Joan Marie Galat introduces astronomy using storytelling to share ancient myths, interspersed with astronomy facts. The positions of celestial objects are shown with magnetic stars on a whiteboard. Her enthusiasm for stargazing is contagious and leaves children interested in exploring the mysteries of the night sky on their own.
Joan’s presentation also includes reading from Dr. Bufflehead Explores Energy or Dr. Bufflehead Explores Dirt, with discussion on the differences between fact and fiction. She talks about how to find ideas to write and tell stories, and asks for audience interaction when telling a final story, developed using the tips described. A question and answer period follows.
The grand finale includes a brief demonstration of juggling star-shaped beanbags. This reinforces the importance of reading…once Joan explains she learned to juggle from reading a book!
An activity sheet is provided.
Grades 3-6: Write and Explore the Night
Joan Marie Galat introduces astronomy using storytelling to share ancient myths, interspersed with astronomy facts. The positions of celestial objects are shown with magnetic stars on a whiteboard. Her enthusiasm for sky science is contagious and leaves audiences ready to explore the mysteries of the night sky on their own.
Joan’s presentation also encompasses her life as an author. Her first encounter with publishing at the age of 13 intrigues aspiring writers. Encouraging children in their own writing endeavors has a strong focus in this presentation. The need for revision is reinforced when Joan shows rough copies of Stories in the Stars and elaborates on the writing process. Joan shares techniques on finding story ideas and includes time for a question and answer period.
The grand finale includes a brief demonstration of juggling star-shaped beanbags. This reinforces the importance of reading…once Joan explains she learned to juggle from reading a book!
School visits include a package for the teacher containing activity sheets, as well as a list of publishers who consider submissions by young people.
Grades 7-9: Password to Publishing
This junior high presentation is launched with celestial storytelling—aimed at captivating the audience with the wonder of words. It expands to tell the personal story of a junior high student who wanted to be a writer and came to be published at the age of 13. This presentation explores the challenges, joys, and surprises of the writing life, as well as the path Joan followed to become an author. Her personal stories reveal how she learned the craft and made writing her career, persevering through numerous rejections.
Joan enjoys encouraging students in their own writing endeavors. She stresses the need for revision by showing rough copies of Stories in the Stars and elaborating on the writing process. She also talks about the process of getting published and creates parallels that will be of interest to any student pursuing a dream. Joan elaborates on the importance of effective writing, no matter what profession a student wishes to pursue. A question and answer period follows the presentation.
A list of publishers considering submissions by young people is provided.
Grades 10-12: Writing as a Career
In this presentation for senior high students, Joan Marie Galat expands on the junior high content described above. She discusses writing as a career, sharing her experience writing newspaper and magazine articles; speeches; exhibit text; websites; and radio, video, and multi-media scripts; animation, and corporate content.
Joan talks about finding story ideas and shows how she applies these techniques. She uses storytelling to demonstrate the power of stories for communication, then encourages students to consider the importance of the various forms stories take in their own culture. Discussion addresses how students can learn to listen, react, and create their own personal stories for entertainment or persuasion. A question and answer period follows.
A list of publishers considering submissions by young people is provided.
Family or Seniors Audiences: Dot to Dot in the Sky
Joan Marie Galat introduces the wonders of the night sky using storytelling to share ancient myths, interspersed with astronomy facts. The positions of celestial objects are shown with magnetic stars on a whiteboard. Her enthusiasm for stargazing is contagious and leaves attendees interested in exploring the mysteries of the night sky on their own.
