School presentations
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Recycling a Folk Tale
Rita explains how she and Debby Waldman collaborated to write Room Enough for Daisy, a picture-book adaptation of a Central European folk tale. Students hear the folk tale, act out elements of it, then settle down to hear the written word. For Grades K-4.
Curriculum Links
How to Write a Picture Book
Budding authors will be inspired by Rita’s 10 ideas for writing picture books. She'll use Room Enough for Daisy as a starting point, but move on to show students creative examples from authors and illustrators around the world. For Grades 5-9.
A Novel Tour of Alberta History
Rita talks about how she combined historical and personal facts to create Rescue at Fort Edmonton, a novel in which a 12-year-old kid explores Alberta's past. Rita will bring to life such tales as Wop May's Mercy Flight to northern Alberta, Emily Murphy's part in the Famous Five and 13-year-old John Rowand's journey from Montreal two centuries ago to become a fur trader on the North Saskatchewan River. For Grades 3-7, and adults.
For Grades 3-8.
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Follow Your Passion
After taking students through a brief history of bicycles, Rita shares with students how a passion for riding and real life events spurred her to write a book from the perspective of a Bike Thief. For Grades 6-9.
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Borders, Barriers and Bridges
Rita challenges students to think about why we create walls and borders, both globally and personally, as she describes her research for Rescue in the Rockies. She'll talk about how she blended fiction with historical facts, such as the creation of Canada’s first national park in Banff, the effect of the park’s creation on the area’s Stoney Nakoda Nation, and the treatment of immigrants at the Castle Mountain/Banff internment camp during the First World War. For Grades 7-12.
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Write Sentences That Make Sense
Writer and editor Rita Feutl walks students through common writing mistakes and shows them how to fix them. Whether it’s her patented dynamite trigger test for badly placed apostrophes or her alien trick for passive voice, Rita’s presentation will have students writing clearer, more concise sentences for their essays, exams and creative pieces. For Grades 9-12.
Requirements
Rita accompanies each presentation with slides. She needs a screen and a projector to which she can attach her laptop or USB stick. For presentations to more than 30 people, Rita requires a microphone.
She is happy to bring copies of her books for purchase.