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Kim Kautzer Presentations
(Click any presentation to see description.)
Inspiring Successful Writers Part 1 (Grades K-6) Ten Stumbling Blocks to Writing Teaching Writing: The Big Picture Teaching the Timed Essay Don’t Wait Till It’s Too Late NEW! How to Grade Writing with Confidence Writing Across the Curriculum Writing Games NEW! Writing Skills: More Important Than Ever! NEW! Growing Your Child’s Writing Vocabulary NEW! Your Child’s Writing: Garden or Weed Patch? NEW! College Prep: Is Writing on Track? Inspiring Successful Writers, Part 2 (Grades 7-12)
Inspiring Successful Writers Part 1 (Grades K-6)
Your kindergartener loves to tell stories but can hardly hold a pencil. Your 9-year-old is producing a novel. And the blank page reduces your 11-year-old to tears. What’s a parent to do? Kim will encourage and equip you to teach each of your children, whether reluctant or advanced, by breaking the writing process into manageable steps. Above all, discover how to infuse teaching time with fun so that your children will find joy in writing.
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Ten Stumbling Blocks to Writing
“I hate writing!” Is this the cheerful response you get when you give your kids an assignment? Then you’ll want to find out ten common stumbling blocks to writing and discover what students need in order to overcome their anxiety, fear, or lack of confidence. Learn how the steps of the writing process can actually motivate your most reluctant children, and gain tips and tools for encouraging their success.
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Teaching Writing: The Big Picture
While homeschoolers tend to excel in so many areas, writing remains an admitted weakness. This session presents a general overview of writing for K-12, with the goal of encouraging and inspiring the insecure parent. The workshop covers the steps of the writing process; what to teach and when; the importance of editing; content, style, and mechanics; and more. It's a look at the big picture with helpful and applicable tips a parent can use right away.
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Teaching the Timed Essay
College classes, SAT tests…does the prospect of writing timed essays send you and your teen into a tailspin? Take heart! This workshop, geared to parents of 8th-12th graders, discusses various types of essays and gives practical suggestions for teaching this important writing skill. Gain tips on brainstorming, simple outlining, and organization of a timed essay, and learn the secret to reducing the fear factor!
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Don’t Wait Till It’s Too Late
When it comes to subjects that are hard to teach, it seems that the faster time whizzes by, the more we drag our feet. Teaching writing can be one of those combative, energy-intensive subjects we keep putting off. Kids are lazy. They suffer from “blank paper” syndrome. Or they just plain fight us every step of the way. This workshop takes a hard look at the things that suck life from our homeschooling efforts (writing in particular) and suggests ways we can reinvest in our children’s education with purpose and conviction.
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NEW! How to Grade Writing with Confidence
Children see their writing as extensions of themselves: “Criticize my writing, criticize me.” How then can we offer suggestions to our kids without crushing them? Is it possible to take the subjectivity out of editing and grading? Kim not only gives practical tips and tools to edit and evaluate student writing, she demonstrates the importance of teaching kids to become self-editors as well. Kim will cover editing and grading for all ages, including self-editing, parent editing, using a grading rubric to evaluate progress, and overcoming your own fears and insecurities about giving feedback. Learn how much to say and how to say it in a way that equips your children to become better writers.
(Note: Uses WriteShop’s editing checklists. Also, session does not tape as well since the tape must be turned off during parent editing practice.)
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Writing Across the Curriculum
Did you know that writing doesn’t have to be taught as a “separate subject”? This practical workshop will leave you with a wealth of ideas not just for compositions, but for projects and activities that combine writing with art, music, drama, poetry, history, science, and more. You’ll come away with suggestions for a variety of writing activities suitable for mixed ages and grades.
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Writing Games
Writing games aren't just fluff! Learn the importance of using pre-writing activities and warm-ups to help your children become more productive and fluent writers. This is a hands-on workshop where you'll have a chance to practice with a number of these engaging activities. For elementary, junior high, and high school.
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NEW! Writing Skills: More Important Than Ever!
For better or worse, your teen’s writing skills can influence his future in college and beyond. Because of poor skills, many students must take remedial writing courses in college–if they get admitted at all. And in the workplace, employers are not only passing over applicants with below-average writing skills, they consider writing ability a key factor when offering promotions. As a homeschooling parent, you can prepare your child for college and the work force by teaching fundamental writing skills now, while there’s still time. Join Kim for an encouraging seminar as she offers tips and suggestions to help you prepare your student for the future.
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NEW! Growing Your Child’s Writing Vocabulary
Whether you have infants, teens, or in-betweens, Kim shares dozens of ideas to help you develop, encourage, and strengthen your children’s vocabulary. In particular, discover how simple tools such as reading aloud, asking questions, and playing word games will boost your students’ ability to use words more powerfully and precisely in their writing.
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NEW! Your Child’s Writing: Garden or Weed Patch?
Is your child’s writing dry and listless, like a neglected weed patch? Or does it take shape, flower, and bear fruit under her patient care? Writing, like gardening, requires time and attention. As Kim walks you through each step of the writing process, you’ll discover how very like a gardener each of your children is. Help them appreciate their role in the writing process as they grow their garden of words!
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NEW! College Prep: Is Writing on Track?
Is writing one of those subjects you keep starting and stopping? Does your child drag his feet, fail to finish assignments, or complain night and day? Or are you the one who has trouble following through with lesson planning or editing? For high schoolers, there’s more to planning for college than simply getting accepted, and becoming a good writer is at the top of the list! Learn how you can equip your kids by encouraging strong writing skills and good study habits that will serve them well in college.
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Inspiring Successful Writers, Part 2 (Grades 7-12)
Parents agree—inspiring kids to write well is one of the most intimidating tasks you face. Even if it’s your weakest area, you’ll be relieved to learn that you CAN train your junior high and high schoolers to write. So come discover a fresh approach to teaching composition skills and elements of style. Learn to objectively edit and evaluate writing so you can encourage your struggling, reluctant learner while challenging the one who’s more articulate and motivated.
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