Did T Rex have feathers?

Learn whether or not paleontologists think T-Rex had feathers.

New T-Rex compare and contrast lesson plan

For the teachers out there, I've uploaded a new lesson plan to my website that teaches the concepts of comparing and contrasting by comparing T-Rex to people. It uses my latest picture book as a resource. Plus it has a cross-curriculum component that gives you the option to use comparing and contrasting to have students form or validate scientific hypotheses about T-Rex. Check it out at www.kenbakerbooks.com/lesson_plan_t-rex_compare_contrast.html

New compare contrast lesson plan

For any elementary teachers out there, I've updated the compare and contrast lesson plan on my website. Hopefully, it's helpful. Check it out. If you have feedback on how I might make it more useful, I'd love to hear.

 http://www.kenbakerbooks.com/lessonplancompare.html

Thanks!

Help Kids Deal with Fear and Have Fun

When my picture book Brave Little Monster came out, in addition to being a book that makes young and old laugh, many parents and teachers liked how it could be used to help young children deal with both real and imaginary fears. To help with that effort I created a fun puppet-making activity that can be used in the home and classroom to further help teachers and parents talk to kids about their fears and help them learn how to deal with them. Check it out and make your own "Be Brave" puppet.

http://www.kenbakerbooks.com/lessonplanmonsterart.htm

Writing Tip: How to Create Engaging Characters

So, you've written a story with an exciting or awesome plot, but for some reason your readers fail to connect with it or they quickly lose interest in reading it. It could be your characters' fault. Unless you have created engaging characters, it won't matter how interesting your plot is. Here's a short writing tip video on how to create engaging characters for the stories you write.

 Even though the video targets young writers, the concepts it teaches applies to writers of all ages. It's also great for teachers who want to supplement creative writing lesson plans. Enjoy!

Plots Made Simple

Writing Instruction Video for Teachers and Aspiring Writers

Want to know the basics of plot? Need a simple and entertaining way to learn or teach  plot development? This short video can supplement teacher's lesson plans on plot basics. It provides step-by-step instruction and examples of plot diagram elements, including plot introduction, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. Enjoy!


The above video is also great companion resource to my video on raising plot tension.

Writing Tip: Raising Plot Tension

Writing Instruction Video

Sometimes beginning writers struggle to engage and maintain the reader's interest in their stories. Sometimes this happens because the protagonist solves plot conflicts too easily or too early in the story. Sometimes it happens because the opposite occurs, that it seems to take forever for the hero to solve the problem. This video demonstrates a writing technique that helps writers strike just the right balance in order to raise plot tension, thereby engaging and maintaining the reader's interest.


For teachers interested in using this video as part of creative writing lessons, the instruction video along with slide handouts that can be used to review the raising tension technique can be found at www.kenbakerbooks.com/raising-plot-tension.html.

The above video is also great companion resource to my Plots Made Simple video.

Why Plot Focus is Important in Picture Books and Short Stories

Writing Instruction Video

As I have worked with various beginning picture book authors, a common problem that a lot of them run into is difficulty in conveying what their story is really about or going off in to many directions. Creative writing instructors in school may run into a similar problem when they assign students to write short stories. This writing instruction video on picture book plot addresses this issue.

If you enjoyed or found this writing instruction video useful, please share it with others. Thanks.

Can Non-Artists Write Picture Books?

Picture Book Writing Tip

Wanting to write picture books, but you  can't even draw a straight line? Don't despair. This video writing tip tells why.

Reading Comprehension Lesson Plan

I've added a new lesson plan on my website to help teachers help their students develop reading comprehension skills and comprehending key ideas and details in stories. Take a look at it and feel free to share it with others

Reading Comprehension Lesson Plan

Music Educaton Lesson Plan

I just posted a new lesson plan on my website called "Recognizing Patterns in Music and Children’s Literature".  It's designed to help students meet music education standards for identifying similar and dissimilar phrases presented aurally in a piece of music and identifying musical phrases in a song presented aurally. The lesson plan accomplishes this by allowing students to explore and learn about patterns in music, including verse/refrain form. It teaches them and gives them the opportunity to practice echoing simple melodic phrases and singing developmentally appropriate songs.

Oh, and it also uses my picture book Old MacDonald had a Dragon. Check it out.

www.kenbakerbooks.com/lessonplanmusic.html

Comparing & Contrasting Lesson Plan

I just posted on my website another lesson plan that teachers can use for the upcoming school year. This one focuses on helping teachers achieve common core standards for comparing and contrasting. It teaches students how to compare and contrast different items, compare and contrast different books, and compare and contrast text within a book. It accomplishes this is in a fun and unique way, using my picture books, COW CAN'T SLEEP and OLD MACDONALD HAD A DRAGON, which will both be available this coming September.

You can find the lesson plan at www.kenbakerbooks.com/lessonplancompare.html. Feel free to share it with others.

Narrative Writing & Reading Lesson Plan

For interested teachers planning the upcoming school year, I just posted on my website a lesson plan that they can use to help them introduce and teach some core curriculum concepts of narrative writing (story creation) through the use of characters, setting, and plot. It also helps teachers teach the skills needed to meet language arts reading and writing core curriculum standards that require the ability to describe characters, settings, and major events in a story.

The lesson plan is called "Narrative Writing & Reading Core Skills Lesson Plan -Story Creation Magic: Character, Setting and Plot". Okay, I know that's a mouthful, but if you want you can just call it "Story Creation Magic"

You can find the lesson plan at www.kenbakerbooks.com/lessonplanwriting.htm. Feel free to share it with others.