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June 2018

VicAlbWi

Victoria-Albert and Wi Wabigooni – A Great Way to End the Year!!

This past May and June, I spent a few days a week with the awesome Grade 4, 5 and 6 students at Wi Wabigooni and Victoria-Albert. From the moment we met, I felt like an old friend somehow (a very friendly school!). And then came the amazing questions! This is a curious, passionate group full of wonder about the world (we talked about way more than just writing…animals, the environment, art, sports, books we love…) – so, thanks for wondering about me!

(Above are some of the questions my friends at Wi Wabigooni thought up together. This was one page of about five or six pages of questions – a world record!!)

Between all of conversations, somehow we also managed to do some writing, too ;). And we learned together that writing isn’t only about sitting by yourself with a pencil and a piece of paper. It’s about diving into our memories, observations, interests and experiences to come up with intriguing characters:

…then plunging deeper as we get to know the characters we want to write about. Here are some more of the webs we created together – have you noticed that I love webs?). I could barely write fast enough to catch up with the creative flow:

I didn’t snap any pictures of our 5 senses webs (must have been too busy!), but these were great, too. Besides the swimming pools and jungle scapes we created together, as I strolled around your classrooms I saw you developing soccer pitches and ice rinks, arts colleges and family homes, theatres and hospitals, underwater ocean lairs and dry deserts, party rooms for fun and games and kitchens filled with the aroma of fresh baked cookies…and so much more. Your imaginations were taking off…

After making storyboards to plan our stories, we next talked about how to make good writing into writing that shines, by choosing intriguing words…

…and showing more than we tell. You all did so well with this, turning a basic draft of a story into something with character growth, atmosphere, emotion and suspense (and in some cases humor!).

I’ve heard from your teachers that you’ve gone on to do more work on your stories. Some of you even started again, to make use of an ‘opening hook’ and write with even MORE show and LESS tell – I’m so proud of you for doing that. That’s what all writers must go through to bring their story to life. But isn’t it exciting to see your own story get clearer and clearer every time you make a thoughtful, creative change?

So… congratulations to you and your fabulous teachers for a spectacular Engaging Fusion experience. I won’t forget it! And thanks for the best kind of an end to the school year (we even got to cheer on our Jets together during their outstanding playoff run!):

Have a happy summer doing the things you enjoy (I know a lot of you will be reading and writing!)

Till we meet again,
Karin

To My New Friends at EMU…

I had the chance to visit a very special classroom at Ecole Margaret-Underhill on Friday, June 8. The Grade 3s and 4s had been reading my books in class with their wonderful teacher. They enjoyed the stories, so their teacher decided to surprise them. She asked each student which of Mme. Karin’s books they liked best. Then, she bought each student their very own copy and gave them out as surprise gifts – along with ice cream sandwiches (I told you she was the best!!).

I was so excited to receive an email inviting me to be a part of the surprise, too. The students were asked to write down questions for ‘Mme. Karin’ and were told they would be writing a letter to me after recess – but instead, I came to visit where we could chat in person! Wasn’t that fun??

I LOVED meeting you – my new friends! You had so many wonderful questions about my books and about writing. You sure made me think hard! You also had very insightful observations about the characters and stories – you even had a few suggestions for my next book (although, like I told you – I think YOU should try writing down YOUR great ideas this summer, and turn them into stories of your own!). I was excited to hear how much you love to read and write (and draw and play sports and paint and think…) and…well – you’re all amazing!

We each got a chance to chat together as your teacher snapped photos. And then I received a surprise gift handmade by all of you – a gorgeous framed painting signed by everyone in the class with an encouraging message. I’m planning to hang it up in the room where I write. That way when I see it, I will remember you all, and be inspired every day.

Oh, yes! I told you I’d post a picture of my very first story (at least the oldest one I could find  – from Grade 2!). Here’s me with a copy of a story I started called “The Mystery of the Puddle”:

 

(I didn’t finish writing it, so the puddle is still a mystery – LOL!). So there you go – some evidence that I’ve always dreamed about being a writer. 😉

Thanks to you all for a surprised-filled day and a lot of great memories! Have a happy summer filled with lots of fun activities and adventures.

Till we meet again,

Mme. Karin

Selkirk-Anniversary-2

Congratulations East Selkirk Writers!

Hi Everyone!

I hope you’re all doing well and having a terrific final few weeks of Grade 6.

I was honoured to be invited to attend East Selkirk Middle School’s tenth anniversary celebration. I enjoyed catching up with your teachers, seeing some of you again (YAY!) and meeting your families. And most of all…I LOVED getting to see your amazing finished books!  (Pardon the silly selfies – just wanted to show you that I was really there! LOL)

I was proud of the work you did to carefully craft your finished stories. You made me see, hear, and feel the action (I read each and every book’s opening paragraph  – couldn’t help myself, they hooked me right in, just like we talked about! 😉 ). The cover art, dedications, and books summaries were also beautifully done, and the bookbinding gave your stories a deserving frame.

I know how exciting it is to see the idea that jumps into your head leap off onto the page and then (after lots of hard work) become a book to share – I’m sure you all have that same feeling…

A special thank you to those who dedicated their books to me. I was moved to see that I helped you in some way along your writing journeys. I also must give a big shout out to your teachers who helped guide your work and put on such a fantastic book showing.

Have a happy summer full of all the things you love to do. (And do keep reading and writing!)

Till we meet again,

Karin