|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Enter Title
|
 |
|
|
|
Rooster Morris
PO Box 269
Rockdale, Texas 76567
800-866-2685
|
News & Views
January 2010
|
| |
If You Can See It, You Can Write It!
In this newsletter I'll share some of the reasons that inspire me to do what I do for students and schools. Ten years ago, I started traveling to schools to promote reading. Back then, I thought giving kids a fun and positive experience with reading was a great thing to do. Don't get me wrong, I still believe this. What I have since learned is: you and I can do more. There is a need to do so much more.
After performing and reading to students, teachers and educators asked me if I would talk to their students about writing, or even do a writing workshop. I felt a strong reluctance to talk to students about writing. Teachers and students have a full plate when it comes to writing and state testing, etc. In no way did I want to confuse anyone, especially a child. For that reason, it took me several years of listening closely to students' questions to get an idea of what would be helpful, fun, and build their confidence with the art of writing. From those Q&A sessions, I began to formulate my own questions from the students' and teachers' questions.
My main question is, 'Why is writing considered a difficult, undesirable task by many people?'
By observing and listening in schools, I sometimes get the impression that writing is sort of like being forced to work out when you have no desire to get into shape. On the other side of the coin, I see young people text messaging, constantly. They have developed their own codes of modern day shorthand to communicate with each other. They enjoy it. This gave me an idea for a writing workshop. More kids would be inclined to write about something that is pleasurable and fun to them. And possibly write more.
Reading and writing go together. To be able to write, you must read. I've read this in books. I've heard authors and teachers say it. This brings me to the next super word. Imagination.
Why would librarians make the following statements?
"Many children's books these days do not require children to use their imaginations."
"My high school students are having problems visualizing what they read."
In my programs for kids and schools I include a few quotes from Albert Einstein:
"If you want children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want children to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."
"Your imagination is more important than knowledge."
I don't harp on this too much, but I do like to plant this seed in students' minds. In modern times we must realize that our imaginations can't really participate when we watch TV or play video games. If your imagination is more important than anything, then we must exercise it. And the best way to do that is by listening to a story, reading a story, and writing your own story. I heard an anthropologist state, "Human intelligence increased dramatically with the invention of the camp fire. The story tellers told stories while the listeners used their imaginations to see the story."
In writing workshops, I love to show students how they can visualize things in their imagination, then create from their visualization. I tell them, "If you see it in your mind, you can write about it. You can draw a picture of it." I enjoy listening to professional people talk about what they do and how they do it. My illustrator/pumpkin sculptor said, "I see it in my mind first." My favorite hairstylist/beautiful daughter said, "Whenever I'm doing a new hairstyle or cut, if I see the way it's going to be in my mind first, I know it will turn out."
Until next time,
Rooster
|
|
|
Programs & Schedule
Skype an Author
If your school has Skype capabilities and would like to interview Rooster, email Jody and be the first school to use this new technology!
Teacher Workshops
Rooster has developed a workshop just for teachers that includes the teachers writing as a modeling exercise. Rooster has found that when he gives a writing workshop and the teachers write with the students, the students perform better. Teachers have said, "Thank you for the fresh new ideas. I can use them every day!"
Author Visit
The students will see and hear for themselves how Rooster went from being a horse rider to a book writer; from a reluctant reader to a creator of a children's series. Rooster will share how reading to kids was the inspiration for him to begin writing and how it was kids who helped him overcome his fear of writing.
The reading program includes Rooster performing readings and songs from his books. He brings his characters to life with incredible voices, music, and sound effects. Rooster interacts with the audience by asking volunteers to help him perform some of the songs from the Axle Galench series. The kids get to share the microphone and perform in character while the audience cheers them on!
Rooster speaks about the importance of habits. He encourages the kids to read and write every day so they can be experts in school. Rooster's program is filled with practical strategies to help students truly Succeed with Reading.
Rooster performing with students at a school
The intriguing and compelling story of Axle Galench becomes a personal experience as the audience enters into the saga of this little boy's journey into the land of Bedlam.
What better way to show your students how much fun reading can be than to watch a published author do just that?
Targeted audience is 1st grade to adult.
Writing Workshop
This 60-minute session helps students with the writing process. Beginning with getting those first great ideas down on paper in list form, to adding dialogue, and then writing an actual essay based on an imaginary event, this workshop gives students skills that will last them a lifetime. Rooster will ask for volunteers to read their stories to the group. This workshop is a GREAT CONFIDENCE BUILDER for students and teachers, alike!
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 13, 2010
Bullard Elementary
Bullard, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 15, 2010
Bales Intermediate
Friendswood, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 20, 2010
Crouch Elementary
Arlington, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 21, 2010
Amos Elementary
Arlington, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 22, 2010
Larson Elementary
Grand Prairie, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 25 & 26, 2010
Mary Martin Elementary
Weatherford, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 27, 2010
Ikard Elementary
Weatherford, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 28, 2010
Austin Elementary
Weatherford, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 29, 2010
Honey Grove Elementary
Honey Grove, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February 1, 2010
Mary Moore Elementary
Arlington, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February 2, 2010
Eagle Mountain Elementary
Fort Worth, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February 5, 2010
Roosevelt Elementary
Norman, Oklahoma
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February 6, 2010
Southwest Regional IRA Convention
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February 17, 2010
White Oaks Elementary
Fairfax, Virginia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February 18, 2010
Oak View Elementary
Fairfax, Virginia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February 19, 2010
Rolling Valley Elementary
Springfield, Virginia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
March 2-6, 2010
Peoria Schools
Peoria, Arizona
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
March 12, 2010
Mary Michael Elementary
San Antonio, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April 7-9, 2010
New Mexico Library Association Conference
Albuquerque, New Mexico
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 14, 2010
Valley Hi Elementary
San Antonio, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 19, 2010
Socorro ISD
El Paso, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 20, 2010
Socorro ISD
El Paso, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 21, 2010
El Paso ISD
El Paso, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February 11, 2011
New Mexico Regional IRA Conference
Albuquerque, New Mexico
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 17, 2011
Childress Elementary
Childress, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For more information about Rooster's programs, visit www.laid-back.com or call 800-866-2685.
|
|
Video & Media
To watch Rooster's videos on YouTube or read articles from newspapers, click on the appropriate link below:
Rooster at an Elementary in Amarillo, Texas
Photos from the Wellington Ritz Theater
To download and read media articles, click here. The articles are listed on the right side of the page. 
|
|
Land of Enchantment Award Nominee
Axle Galench
in Search of Barnsfoggon
has been named to the
New Mexico Land of Enchantment
Award Reading List
for 2009-2010!
|
|
Rooster's Bookshelf
Rooster is currently reading:
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
The Story is the Thing by Amy Auker
Consumer Reports Magazine
Israel's Tribes Today by Stephen M. Collins
Barbarians at the Gate by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar
|
|
|
TCA Deadlines
Rooster is on the TCA's Touring Roster. This means that schools and libraries can apply for a mini-grant to help cover Rooster's fee and expenses.
For performances occurring:
September 1 - December 14, 2009
the application deadline is August 1, 2009.
December 15 - March 14, 2010,
the application deadline is November 1, 2009.
March 15 - June 14, 2010,
the application deadline is February 1, 2010.
June 15 - August 31, 2010,
the application deadline is May 1, 2010.
There are special funds available for programs hosted in the Rio Grande Valley and in the Midland / Odessa area.
For more information about mini-grants, you can call TCA at 512-463-5535 ext. 0, or call Jody at 800-866-2685, or email jody@laid-back.com.
|
|
Quotes from the Audience
"The Gate of No Return is the best book I have ever read. Mr. Morris told us that the best pictures we will ever see are in our mind and I think that is true because I saw cool pictures when Axle was running away from Grueloc."
Sebastian L.
Artesia, New Mexico
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" Never have I seen our entire campus so focused and interested during a program. They enjoyed Rooster's story, voices, and they still sing his songs!
Our students were so excited to work with Rooster in the writing workshop. He inspired them to become better writers by helping them open their minds to the possibilities of their imagination. The kids perceive writing as an open field with no limitations; the sky is the limit for them now!
We are reading the books now in small groups. We love them and the kids are always excited to get to reading groups!"
Jessica Cardenas
4th Grade Teacher
South Georgia Elementary
Amarillo, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Rooster - you made the correct choice for your second career. You had those kids' attention for an hour! They are already repeating your message--if you can do it one time, you can do it two times. That is a great fact for them to know.
Well done! Well done!"
Terry
6th Grade Teacher
Bales Intermediate
Friendswood, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Rooster was terrific today! He is an amazing talent---funny, witty, entertaining, perceptive---such a great role model!"
Carol Martin
District Librarian
Bullard ISD
Bullard, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I would like to tell you how great it was to have Rooster Morris come to our school!
I enjoyed his presentation just as much as the kids did!
I loved the songs, the fiddle playing, and the story telling! The kids were so well behaved and engaged the whole time.
The writing workshop was also great. It was another tool added to the students' repertoire!
Teaching writing is one of my favorite things and this workshop helped immensely! It was GREAT!"
Marni Galli
4th Grade Teacher
Bales Intermediate
Friendswood, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I just wanted to send a 'Thank You' your way for the fun and entertaining author visit. To be honest, I was apprehensive at first because I had never personally had an author come and do a presentation before. I wasn't sure what to expect.
I had started to read The Gate of No Return to my second and third graders before the visit and had played the CD. They really thought the CD was fun! After meeting and hearing Rooster Morris, they all came in saying, 'Are you going to read some more about Axle?'
Several of my teachers commented on how fun the presentation was. One of my second grade teachers said that Rooster is the best storyteller she had ever seen.
The day was a great success and ended up being a very fun thing to do the week before our winter break."
Raeline Latimore
Librarian
Arroyo Del Oso Elementary
Albuquerque,
New Mexico
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I enjoyed seeing Rooster interact with the students three years ago when he came to our school.
His books are awesome and I use them in my classroom to motivate my students to write. They have proven to be a great tool for my bilingual kids, especially when they listen to the CD. The CD makes it alive and they seem to be moved by Mr. Morris' voice and stories.
We are anxiously awaiting the next book."
Roxanna Collazo
Genoa Elementary
Pasadena, Texas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
|
|
For those of you wanting to book a writing workshop before the state tests, Rooster is offering a special deal on pricing. Give me a call to get the details.
The manuscript for book three is on its way back to the copy editor after another round of revisions!
Jody Logsdon
LBW Media, Inc.
|
|
| |
| |
|
Laid-Back West, Inc. | PO BOX 269 | Rockdale | TX | 76567
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|