Ken,
Here is the your Author Visit schedule.
Monday, Feb. 26 - Washington 12:30p.m. - 1:15p.m. Primary (45 min) 1:25p.m. - 2:25p.m. Intermediate (50 min)
Tuesday, Feb. 27 - Franklin 9:00a.m. - 9:45a.m. primary (45) 9:50a.m. - 10:50a.m. intermediate (60 min) Eisenhower 12:45p.m. - 1:30p.m. intermediate (45) 1:35p.m. - 2:15p.m. primary (40 min)
Wednesday, Feb. 28 - Turner 12:35 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. (1 hr, 40 min)
Thursday, Mar. 1 - North 8:10a.m. - 8:55a.m. primary (45) 9:00a.m. - 10:00a.m. intermediate (60 min) Lincoln 12:55 p.m. - 2:15p.m. (1 hour, 20 min)
Friday, Mar. 2 - South 9:00a.m. - 9:45a.m. Primary (45) 9:50a.m. - 10:50a.m. intermediate (60) Murrayville 12:00p.m. - 12:45p.m. primary (45) 1:00p.m. - 2:00p.m. intermediate (60)
Look forward to seeing you, Rita Tendick Angie Long
Own life People Audience Worry
I want to tell you a story about some people who used to live around here a long, long time ago. Tribe of Indians. The OPAW! Will you help me tell the story? Okay…I’ll tell the story, but I need you to put in all the sound effects. The Opaw Indians lived on top of a hill called Mauvaisterre. It was winter and very, very cold. Just like last week in Jacksonville. They were a very small tribe and they all huddled together into one large, teepee. Outside their tent they heard the sleet begin to fall (RUB HANDS)…then it turned into hail (SLAP HANDS ON THIGHS)…then the wind began to blow (WHISH NOISE). Then frozen buffalo started to fall out of the sky! (STAMP FEET) STOP! It was a really bad storm. So the chief of the OPAW tribe stood up and said, “Wow! It really storming outside! What will we do until it melts?” So this one little Indian boy stood up.. (get a boy) and said… (whisper) “Hey!” (whisper) “Somebody tell a story!” The chief said, “Good idea. Now sit down, big mouth.” And he thought…how do we tell the very best story? Because no one had ever told a story in the Opaw tribe before. So he said… “Hey! Let’s look at our name! OPAW!” (hold up poster) Say it! OPAH!
I’m a writer. I write lots of things… plays, poems, songs, stories… And I use the Opaw way… Today I’m going to tell you about it.
O! When I started writing a lot I was in about 5th grade. I wrote about things like men from outer space and monsters and spiders… And it was terrible.
1st: My fifth-grade teacher…my first story.. I wrote anyway. About things like monsters and dragons and space ships. Not good.
Then I started to write about a different kind of thing. Like My grandpa who only had three fingers on one hand and would sing “Pop goes the Weasel” and thump me on the head The teacher liked it! My friends liked it! 2 donkeys… one bucked Aunt Lizzie into a tank full of water Same! Grandma… cutting chickens head off… backed her into a bush Same! Sheep dragged me through the manure
First poem… Huh? What’d you do last night? I caught lightening bugs..fireflies.
The Boy with the Firefly Eyes
To the boy with the firefly eyes we said, “Boy.. with the firefly eyes. You shore can, yes you shore can catch them fireflies whether on or off those lights would go that boy would catch them high or low to the ground don’t you know that boy was fast!” Now fire----flies… the strange little things, Don’t come out in the day But they come out at that peculiar time When the light’s just fadin’ away
And you won’t find that firefly bug in a mug or a rug or your grandpa’s jug or anywhere else it seems. And you gotta grab fast or the light won’t last and the firefly’ll get away clean.
Oh, none could match his speed, he grace, and the way he caught those things. And in the firefly catchers club he was the absolute King. They’d go up and up he’d go! Fly low? He’d hit his knees… They’d whirl, he’d whirl…. They’d flash, he’d dash.. As easy as you please.
The trick he found, was to sit on the ground and pretend he wasn’t there Then just when mister lightening bug would glow he’d jump up in the air. And I’ll bet you think he killed ‘em when they were tryin’ to glow.. I gotta confess, he hated the mess and he always let ‘em go.
But like all boys about his age, he soon grew up it seems, and now he writes about fireflies and other silly things.
I got it published in my school newspaper! 25 copies! Wow! Why? Because I found out that everybody liked catching fireflies! I wrote about the things I knew about.
A book publisher came to me and asked me to write a book. I remembered my fifth grade teacher and I wrote about the things that had really happened to me. Now…four books! Sometimes I put them in an imaginary town called.. Coonridge, Illinois. So…. number one: O write about Your OWN experiences. Each one of you has stories inside you… In a few minutes, we’ll dig some out.
Maybe you’ve got this problem: One of my best friends never wants to go to a restaurant where they serve Oriental food. We have meetings and pick a Chinese or Japanese restaurant and he won’t go. He said that his Mom served Chop Suey when he was a little boy and he hated it. Just before Christmas last year I tricked him. I told him we were meeting at this really cool restaurant called the Best Buffet in J’ville. He’d never heard of it. He walked in and didn’t notice what kind of restaurant it was. Went to table…took drink orders. Then went to the Buffet. Thousands of Oriental dishes. He was hungry and took a few noodles and Crab Rangoon. Still hungry. Went back for Sweet and Sour Chicken and friend rice. Went back again for General Tso’s Chicken, Egg Foo Young, spicy shrimp. He couldn’t stop eating!
Maybe…just maybe…if you don’t like to write, it’s because you’ve been eating chop suey instead of crab Rangoon… maybe you might like writing about real things in your life.
OPAW! (repeat it!...cross arms) O----- Write about your own life.
What’s the next letter? P! 2nd thing you need to become a writer The answer is right here in front of me…. Him!... (talk to him)… People are the most interesting things in this room. Get to know them. Chances are, they’re a lot like you. Ask the teachers….? (Who covers us everything but your mouth?.. take one large step into bed)Ball Toss.--What were you most afraid of when you were little? ---Your favorite toy when you were little. --Name one person other than your Mom or Dad who you really admire. --If you could be anywhere in the world right now?
P! People! People are Interesting! People are awesome! Get to know people! Write about people! Anybody have a really weird Uncle? Anybody have a grandma who likes to squeeze your cheeks? Anybody have a dad who does really embarrassing things to you? (My Dad: sings to the music in WalMart.)
Probably the main reason I’m a writer is because I think people are really cool.. I always want to know about them.. For example, right now I’d love to know… (audience)
What’s the next letter in Opaw?
A--------- Audience! You need an audience. You need somebody to read what you’ve written or to listen to it!
Last week…frozen wiper blades.. ripped off. Bought. Put on. No audience needed. Last Thursday I went to have my income taxes done. No audience. Worked out fine. But last Friday I sat down to write this speech… Would it have been any fun to give this speech without an audience? Any fun to write something knowing no one would ever read it?
Get an audience. Tell your teacher you want to read your stuff everywhere.. for everybody.. Read for mom and dad. Read for Grandpa and Grandma. Read for your classmates. Read for your dog. Two roughnecks……Jeremy and Josh. .. all they could think about was skateboarding… I teamed them up and let them write together… Every weekend they met to write. They loved to perform it. Both will be entering college this September in Jacksonville.
When you write something you like, tell someone to sit down and listen to you read it. Tell your teacher you’d like to read it in class.
I wrote a poem for today…Need some help. “The Dirty, Rotten Kid” KB:: I’M A DIRTY ROTTEN KID, THERE AIN’T NOTHIN’ I AIN’T DID. I DID IT ALL AND I’M DERNED PROUD TO BE A DIRTY, ROTTEN KID. I’VE DONE MORE STUFF THAN ALL OF YOU THERE’S NOTHIN’ I AIN’T TRIED TO DO. THERE’S REALLY NOTHIN’ I AIN’T DID. I’M JUST A DIRTY, ROTTEN KID. My MAMA SAYS, MAMA: HE’S RIGHT, THAT’S TRUE. THERE’S NOTHING THAT THAT BOY WON’T DO. HE PICKS HIS NOSE, HE ALWAYS BURPS, HE MAKES WEIRD NOISES WHEN IN CHURCH. HE SCRATCHES THINGS THAT SHOULDN’T BE AND MAKES A NERVOUS WRECK OF ME!” KB: My DADDY SAYS, DAD: HE DRIVES ME CRAZY! I’VE GOT A KID WHO’S SO DARNED LAZY! HE FLUNKS HIS CLASSES ALL YEAR LONG, HE PLAYS THOSE LOUD DISGUSTING SONGS. WHY CAN’T HE BE LIKE ME WHEN I WAS SUCH A SWEET, YOUNG LOVING GUY?” My TEACHER SAYS, TEACHER: I’D LIKE TO RIP HIS LITTLE HEAD PLUMB OFF HIS NECK! HE’S ALWAYS ACTING LIKE A PEST AND NEVER PASSES SPELLING TESTS! HE CROWDS IN LINE, HE STACKS THE LOCKERS! THE KID JUST DRIVES ME NEARLY BONKERS!”
KB: OH GOSH IT’S FUN, OH GEE IT’S GREAT TO BE A ROTTEN KID! JUST LOOK AT ME! MY FRIENDS ALL LOVE TO STOP SAY, “I’D LIKE TO SEE HIM GO AWAY.” “I WISH HE’D JUST LEAVE ME ALONE.” “WHY CAN’T THE ROTTEN KID STAY HOME AND GIVE US ALL A LITTLE BREAK? GO SUCK ON TOADS? GO EAT A SNAKE?” BUT LATE AT NIGHT WHEN NO ONE KNOWS, I’D SNIFF AND CRY AND BLOW MY NOSE AND WISH THAT PEOPLE LIKED ME BETTER STEAD OF TREATIN’ ME LIKE AN OLD BED WETTER AND SO I’D CRY AND WISHING SO THAT MAYBE SOMEDAY ALL THE WORLD WILL BE HIS FRIENDS WITH LOVE AND HOPE! WOULD IT BE WORTH IT? (a beat, a smile) BOY FROM AUDIENCE: NOPE!
OPAW! A…stands for ________!
The last letter: W…. Watch this! Magic! I’m going to read your minds! I’m going to hear the little thoughts inside your head. PRETEND: I’m a teacher and this afternoon I give you a writing assignment for tomorrow. Wait! Wait! I can hear the thoughts! “Oh, it won’t be good enough..” “Oh, they’re all gonna laugh at me.” “Oh, I can’t spell.” “Oh, I don’t know where to put the commas.” “Oh, if it’s not perfect, I’ll just die!” “Oh, I might have to listen to some bald guy talk about writing.”
W stands for WORRY! The answer? Don’t! Stop it! Quit it!
….. Stop writing like your afraid of making a mistake. Write because it’s fun and you like to do it! When you begin writing, don’t worry about making mistakes…just write. After you’ve written it the first time, then you can go back and make it better.
Next summer… new play: David: You and I. My computer keeps track of how many times I change it. I looked last night: so far I’ve changed the play 112 times. Now I’m looking for things to fix, but if I’d have worried about that when I began, I’d never gotten started.
Having trouble getting started? ……. Eat more ice cream. …….. Go barefoot more often. ……..Wear your underwear backwards for an entire day. Only you will know but you’ll giggle every time you think about it. …….. Walk up to the biggest grouch you know and say, “I just want you to know that I feel great!” ……….Next time the person at McDonnald’s says “Have a nice day!” ask them why.
OPTIONAL: {…….Be careful who you’re trying to please when you write: HINEY THE MULE.}
Okay…spell it for me….
Own life People Audience Worry
To get you started…. “Brainstorming”
----A time when you were very scared. ---A smell..that every time you smell it, it makes you feel good --- The funniest member of your family --- The biggest mess you ever made --- The nicest thing somebody ever did for you ---The funniest thing that happened at school last week. ---