Encouraging young writers has always been an important part of my professional life. I believe that reading and studying well-written books helps them become better writers of fiction and nonfiction. Reading and writing poetry has the potential to improve all of their writing.

School Visits

A classroom visit may be comprised of a poetry reading, a brief talk about my process of writing poetry, and the introduction of a poetry form (or two) after which I will challenge the students to write a poem in this form at the end of the presentation. This program is approximately one hour, and I am available for a presentation to multiple classrooms during a school visit.

A larger group visit may be comprised of a poetry reading, stories behind the poems (including where my ideas come from and how I do research), and a brief discussion about writing poetry.

I am very flexible. Please contact me to discuss your particular needs so that we can plan the perfect visit to your school.

Teacher Inservice

Teacher inservice meetings on writing poetry with students are available in a variety of formats and lengths of time.

Two possible programs:

"Helping Students Find Their Poetic Voice" - In this session, I discuss strategies for teaching students to write the kind of poetry that creates pictures in the minds of readers. I demonstrate my writing process and use samples of my poetry, poems from other published poets, and poetry written by children as mentor texts for teaching specific figures of speech (e.g., alliteration, personification, onomatopoeia, simile, and metaphor) and as examples of descriptive language. I discuss revision strategies and address integrating poetry writing into other curriculum areas, such as science and social studies.

"Poetry Everyday" - In this session, I booktalk books of poetry and share ideas for establishing a poetry environment in the classroom where students read and write poetry as ongoing activities.

I will work with you to plan a session that meets your needs.

Professional Conferences

I enjoy speaking to teachers and librarians, as well. I have had many opportunities to speak at national conferences including the International Literacy Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the American Association for School Librarians. I have been a frequent speaker at the Plum Creek Literacy Festival and at regional, state, and local reading and library conferences. Please feel free to contact me about your upcoming conference.

For any of these learning opportunities, contact me at:

kjwendelin@gmail.com.

I look forward to hearing from you.