Author Ryan Jacobson visited the Belle Plaine School District during two consecutive day visits: one, at Chatfield Elementary School, and two, at the Belle Plaine Junior High-Senior High School. During his visits, he shared his stories or excerpts of his stories with students, as well as information about the writing and publishing processes. He also engaged students in story-making activities and improvised the narration of student-generated works. He was warmly received and students were very excited to participate in the creative and story-making process.
I heartily endorse Mr. Jacobson as a visiting author; he captivates and delights!
Deb Skophammer, Media Specialist
Belle Plaine School District
--------------------------------------------------------
Last week author Ryan Jacobson gave excellent presentations to over 300 students in grades 1, 2 and 3 at Blue Heron Elementary School in Lino Lakes, Minnesota. He made good use of humor and suspense to keep their attention while he described to the children how a story gets from an idea in an author’s head to a published book. He then helped them use brainstorming techniques to create an impromptu story so they could experience the concepts of characters, setting and plot.
Based on comments from staff and parents, I know that Ryan’s presentations have increased the students’ excitement for literature. Students are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the books they ordered from Ryan after his presentation, and one mother sent him a note telling him that her two sons were now busy writing books and asking her to take them to a publisher.
As an elementary librarian, I especially appreciated how he emphasized the importance of reading lots of books and making frequent visits to the library where there are people and resources to help you expand your reading skills. Not everyone will publish a book, but a love of reading is an important life skill to cultivate.
Kate Eelkema, Media Specialist
Blue Heron Elementary, Lino Lakes
--------------------------------------------------------
Ryan did a presentation to the students at Meadowvale Elementary geared to each grade level. His presentations included one for grades K-1, 2-3, and 4-5. Each one was age appropriate for their grade and generated enthusiasm from the students. A bonus of Ryan's presentation is that he didn't focus on just his books, he really talked about the writing process and created an easy fill-in-the-blank type formula for the students to follow. His formula made it easy for the students to be creative and come up with great ideas for their stories. At the end of the presentation, they were able to hear a completed mini story that they had created. They loved it! I also heard from teachers that students came back to class WANTING to keep working on the stories that they created with Ryan. Any time a student is inspired to write, that’s a real bonus!
Another positive impact of Ryan’s visit is the interest in his books. Meadowvale’s copies have long hold lists, especially for Lost in the Wild. What I really appreciated as a media specialist is the appeal of his books to all age levels, as well as to boys and reluctant readers. These areas are difficult to find books that appeal. Not only are the students inspired writers, but they also have found books that they want to read. They really like the create-your-own-path format of Lost in the Wild and kept re-reading the book to see how each path turned out.
[Ryan is] making contributions to children’s literature in an area where there is a strong need.
Lisa Philippi, Media Specialist
Meadowvale Elementary, Elk River
--------------------------------------------------------
Ryan Jacobson, author of Lost in the Wild, visited my library to share his book. Students enjoyed the presentation. I bought multiple copies of the books for the library. They are checked out by students regularly. I have used his book in my lessons on plot your own stories. This has worked well because almost all students know the book. Their interest in his book had motivated them to read other plot your own story books, too.
Donna Ohlgren, Media Specialist
Oak View Elementary, Maple Grove
--------------------------------------------------------
Ryan Jacobson presented at our school district. We have three buildings for the K–6th grade classrooms and six sections for each grade level. Ryan started his Stewartville experience on Thursday afternoon with the sixth grade in two presentations. The students were fascinated and totally attentive to Ryan. The teachers were very impressed that he was so engaging with this age of student and at this large of a group. The following day Ryan did presentations by grade level: four presentations in the morning and two in the afternoon; it was a very full schedule. The fourth and fifth grade students rate Ryan with varying 9’s on a 1-to-10 scale. Comments from the elementary teachers were all positive:
- “My students want to be authors now.”
- “I want to own his books, he was great!”
- “Definitely getting those books for my classroom.”
- “The best time ever spent with a presentation like this.”
- “He is definitely used to handling young students and their energy.”
- “He very effectively addressed issues before they even arose.”
I would, and I know many staff members would, recommend Ryan Jacobson as an author worth finding time to have at your school.
Renita L. McCabe-Irvin, Media Specialist
Stewartville School District |
