Judy Dick (Senior Editor, Scholastic) is visiting from NY and is pairing with Debbie Herman (children's author) to teach how to write and pitch your work to the educational market.
Is your inner child a 7-year-old who loves nature, the slimier the better? A 10-year-old who wants to build a rocket and go to space? Or maybe it's a 12-year-old who dreams about hurtling through history, hobnobbing with ancient Romans? If you have a passion for nonfiction and a knack for engaging kids in the driest of topics, consider writing for educational publishing.
From trade books to magazine articles, activity books to video scripts, educational publishers need informative and engaging content for an ever-growing and changing array of products. Whether you are a teacher, journalist, fiction writer, or game programmer there is a place for your talents. In this seminar, you will learn about the multiple platforms on which educational content is featured today and how you can contribute. Writing for educational media requires an eye for spotting the fun in the facts. Discover ways to spark kids' interest in the world of nonfiction. Then get your feet wet and try it yourself (bring pen & paper or tablet, etc.).
Topics will include:
- Strategies for making nonfiction fun
- Boiling down high-level concepts for students of all ages
- Exploring print & digital opportunities in the nonfiction market
- Pitching product ideas
- Creating special features, such as timelines, sidebars, and maps
- Integrating visuals
- Writing teacher materials, including lesson plans and skill sheets
BIOS:
As an author, illustrator, educator, and editor, Judy Dick wears many hats. Judy is currently a Senior Editor at Scholastic Classroom Magazines, where she works on geography and news magazines for kids. Other projects that she has worked on for Scholastic include The Holocaust Reader and Core Clicks, a digital reading program. She is also the author of the Building Jewish Identity series (Behrman House), a set of interactive textbooks students for elementary school students. Judy has degree in Illustration and an Ed.M in the Teaching of Social Studies. To relax, she has been creating art for adult coloring books. Her latest one will be released this fall.
Debbie Herman is the author of Carla's Sandwich, From Pie Town to Yum Yum, and other books for children. She has worked for McGraw-Hill Education in the Science, Reading, and Social Studies departments, and does freelance writing for educational companies such as Scholastic and Evan-Moor. Debbie has created a wide variety of materials, from books and magazine articles to video scripts. She is currently a content writer/editor at Edusoft, an English Language Learning company. Debbie has an MA in Education/Learning Disabilities.
Location: PICO Jerusalem, Talpiyot
Cost: 150 NIS (in advance), 180 NIS (on the door)
Sign up: http://www.writespacejerusalem.com/finding-the-fun-in-nonfiction-with-judy-dick--debbie-herman.html