Writing Residencies

Karen is fully booked for residencies for the 2024-2025 school year.

Are you working towards a school-wide writing goal? Writing residencies can help!

Residencies can be tailored to meet your specific school goals. They will have an immediate impact with students by motivating them to write and find enjoyment in writing. They will have a lasting impact with teachers by building common language and establishing common writing processes within your school.

Residencies are designed to cover a variety of curricular outcomes. With new curriculum implementation in Alberta, Karen will demonstrate how many of the KUSPs from various Organizing Ideas are embedded within the writing processes within our classrooms.

The two most popular residencies:

Motivating Students to Write and Write Well

During the first class visit, Karen will break down the barriers to writing and introduce the process of freewriting. During the subsequent class visits, Karen will teach specific writing skills, demonstrating the revision process in action. Elementary students and teachers will be engaged and empowered in the writing process!

Narrative Writing Essentials

Students of all grade levels will learn how to write effective stories through the use of plot patterns and mentor texts. They will also learn how to enhance elements such as character, dialogue, and setting. This residency will be enjoyable for all grade levels but will be especially timely for grade six students in Alberta who write a narrative story for their Provincial Achievement Test. Teachers will come away with many practical strategies to be used for years to come!

Note: Three or four visits in each classroom (with a few days or weeks in between) are suggested.