Author teaches Literacy workshop with a “sequel.”

Author Elaine Pease and third grade class.

During school visits, I read from one of my picture books EVEN SHARKS NEED FRIENDS.  A new workshop concept I’ve introduced is the “Create a sequel to EVEN SHARKS NEED FRIENDS.”  I offer this concept as part of my elementary school visits, especially for third through fifth grades.  Prior to school visit day I create a storyboard by taping two poster boards together.  I have nine sheets of paper which serve as the “pages” of the book, that I glue down in order. The story sequel has a rhyming phrase on almost every page.  I leave the end of the sentence blank for the students to suggest the rhyming word, much like an ad-libs format.  Sometimes the suggestions are silly, sometimes they don’t rhyme, which is okay, but they are almost always creative.

When we finish our sequel I read it back to them and congratulate them on becoming authors.  We vote on three suggestions for the title of our sequel.  Then, the kids may color the characters from EVEN SHARKS NEED FRIENDS — Hammy and Gloompa, for the illustrations.