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Presentations For Your Classroom!
Presentations are at the heart of author John Robert Baumgartner's outreach. In the classroom, dynamic and informative presentations help bring the writing process, the publishing battle and the message of his books to your students. The Signature Series and the Watermark Experience include an in-class presentation along with live Q and A sessions. Please read through the varied and vibrant opportunities available to inspire and motivate your class!
One Bad Chapter
This school-wide assembly is a motivational presentation on never giving up as Baumgartner shows that one bad chapter does not define the entire book.
Baumgartner uses instances from his own school experiences as well as the decade long battle to be published to show that overcoming obstacles, tuning out the critics and learning from mistakes are the keys to accomplishing your dreams. Touching on the social-emotional learning model, the author takes the students on a journey that includes rejection, peer pressure, self-doubt and eventually success in achieving his dream of becoming a published author. This presentation is the cornerstone of the Heads Up! program and is included in every Watermark Experience.
I'm Not Listening - So Show Me
Too often young writers try to tell the story, instead of describing the action. This presentation seeks to move the student beyond words into the visual aspect of story-telling. The study of adjectives, metaphors, similes and other devices to give the reader a more enjoyable experience is shared in this interactive study.
This presentation is recommended for 4th and 5th grade classrooms. Participation by the class is an integral part of the demonstrations.
What a Character!
Development of characters for a story or novel must go well beyond the physical descriptions. Using an interactive class discussion, author John Robert Baumgartner leads a spirited and exciting back-and-forth on traits and backstories as the class creates their own characters ready to be inserted into their own stories. This exercise provides tips on how to not only find interesting and provocative characters for the students' stories, but how to also develop backstories, motivations and character flaws that are an important part of making the reader care about what will happen next.
A great in-class experience for all middle school grades and ages.
Are You Ready to Write?
Writing an original story can be difficult for young students. In an entertaining, exciting and humorous presentation, Baumgartner breaks down the steps to writing a short tale (or a chapter story) into easy-to-understand basics. Sure to bring about laughter and enthusiasm, this presentation is geared for 4th and 5th grade students, especially those struggling to find the inspiration and motivation to read and write.
Creating Worlds When We Write
The setting of a book can be just as important as the characters when it comes to relaying the message and emotion of a story. Creating Worlds When We Write isn't
just for fantasy writers. The setting in which we choose to
tell our story will greatly influence the readers ability to
follow our plot and immerse themselves in the tale we are telling.
But it isn't always as easy as it seems. This presentation gives some tips for developing and keeping track of the environment you are inventing for your book, as well as pitfalls to be avoided.
For all middle-school classes where writing is an integral part of the cirriculum.
