PROGRAMS

Students use their imaginations to join the author on a journey into his “Scooby-Doo! Mysteries.” This session is prepared specially for kindergarten students and gives them a quick introduction to creative writing. [25 minutes; Kindergarten only]

This fun and fast-paced session introduces younger students to the basics of creative writing: main characters; settings; villains; and problems. Along the way, the students become bona fide authors as they create their very own “Scooby-Doo! Mystery.” [40 Minutes; Kindergarten & Grade 1 together]

Through active audience participation, students identify the parts of a story, brainstorm ideas, and discover how easy it can be to transform their ideas into stories. Students leave the session with an understanding of the creative process and ideas for original stories they can write in their classrooms. [50 Minutes; Grades 1-3]

Students identify the essential elements of a mystery, brainstorm ideas, and discover how to use the author's "secret formula" to design and solve mysteries on their own. Students take away an understanding of the creative process and a new set of creative writing "tools" that they can apply to a range of classroom writing assignments. [60 Minutes; Grades 4-6]

During the first visit, students participate in the "Whodunit" assembly. Students then receive the "Mystery Writing Workshop Resource Packet" and have two to three weeks to write an original mystery. The second visit features individual classroom sessions with the author. As students share their completed mysteries, the author helps students look at their stories with an “editorial” eye and offers up some general tips that students can use to improve their writing.
[2 visits, scheduled 2-3 weeks apart: Visit 1: “Whodunit” assembly; Visit 2: 60-minute classroom sessions; Grades 4-6]

Ready, Set, Write! – The Basics of Brainstorming and Story Structure
Elementary, My Dear Watson – The Essentials of Plotting a Mystery
Getting Into Character – Creating and Writing Memorable Characters
[3 consecutive days; Grades 3-6; up to five 45-minute classroom sessions per day; can also be combined with the “Mystery Writing Workshop”]

“Meet the Author” Night invites your students and their families to explore the relationship between words, pictures, and imagination. The evening consists of a short presentation on the mechanics of how a “Scooby-Doo! Mystery” comes together and includes Q&A with the author and a book signing session.
[Presentation runs approximately 30 minutes; the author will sign books for up to 60 additional minutes; this program can only be scheduled in conjunction with a full-day visit.]

“Family Writing Night” allows your students and their families to become bona fide “Scooby-Doo! Mystery” writers. After a short presentation on how to structure a mystery, families break into small writing groups and compose different parts of the story. The evening culminates with the debut of an original “Scooby-Doo! Mystery!” [Session runs approximately 90 minutes; this program can only be scheduled in conjunction with a full-day visit.]