Kudos for David A. Kelly Author Visits
David nailed the mystery writing process for our third graders. He provided mystery ideas, an outline and noted the need for clues and red herrings. A parent whose child is learning remotely emailed my principal praising David’s performance.
– Lisa, Library Media Specialist, Creech Elementary School, Katy TX
We loved how personable David was! The presentation he gave about his own writing process and his motivation to write his books was wonderful! He connected with so many students who knew of the cities the mysteries took place. They especially loved learning about how he created his main characters, Mike and Kate. I would HIGHLY recommend this opportunity for other schools who read mysteries and want to have a live ‘visit’ with an author. The entire process was easy to facilitate and our students were so excited! Thank you for this opportunity! We loved it all! Loved the slide show you gave and the question and answer session was great! Thank you!
– 2nd grade teacher, Bowdoin Central School, Bowdoin, Maine
Our Google Hangouts visit was amazing! David connected with the third grade students perfectly by explaining how he maps out his mysteries (they just finished their mystery unit) and explaining how even published authors need to revise and edit! The students loved seeing one of the pages that had 29 comments from his editor. They were amazed by seeing an actual container of the “miracle mud” they had read about in his nonfiction book. The kids left the visit eager to read more by David. What a great alternative when a school visit may not be possible.
– Library Media Specialist, Fawn Hollow school, Monroe, CT
What a fantastic experience for my students! David Kelly was personable, attentive to individual students and entertaining! As a teacher, I loved that he didn’t talk down to my 3rd graders and treated their questions as very important. The students were thrilled with the visit and we all want to see if we can have him come in person for a school visit! Great opportunity and I would recommend him to any class!
– 3rd grade teacher, Myles Elementary School, New Hartford, NY
This was my first experience using google hangout and experience with a live chat and I have to say it was absolutely WONDERFUL!! My students loved hearing Mr. Kelly talk about the books he wrote, how he got his ideas, and what inspires him as a writer. Mr. Kelly was professional and engaging. His conversations were engaging and he answer questions afterwards which the students loved hearing what he had to say. They were just excited and enthralled the whole time. Not only is Mr. Kelly a great author but such a nice a personable man. Mr. Kelly not only had fans prior to the chat but he earned a couple dozen more after because my students couldn’t stop talking about him and telling their friends about him. I highly recommend teachers to book him for a Skype or google hangout session. You will not be disappointed!!! It was such a great experience and I hope he will do another session for my class next year. Thank you again for such a great experience for both myself and students.
– 2nd grade teacher, Olive Chapel Elementary, Apex, NC
My students thoroughly enjoyed Skyping with Mr. Kelly. He was very informative and easy for our second graders to follow. They are all excited about reading his books after meeting him virtually!
– 2nd grade teacher, Young Elementary, Decatur, TX
I think it was helpful for the students to understand the stamina and perseverance it takes to be a writer-kids really seemed impressed and shocked about that! It was nice for them to see how even though it’s a struggle, there’s a lot of success to be had! I think the students learned of the importance of developing characters and plot–keeping it interesting and having an organization structure to create the problem and solution of the story. Overall, I’d say it supported the students learning of the writing process and emphasized the persistence needed to be a reader and a writer.
– 3rd grade teacher, Newman Elementary, Needham, MA
My 4th graders were spellbound during David Kelly’s entire presentation. His honesty about his struggles as a young student in school was the first piece of personal information to capture their attention. From there he clearly explained to these “future authors” the process he went through before he could even begin to write his very first chapter book. Discussing the amount of reading and research time he needed truly left an impression on each of my children. Without making it boring yet including just the right amount of bullet points, Mr. Kelly clearly described the essential elements that need to be addressed when writing a mystery story. The other lasting impression he shared with his captive audience was the number of times his books got rejected before finally being accepted for publication. Thanks to Mr. Kelley, my kids now appreciate what it means when we say, WRITING is a PROCESS I now have 24 future mystery writers in my classroom!
– 4th grade teacher, Houghton School, Sterling, MA
“…was an incredible opportunity for our young readers and writers…David kept the children entertained, engaged, and yearning to read more of the book in the hour he spent with the students…It was an enjoyable presentation and the students left knowing the writing process was not just something done in the classroom. David’s interaction with the students was warm and welcoming-this was an enjoyable afternoon for all! Thank you.”
– Alison Salerno, 4th grade teacher, Boxford Public Schools, Massachusetts
David Kelly’s discussion regarding what it takes to become an author and to publish a book was eye-opening for the students and allowed them a first-hand tie-in with the curriculum they are taught in their writing classes.
– Teacher, Boxford Public Schools, Massachusetts