat and cold published by Arbordale and a narrative nonfiction picture book about the tallest tree in the world launching fall 2018 with Charlesbridge. Her nonfiction work has also appeared in Michigan History Magazine. Along with her husband and their three daughters (and their two labradoodles), she hikes, bikes, runs, and skis in the woods, windsurfs, kayaks, stand-up paddles, and swims in the chilly water and writes about what she experiences around her. To learn more about her background, school visits, conference appearances, and writing visit www.carriepearsonbooks.com.
Sessions:
Fiction, Nonfiction, and Shades of Grey in Between
The rise in innovative and engaging nonfiction has opened a world of possibilities but also confusion. How do we label and identify books that blend elements of fiction and nonfiction? In the stories we read, what clues tell us what is a verifiable fact versus a narrative thread? Why is this even important? (Hint: #fakenews). This session will provide ways for teachers and students to analyze content that is fiction, nonfiction, historical fiction, or a relatively new category called informational fiction.
Who’s Your [Authentic] Audience?
For an author, writing an effective manuscript is the culmination of a process. Some of the process is difficult but most of it is like putting together a puzzle or playing a game. It’s a positive challenge with an exciting outcome that is ultimately worth it when our authentic audience reads and responds to the published book. When students are tasked with writing and they don’t respond like it’s a positive challenge (“research is boring” “a writing plan is a waste of time” “revision is frustrating”), could it be that students feel they don’t have an authentic audience? This session will offer ways to give young writers the kind of experiences authors have when they write for and get responses from an authentic audience.
Bring On the Funny: Humor in the Classroom
Humor has been proven to positively impact learning environments. So how do we bring funny into the classroom? Identify your humor style (yes, there are styles and one of them isn’t “grunge”) and learn how you can build on your own style to create a positive, enhanced classroom. Includes a review of children’s literature that uses humor effectively (and why) and lesson ideas for adding humor to student generated writing.
Carrie Pearson lives in Marquette, Michigan on the sandy shore of Lake Superior. A former early elementary teacher, she is ten year member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and is the co-Regional Advisor of SCBWI-Michigan. She is the author of two narrative nonfiction picture books about animal adaptations to heat and cold published by Arbordale and a narrative nonfiction picture book about the tallest tree in the world launching fall 2018 with Charlesbridge. Her nonfiction work has also appeared in Michigan History Magazine. Along with her husband and their three daughters (and their two labradoodles), she hikes, bikes, runs, and skis in the woods, windsurfs, kayaks, stand-up paddles, and swims in the chilly water and writes about what she experiences around her. To learn more about her background, school visits, conference appearances, and writing visit www.carriepearsonbooks.com.
Sessions:
Fiction, Nonfiction, and Shades of Grey in Between
The rise in innovative and engaging nonfiction has opened a world of possibilities but also confusion. How do we label and identify books that blend elements of fiction and nonfiction? In the stories we read, what clues tell us what is a verifiable fact versus a narrative thread? Why is this even important? (Hint: #fakenews). This session will provide ways for teachers and students to analyze content that is fiction, nonfiction, historical fiction, or a relatively new category called informational fiction.
Who’s Your [Authentic] Audience?
For an author, writing an effective manuscript is the culmination of a process. Some of the process is difficult but most of it is like putting together a puzzle or playing a game. It’s a positive challenge with an exciting outcome that is ultimately worth it when our authentic audience reads and responds to the published book. When students are tasked with writing and they don’t respond like it’s a positive challenge (“research is boring” “a writing plan is a waste of time” “revision is frustrating”), could it be that students feel they don’t have an authentic audience? This session will offer ways to give young writers the kind of experiences authors have when they write for and get responses from an authentic audience.
Bring On the Funny: Humor in the Classroom
Humor has been proven to positively impact learning environments. So how do we bring funny into the classroom? Identify your humor style (yes, there are styles and one of them isn’t “grunge”) and learn how you can build on your own style to create a positive, enhanced classroom. Includes a review of children’s literature that uses humor effectively (and why) and lesson ideas for adding humor to student generated writing.