Thank you, Idaho Association of School Administrators!

I spent the first part of this week talking books & writing in Idaho – at this year’s Idaho Association of School Administrators Conference in Boise. What a fantastic, dedicated group of people – and what a great city, too! Confession: Because my talk wasn’t until late afternoon, I managed to sneak out and do a little biking on the Boise River Greenbelt first thing in the morning. I loved this bike path with all of its magical views!

I also had a chance to see some of the areas outside of Boise, thanks to my amazing Scholastic Book Fairs friend Jennifer Gravel.  She took me out to see Three Island Crossing, which is the setting of an important scene in one of my upcoming books. I’ve read SO many Oregon Trail diaries that talk about this place, so it was incredible to see it with my own eyes this week.

Idaho people, it turns out, are just as warm and wonderful as their weather. I couldn’t have asked for a nicer welcome – so many, many thanks to everyone who attended my talk, and especially the Scholastic Book Fairs people who made it happen. Here I am with Wade, Jennifer, and Shawn…

Here are some resources for folks who were at the conference and would like links to the websites I talked about:

Here’s the home page for Teachers Write, my online summer writing camp for teachers, librarians, and (now…just for you) administrators.  Here’s what it’s all about…   And here’s the sign-up page. We hope you’ll join us!

REAL REVISION: AUTHORS’ STRATEGIES TO SHARE WITH STUDENT WRITERS from Stenhouse (link includes an online preview)

“Revolution for the Tested” – The poem I shared on the real reasons to read & write

Kid-Sourcing.com – Great opportunities for kids to be engaged in real-world problem solving

Authors Who Skype with Classes & Book Clubs – My list of 100+ authors & illustrators who offer free 20-minute Q and A sessions with groups that have read one of their books.

“Met Any Good Authors Lately?” and “An Author in Every Classroom” are my SLJ features on Skype virtual author visits and how they can be used to provide students with published authors as mentors for their own writing after reading an author’s books.

“Pleased to Tweet You” is my SLJ feature on educators using Twitter as a teaching tool to connect students with authors and promote literacy.

“Real Authors Don’t Plan…Or Do They? An Open Letter to Tyler” Blog post that shows planning/outlining/idea-webbing  process for CAPTURE THE FLAG. (Real authors do plan…and revise…and revise some more…)

Thanks again, Idaho Association of School Administrators, for a great day of talking books, writing, and “Letting Kids Lead!”