MARCIE ABOFF
.jpg) Start them reading young! (This is actually a picture of my oldest son when he was 2 years old - he's now 18. He's checking out the car sales in the newspaper!) What they're saying... Artwork by Jonathon and Amish 2nd Grade - Menlo Park School Edison, N.J. *********************** "The students, teachers and I all enjoyed your visit! You inspired us with your group assembly and the writing workshops helped everyone. We all had lots of fun getting to know you." Eloise Costello Librarian Woodruff School Berkeley Heights, N.J. ****************** "Thank you for the excellent presentations you provided for our students at our 'Young Authors Conference.' You addressed them as the authors they are and provided them with insights that will help them develop their own stories. Your presentations were captivating and your enthusiasm contagious. Hopefully you will return in the future to share your experiences with our young authors... - -Katherine Makela District Language Arts Consultant Barnegat Township Schools ***************** "Thank you for visiting Gillette School. The kids really enjoyed it. You were able to keep their attention and teach them something at the same time - not easy with first graders!..." Diane Costa PTA President Gillette School Long Hill, N.J. ******************* "Our class really enjoyed your visit to Menlo Park School! You inspired many of our children to be writers and gave others ideas for stories. We greatly appreciate that you took the time to share your expertise with us!" - Linda Rifkin, 5th Grade Teacher Menlo Park School Edison, N.J. ***************** "It was a pleasure having Marcie Aboff present her writing program at our summer children's writers workshop. Her enthusiasm and genuine interest in the children's stories truly made her program special." - Katherine Liss Children's Librarian Metuchen Public Library Metuchen, N.J. ********************  Artwork by Derek 1st grade, Salt Brook School New Providence, N.J. ******************* "Thank you for coming to see the third graders and talking about being an author and how to be a good writer. We love your stories! We all hope you can come back to see us again." Kelly 3rd Grade Ross St. School Woodbridge, N.J. ******************* "I really liked your magazine story, "The Alien in Apt. 4B." It was funny. I liked the idea sheets. It really helped. I'm going to write my own story called, "When I go to Mars." Jason 4th grade Menlo Park School Edison ******************  Some story character props that I bring to school visits |
School Visits  One of my favorite parts of writing children's books is visiting schools, libraries and bookstores. It's always exciting to see the childrens' faces light up when they meet a 'live' author and in turn it gives me such a lift to know that I might be contributing to the children's love of reading and writing. For schools, I have two general programs depending on grade level - one program for grades Pre-K - 2 and another program for grades 3 - 6. (I adjust my presentations to the specific grades I am speaking with.) Both programs are very interactive and I encourage the children to participate - whether they're guessing jelly bean riddles from my book, The Giant Jelly Bean Jar, or acting out with puppets as 'Big Bear' and 'Little Bear' from my short story, Just Right (lower grades) or whether they're creating and writing their own unique stories with a little help from my What's YOUR Story? writing packet (older grades). *** Please click on CALENDAR (above right) to see upcoming school/  News Tribune Newspaper Central New Jersey Dr. Seuss Week Presentation Students will see a slide presentation of an 'authors life' and learn how story ideas turn into finished books. I show them pictures of my editor and art director (and explain what they do) and pictures of my own children and our cat, Sneakers, who almost looks like he is possessed by an alien with his green glowing eyes, but I assure the children he's not. He's just thinking of his latest mischievious scheme.... With my story characters' props, like 'razzle stone jewels', crazy hats, and a grandmother's knitted blanket, I talk about how I get ideas for stories and how the children can get ideas for their own stories - it's not as hard as they might think. I talk about revisions and drafts ('sloppy copies') and show them my editor's big red correction marks (ouch!) on my manuscript. I talk about rejection (double ouch!)and the importance of being persistent. It's a thrill when I see my finished books and I am able to share my stories with my readers. Teachers receive study guides on how to use my books in the classroom and each child receives an autographed bookmark or coloring sheet. The older children keep the handouts from my What's YOUR Story? writing program, which includes story idea sheets, writing tips, and young author resources to learn more about the writing and publishing process.  SOME DETAILS...... *** NUMBER OF PRESENTATIONS: Up to 4 presentations (plus optional book-signing session) for a full day visit. (Local half-day and single session visits can also be arranged.) *** LENGTH OF PRESENTATIONS: Grades Pre-K - 2 are approximately 45 minutes. Grades 3 - 6 are approximately one hour. *** NUMBER OF STUDENTS: I can do assembly-style presentations as well as full grades, combinations of grades and single classrooms of students. Of course, the smaller number of children, the more the children can participate. If you are interested in learning more about my school visits, including fees and scheduling, please e-mail me. I will be happy to send you more details. |
|
