School Visits

I am currently full for my 2018-2019 schedule.

Click here for my school visits brochure.

Presentations to grades K-2 include:

  • how to find ideas
  • how to make your ideas into a good story

Presentations to grades 2-5 include:

  • How, why, and when to revise
  • Good story beginnings and endings
  • What a book looks like in all its stages, from first draft to final hardcover

Presentations for older grades include:

  • Aspects of believable dialogue, and how to balance it with narration
  • Character development to move your story forward and make it realistic

My presentations are a high-energy mix of writing tips, examples from my own writing and from other picture books, and hands-on activities. Please contact me for more information.

I also do a limited number of free Skype visits each school year. Each visit lasts 20-30 minutes and typically involves me reading one of my books and answering questions from the students. The bulk of my Skype visits occur around World Read Aloud Day, but I am intermittently available for Skype visits at other times of the year.

You can learn more about my thoughts on reading and writing from my Nerdy Book Club articles. I wrote about Ten Ways to Raise Readers, Ten Ways to Raise Writers, Writing for No One, and why It’s Ok to Write Terrible Stories.

Testimonials:

“If you have not gotten a chance to connect with Julie Falatko yet, just do it. Right now. Get on Twitter and search @JulieFalatko. Julie is enthusiastic, kind, passionate and clearly loves kids and children’s literature. I had the great good fortune to meet her in person at nErDcampNNE in Maine this January. We were in a session sharing great book titles and I had a blast learning with her. I asked her if she would be willing to connect with my students and she said, “YES!” …If you get a chance to have a school visit or skype with Ms. Falatko, you will enjoy every moment! Enormous thanks for spending time with us and celebrating World Read Aloud Day 2015!” –Jenny Lussier, elementary school library media specialist

“I recently had the privilege of hosting a virtual author visit with Julie through Skype. Julie immediately connected with my fourth graders, and they were at ease conversing about writing celebrations and struggles and trading book recommendations in no time. Julie and I had brief conversations prior to the visit in which I shared the writing experiences and lessons that I have been facilitating. Julie seamlessly wove relevant, true stories from her own writing experience into her conversations with my students. She handled students’ wonderment about the enormity of the writing process with a delicate balance of honesty and empowerment. Both the students and I appreciated the authenticity and genuine nature of Julie’s presentation, qualities that earned her quick credibility with my students. In fact, one student said to me (of Julie) post-Skype, “You can just tell that she’s really passionate about what she does. She really cares about books and writing.” Julie’s passion for reading and writing is not only transparent, but contagious. Her respect for developing readers and writers is evident in her interactions with students.” -Melissa Guerrette, Grade 4 teacher