For Teachers

Quiz for kids! – What Kind of Summer Reader Are You?

Filed under: For Teachers,Free Stuff,Growing Up Artsy,Growing Up Reading,Printable Activities | May 13, 2024

Summer is SOOO close! And my daughters and I have already been curating our book stacks for the breezier months ahead.

My summer selections:

I’m diving into the deep end of graphic novels, stellar storytelling, and unique characters!


My 14-year-old’s summer picks:

This is teen girl bliss :)


My 10-year-old’s Summer stack:

She’s definitely into a certain type of book these days, and I love it!

Come June, I’ll be mailing out the Summer 2024 Issue of The Pencil Pusher to kids who receive it at their homes with several surprise vinyl stickers and an art contest!

The summer issue doesn’t get mailed to schools or classrooms (obviously), BUT I included a PDF of it below in hopes that you teachers/librarians will use it for some end-of-year fun with your students.

It’s a book-related personality QUIZ (a throwback to those magazine quizzes we all used to do for fun) called: “What Kind of Summer Reader Are YOU?” I had a lot of fun creating it and hope it helps start great, no-pressure conversations about maybe enjoying a book over summer break. I mean who doesn’t love a silly personality quiz, right?

Your students can also enter the contest by printing, cutting, and pasting these Pencil People to create a summer scene! Teachers/parents can submit the art to the contest at ShandaMc.com/PencilPusher.

Did you take the quiz yourself?

What kind of summer reader are YOU?

Cheesy Comic Books that Couldn’t Be Cuter!

Filed under: Coolness,For Teachers,School Visits | October 27, 2023

I had a blast working with some fun third graders making CHEESY COMICS together! Then, we compiled them into a hardcover book for their library. They look SO good, and I couldn’t be more excited to mail these off for the students to see their work published!

If you are interested in having me come do a CHEESY COMICS WORKSHOP with your students, get in touch! I like to spend about 2-2.5 hours with the same students spread over 1, 2, or 3 days. I am happy to work with group sizes of 10-60 as long as each student has a desk or plenty of table space to create.

In the workshop, we talk about character creation, story, the unique medium of comics (art+text, panels, and word balloons), and the comics creation process (sketches, pencils, inks, and color). By the end of our workshop, the students each have a zinger of a cheesy comic to go in an anthology hardcover book for the library or classroom that will “melt” you into a goo of joy :)

A message for my Georgia/Alabama/Florida teachers, librarians, and friends…

Filed under: For Teachers,Growing Up Reading,SCBWI Southen Breeze | August 28, 2023

Just a quick note to get the word out about a program that I’m excited to be a part of here in the southern region where I live. It’s called the “Read Local Challenge” for elementary age kids and classrooms!

My book, DOLL-E 1.0, is on the list, and I’m offering up 2 free virtual visits as well as 2 sets of my STEM books, Doll-E 1.0 & T-Bone the Drone, as prizes!

Take a look at the info below, and I hope to see you in the challenge!

What is it?

The Read Local Challenge is a new program that promotes literacy by encouraging children to read books created by local authors and illustrators in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.

In this pilot year, elementary school students who participate in this reading challenge will have the chance to win prizes like books and virtual visits from authors and illustrators. The more you read, the more entries you’ll get into our prize drawings.

There is no cost to schools or students to participate. Each participating group must have an adult facilitator, who may be a school employee or a parent.

How it works…

  1. Request a participation pack. Schools, classrooms, groups, or families may request a class pack, which contains a full-color poster, reading trackers, and stickers. Packs will be mailed out while supplies last. If you prefer, you can print your own pack. Or you can participate without printing anything at all.
  2. Get everyone excited! Hang your Read Local Challenge poster in a visible spot and talk to your students about the challenge. Tell them that the creators of these books live close by.
  3. Get books from the challenge list. You can find books at your library or bookstore. All the books in the challenge are currently available to schools and libraries. We’ve put together a list of the books, complete with their ISBN numbers, to make it easy.
  4. Set a goal. You can create a group goal (for example, “Our class will read five books together,”) or set individual goals for the students. You can post your goal on social media and tag us at @SCBWI_SoBreeze (Twitter/X and Instagram) if you like. (You don’t have to declare a goal to join the challenge, but it sure is fun to see if you can reach it!)
  5. Read. You can read as few as one book from the list, or all 21 if you’re ambitious. Remember, students can read individually, or you can read the books together as a class. Keep track of your reading on your poster or on the individual trackers. The more books you read, the more entries you’ll have in our prize drawing.
  6. Submit your counts. To be eligible for prizes, log your results here by 12/31/23. Don’t worry – we’ve made the submission form really simple. You should be able to complete the whole process in under 5 minutes.
  7. Celebrate! Congratulate your readers (with stickers, certificates, anything you like!) and wait to see if you’ve won one of our grand prizes. We’ll announce the winners and deliver the prizes by 2/15/2024.

Join the challenge now!

My School Visit Stats!

Filed under: Coolness,Events,For Teachers,Growing Up Reading,School Visits | May 23, 2023

YOU DID IT! (or you’re reeeeally close)

Look at you! You made it through another school year and so did I! I’m definitely ready for a break from early bed times and early wake times.

My girls are finishing up their last week of 3rd and 7th grades (7th almost killed me but that’s another story) but I had my biggest, busiest school visiting year yet thanks to all the wonderful people who invited me to their schools so I could share my love of stories! I know it takes extra effort to organize an author visit, so I am deeply appreciative of those who went that extra mile for their students and for me.

Visiting schools is one of the best parts of my work. It’s just so cool to connect with so many different people in various places … all because of a book. 

Here are my stats for the year…

“Our staff and teachers felt like you did an amazing job keeping the kids engaged and were an amazing presenter. It was so enjoyable to have you visit! All parts of the presentations were amazing and very well planned to keep the students focused and excited about writing and illustrating. Thank you.” – Sandy, Media Specialist, Canton, GA

“I loved how you were able to bring the presentation down to a level that even the Pre-K and Kindergarten were engaged. I also loved the way you encouraged the students to look at the illustrations and explained that many times the illustrations have an effect on the meaning of the text. Our students and teachers alike loved the presentations.” – Angelia, Media Specialist, Demorest, GA.

“We loved the presentation! Our students loved drawing along with you! I really enjoyed working with you from our first email until the last session was over today. You have thought through every aspect of your visit to make it as smooth as possible. Thank you!” – Jennifer, Media Specialist, Canton, GA

I’m booking for the 2023-2024 school year now! If you’re interested, take a look at my presentations, pricing, and availability calendar here and let’s get something set up!

H.A.G.S. (Have a good summer :) – Shanda

9 LIT + STEM ideas to explore in the classroom

Filed under: For Teachers | March 15, 2023

Here are 9 ideas to integrate literacy, my books, and STEM / STEAM into your curriculum BEYOND the science classroom…

Write a Book Review printable

Little Red Educator’s Guide

Design A Robot printable

My Robot printable

T-Bone the Drone story time kit

STEM/STEAM Video Lessons

Balancing Robot printable

Making and Literacy With Makey Makey, Scratch, and Doll-E 1.0

Little Red Educator’s Guide

I hope you enjoyed this list (which was taken from a presentation I did with 2 other authors)!

Three Printable Activities to go along with reading Nubby by Dan Richards and Shanda McCloskey

Filed under: A Picture Book & A Project,For Teachers,Free Stuff,Growing Up Artsy,Growing Up Reading,Illustration,My Books,Printable Activities | January 7, 2023

A Twisted Tale!

Filed under: Favorite Picture Books,For Teachers,Free Stuff,Growing Up Reading,Growing Up Writing,Printable Activities | August 22, 2022


According to (Creativity in the Class), Fractured fairy tales are a retelling of popular fairy tales but with changes to the characters, setting, or by changing the villain into the hero.

In fact, it was a fractured fairy tale at the book fair (when I was in third grade) that set me on a path forevermore to be in awe of picture books! That book was THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS.


I was absolutely delighted how the author turned this story on its head and wrote Wolf as a misunderstood victim instead of a villain. And the illustrations portrayed the pigs as just plain wolfists who judged Wolf without really knowing him! So, Wolf didn’t even have a chance when he asked his pig neighbor for a cup of sugar to make his dear old granny a birthday cake and then accidentally sneezed and knocked the pig’s house down.

Later in life I came across this cute story: LITTLE RED WRITING. The characters are pencils and pens and the big bad wolf is a pencil sharpener!


After I became a parent, I had a blast reading SLEEPING CINDERELLA AND OTHER PRINCESS MIX-UPS with both of my girls! These characters rewrite their own stories to suit them much better :)


After I experienced a major bout of depression (after some eye health stuff), this book resonated with me very much… AFTER THE FALL: HOW HUMPTY DUMPTY GOT BACK UP AGAIN.


And one of my dearest book friends (Shelli R. Johannes) just released this STEM/STEAM genius- PENNY, THE ENGINEERING TALE OF THE FOURTH LITTLE PIG.


And one of my dearest book friends (Shelli R. Johannes) just released this STEM/STEAM genius- PENNY, THE ENGINEERING TALE OF THE FOURTH LITTLE PIG.


Shop these fractured fairy tales here on Bookshop.org! (Sleeping Cinderella is not available on Bookshop but is available on Amazon).

Fractured Fairy Tales in the Classroom for all ages


Rebecca Kraft Rector says, “A fun and useful skill taught as early as kindergarten is to compare (what’s the same?) and contrast (what’s different?) a fractured tale with the original tale. Children can compare/contrast characters, setting, themes, and even illustrations.”

Rebecca and I put together some fracture fairy tale lessons and activities in the Little Red and the Big Bad Editor – Educator’s Guide! These lessons can be tailored to Kindergarten up to higher elementary.

Download the Educator’s Guide

Wow, 10 years makes a difference!

Filed under: Events,For Teachers,Illustration,Lessons of an Artist,Shanda's Journey | August 19, 2022

It’s so true.

Yesterday, my husband (Ben) texted me the image (below left) and said “You’ve come a long way in 10 years”.

side by side old work and new work

These postcard images were created by the same artist (me) and had the same theme (little red riding hood) with a frizzy red-haired character. The difference is 10 years.

That first image is odd, right? Not very kid friendly and extremely stiff. It humbles me to look back at this, because now I remember what a beginning beginner I was!

Sometimes I forget. But looking back at this reminds me how patient and kind other creators and industry professionals were with me at conferences or other bookish events. They didn’t dismiss me and say “you just don’t get it”. Thankfully, they found tidbits of good in my work and praised those things while also giving me gentle nudges to improve over and over and over again.

My dreams were never crushed, and I’m so grateful for that.

Little Red and the Big Bad Editor cover

Just 2 weeks until Little Red hits shelves!

Preorder below!

Read It Again Bookstore (Suwanee, GA) Request a “signed by Shanda” copy in the order comments.

Little Shop of Stories (Decatur, GA) Order 2+ books for free shipping!

Bookshop.org

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Book Depository (International)

I invite you and your family to join me at Read It Again Bookstore in Suwanee, GA on Oct 8, 2022, 12-2pm. This in-person event is perfect for Kindergarteners, 1st graders, 2nd graders, and their teachers. We’ll be reading, drawing, coloring, and writing a thank you letter just like Little Red!

Everyone will get a bookmark and stickers, and of course I’d love to sign a book for you or your class :)

Teachers: I’ll be giving away one FREE in-person writing workshop for students! All attending (K-5) teachers will be eligible.

Read It Again Bookstore
3630 peachtree pkwy, suite 314
Suwanee, GA 30024

Thanks so much for reading!
Love, Shanda

Kids Writing Workshops and Author Visit Programs for 2022-23

Filed under: For Teachers,Growing Up Writing,School Visits | August 4, 2022

Hello friends!

Here in north Georgia our school year has just begun! This past Monday, my girls started 7th grade and 3rd grade. I can barely believe it! Our Summer (full of broken bones, birthday parties, puppies, swimming, fireworks, and a friend from Hungary) swirled by like a twister! But now I am ready for Fall.Every Summer, I give my school visit materials a facelift. And depending on my experiences/feedback from the previous year, I might add, adjust, or even take away a presentation. Sometimes prices need to be adjusted or maybe I want to implement a new logistical strategy in my school visit workflow. Each year is different!


What’s New For My 2022-23 Visits?
For this new academic year I was inspired to add some writing workshops to my school visit program menu, partly because I love seeing students streeeetch their minds to create a completely unique story of their own, and partly because I got the “writing workshop scoop” from my author friend, Lola. (See podcast below)



Photo: 11-year-old young author and I at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, 2022, UAE.

Two New Writing Workshops!


Thank You Letter Writing Workshop
Best for grades K-3rd (45 minute session)

NEW! This workshop uses LITTLE RED AND THE BIG BAD EDITOR to model how to write a thank you letter (complete with punctuation, capital letters, finger spaces, as well as a greeting and closing)! Shanda will read the book, brainstorm with students about who they could write a thank you letter to, walk them through writing it, and encourage them to actually deliver it!



Cheesy Comics Writing Workshop
Best for grades 3rd-5th (2 or 3 one hour sessions)

NEW! This silly educational workshop (part 1) starts with students imagining, drawing, and creating a main character (that also happens to be a slice of cheese :) with unique wants, fears, histories, and problems. The next session (part 2) will focus on telling the character’s story by creating a short comic with the cheesy character pitted against its greatest fear, whatever that may be! A third session (part 3) may be added for students to give/receive constructive feedback using the “critique sandwich” method then revising their stories to be even better!





New Podcast Episode!

Educators: If you’d like to know more about bringing an author to your school for a writer’s workshop (and possibly even earn some PD), check out this latest podcast episode where I interview my author friend, Lola Schaefer, about just that!Authors: If you’ve ever thought about doing writing workshops with kids, this episode is a must!


Go to the episode

I can’t wait to start visiting schools this year :) Let me know if you’d like to set something up! Visit my school visit info page for all programs, pricing, and available dates.As always, thanks for reading!

Handwriting and Cursive Practice (Printable)

Filed under: For Teachers,Free Stuff,Growing Up Writing,Printable Activities | August 2, 2022

Legible handwriting is a basic communication tool. Cursive handwriting is also (and a signature can come in handy as well as the ability to read old letters and the Declaration of Independence). Practice writing in print and cursive with the printables below!

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Shanda McCloskey, Children's Illustrator & Author