Embedded Files
Kevin Kurtz
Kevin Kurtz
Kevin Kurtz has loved books and nature since he was a kid growing up in upstate New York. He holds degrees in English literature and elementary education and started his career assisting with lab and field work at a marine biology research center.
Kevin then used the knowledge and skills he gained from all of these experiences by working as an educator, program developer, and curriculum writer for organizations such as the Science Factory Children's Museum in Oregon and the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston (You can learn more about his career experiences by visiting his LinkedIn page).
Kevin has been an Education Officer on the research vessel the JOIDES Resolution. He traveled with an international team of scientists during an expedition where he spent eight weeks at sea in the South Pacific. The scientists were studying the chain of volcanoes that makes up the Louisville Seamount Trail.
In 2016, Kevin was an educator for the Chicxulub Impact Crater expedition. He joined scientists in the Gulf of Mexico and in Germany as they studied the crater left behind by the asteroid impact that wiped out most of the dinosaurs.
Kevin's first children's book, A Day in the Salt Marsh, was published in 2007.
Kevin now lives in Rochester, New York. He continues to write books and visit schools around the country to introduce children to the wonders of reading, writing, science, and nature.
Programming
Programming
Author Visit (On Campus or Virtual)
Author Visit (On Campus or Virtual)
Grades: K-8
Length of Program: 45 minutes
Equipment needed: Digital projector w/ screen or interactive whiteboard or large TV screen and a handheld microphone
Description:
Kevin Kurtz is an award-winning nonfiction children’s author. He can do assembly programs where he reads or discusses one of his books, or he can present highlights from multiple books to teach a standards-based science concept or the process of researching and writing nonfiction. He can also do smaller group Writers Workshops where he works with students grades 3 and up to create their own nonfiction writing. He is happy to do different programs for each presentation to meet the needs of each grade level.
Learn more about his program options at his website www.kevkurtz.com/school-visits
This performance supports the following NYS Learning Standards:
Next Generation Learning Standards: English Language Arts
Production and distribution of writing
Research to build and present knowledge
Comprehension and Collaboration (speaking and listening)
Presentation of knowledge of ideas (speaking and listening)
Vocabulary acquisition and use
Science and Engineering Practices
Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)
Planning and carrying out investigations
Analyzing and interpreting data
Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering)
Engaging in argument from evidence
Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
Learning Standards for the Arts
Creating (imagine, plan, make, envision, develop)
Responding (reflect, interpret, evaluate, critique)
Learning Standards for Technology Education (check all that apply)
Engineering design
History and evolution of technology
Impacts of technology
Categories: Author
Cost:
$750 per day. Two nearby schools can split a day and receive two 45-minute presentations each for $375 each.
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