Rooster Morris PO Box 269 Rockdale, Texas 76567 800-866-2685 roosterrdz@aol.com  News & Views June 2010   Back in Grade School and Loving It! As the 2009 school year winds down, we reflect back at the experiences we had in the 127 schools visited since last June.One thing that sticks in my mind about the schools, libraries, librarians, and students, each one of them is different, yet each is rewarded according to their efforts. Here are some things that the principals, librarians, teachers, and students taught me this year: Action cures inexperience. More and more, I am seeing that students want to write. They enjoy writing if given the opportunity to write about what they like. Over 28,000 students wrote stories with me this year. They all had great ideas and exercised their imaginations, AND had a great time writing. Action conquers fear. Never in my wildest dreams did I believe I would have the courage to stand in front of over 109,000 students this year and tell them that watching TV would not prepare them for the future. When I was a child, I had my favorite shows that I watched each week: Lost in Space, The Three Stooges, Tarzan, Zorro, and the Walt Disney nature shows. Back in those days, these shows aired only once a week. Nowadays, there are countless channels that broadcast every show imaginable 24 hours a day. Could it be the Land of Plenty has become the Land of Too Much? TV will devour students' time and rob them of the opportunity to develop their imaginations.  I remember when we didn't have a TV, and then it seemed like everyone had one. Now, in many homes there are TVs in every room--including the bedroom--the place where I used to go to read--where I would float down the river with Huck Finn, roam the forest with Bambi, travel the Orient with Marco Polo. Great minds, throughout history, had the common factor of quiet time, time to study, to write, to create, to think. Setting the example gives students a tangible guide to follow. I read an article this year about how English teachers were asking librarians for help because their high school students could not visualize what they were reading. Unbelievable, but it brings to light what is happening in today's world. The Land of Plenty not only provides 24-hour TV, but also cell phones with cameras, video games with virtual attachments, and the Internet. Is it any wonder that young adult are having trouble visualizing? My message to kids is: Take control of your time. Reserve time to read every day, as the most important pictures you will ever see are in your mind! We must see the possibilities and, in turn, show students the possibilities. See you in school, 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! Visit Rooster's Skype An Author page here.   Writing Workshop for Teachers   Rooster has developed a workshop for teachers that focuses on writing and revising. This workshop includes tips and techniques Rooster has developed after working with elementary students for over ten years. This four- to six-hour workshop covers: Why making word lists are important How to help students make word lists Turn student word lists into personal thesauruses How to help students understand dialogue so they can write it What is voice? Verb-cabulary - Fortifying your Students' Vocabulary Taming the Revision Beast--Making revision easy Writing with the Red Ball Building writing confidence in your students Teachers will write and revise an essay using Rooster's tips and techniques. It will be a day filled with learning and FUN! Author Visit   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 students was the inspiration for him to begin writing and how it was young children 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 students 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. Students performing with Rooster - January 2010     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-READ!!   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!     PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ June 15, 2010      Oak View Elementary      Fairfax, Virginia ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ June 16, 2010       White Oaks Elementary       Burke, Virginia ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ June 17, 2010       Rolling Valley Elementary       Springfield, Virginia ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ June 30, 2010       Friona Public Library       OPEN TO THE PUBLIC       Friona, Texas ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ September 10, 2010       Word Wrangler       OPEN TO THE PUBLIC       Giddings, Texas ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ September 22-23, 2010       Mansfield ISD       Mansfield, Texas ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ October 7, 2010       Tularosa Municipal Schools       Tularosa, New Mexico ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ October 8-10, 2010        Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium        OPEN TO THE PUBLIC        Ruidoso, New Mexico ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ October 11-13, 2010        Elementary Schools        Ruidoso, New Mexico ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ October 14, 2010        New Mexico School for the Blind & Visually Impaired        Alamogordo, New Mexico ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ October 18-22, 2010        Elementary Schools        Las Cruces, New Mexico ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ October 25-28, 2010        Elementary Schools        El Paso, Texas ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ November 8-12, 2010        Elementary Schools        New York City, New York ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ January 10 & 11, 2011        Nadine Johnson Elementary School        Hutto, Texas ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ January 24 - January 29, 2011        National Cowboy Poetry Gathering        Elko County Schools        Elko, Nevada ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ November 17, 2011        Childress Elementary        Childress, Texas ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For more information about Rooster's programs, visit www.roostermorris.com or call 800-866-2685. Fees & Expenses for 2010-2011 Bookings in Texas 1/2 day:                      $400 Full day:                      $750 Writing Workshop:       $250 each Teacher Workshops:      $1,500 Bookings outside of Texas Full day:                    $950 Writing Workshop:      $250 each Teacher Workshops:    $1,500 Schools may split the day between two or three schools if necessary. There are no travel expenses if more than three schools are booked in one area. A hotel must be provided for the night before the performance. Discounts are offered for five or more bookings in one area. 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 Alamogordo Newspaper Article   Rooster performing at a school! To watch Rooster's videos on TeacherTube click on the links below: Rooster performing at a school! To download and read media articles, click here. The articles are listed on the right side of the page. Quotes from the Audience ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Rooster's books have my students visualizing what they are reading. His books are great for helping students create pictures in their minds. That is so important when it comes to students writing themselves. If they can see it in their mind, they can write it on paper! Thank you Rooster!" Linda Ayers Librarian Staton Smith Elementary Whitehouse, Texas "I had Rooster Morris present to my fourth and fifth graders and he was WONDERFUL!! Everyone from the students, to the teachers, to our administration enjoyed the program. He is so entertaining and has such a good message. Host him at your school--you will be glad you did!" Cathy Lancaster Librarian Giddings Intermediate Giddings, Texas ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Thank you Mr. Morris for coming to our school. I have never met an author until today. Now I think I want to be an author. I can't wait to read your books."   Brady S. 4th Grade Student Blattman Elementary San Antonio, Texas ~~~~~~~~~~ "Wow! And double Wow!!! Rooster Morris performed for my K-3 students yesterday and they are singing (literally) his praises today.  We laughed, we sang, we listened, we were scared, we were delighted.  What a great way to celebrate "Happy Reading" Day at Giddings Elementary this year. I see big smiles and eyes twinkling with happiness as these little guys talk excitedly about Rooster today.  Rooster held their attention completely. We had an awesome day!  So, if you are looking for a way to remind kids that reading is indeed fun, this is the guy to book!" LaNell French Giddings Elementary Giddings, Texas ~~~~~~~~~~ "Our school so enjoyed hosting Rooster Morris for an all-school assembly and two grade-level workshops. The excitement built in the days leading to his visit as students were introduced to the loveable Axle Galench and his adventures. On "Rooster Morris Day" students were excited to see the author in person and enjoyed participating in his fun, musical program. Five lucky 4th graders and their teachers even enjoyed "Lunch with the Author" in the library to talk about his writing!  Rooster Morris presents an age-appropriate, enthusiastic musical program and gets kids excited about reading and writing. Our multiple copies of Axle Galench and the Gate of No Return have flown off the shelves since his visit."   Carol Bogart Librarian Amos Elementary Arlington, Texas ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "When you came to our school, I was so glad that I got to sing with you. Thank you for choosing me. I want to read all your books because you are my favorite author." Christa V. 5rd Grade Student Giddings Intermediate Giddings, Texas Past Newsletters March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 A To see more newsletters, go to www.roostermorris.com. This was an amazing year for Rooster. He finally finished the third Axle book. He performed in two new states and he developed a writing workshop for teachers. Additionally, several of his articles have been published this year in the New Mexico Reading Journal too! Axle Galench and the Spin Lizard Rescue is currently with a publisher in New York. Rooster is waiting to hear what the editor thinks. In the meantime, Rooster has been recording the songs for the audio book and working on Axle Galench and the Dungeon's Secret. Rooster has signed on with Authors and More. Carole and Beth will be handling some of the booking details. You can check out their website here. Rooster has been invited to work with Connect2Texas, which will provide Rooster's reading program, writing workshop, and teacher in-service workshops to schools WORLDWIDE via video teleconference! We are very excited about this opportunity. It will allow many schools the chance to see a program at a fraction of the cost of an author visit. So, as you can tell, there are many things going on with Rooster and Axle and we are looking forward to returning to schools this fall. Have a great summer! Jody Logsdon LBW Media, Inc.