Testimonials from Teachers, Media Specialists, and Librarians
Kristine Asselin presented to my five 6th grade ELA classes. Her presentation was engaging and inspiring, encouraging students to reflect back to a time they experienced strong emotion then write about it. Kristine had students incorporate their five senses into their writing which was very helpful for all of the students, especially the reluctant writers. She was also willing to have lunch with a group of aspiring writers. The discussion was enriching and very motivating for all who attended. I would highly recommend inviting Kristine to your classroom!
- Diane Tracanna 6th Grade ELA teacher, Littleton Middle School, May 2019
Student Reflections -
"I learned that there are a lot of writing tactics unexplored by the general community." - Karsten S.
"One thing that I learned yesterday was that you can make a story really interesting by adding personal experiences or feelings and tweaking them to become part of your writing." - Hannah S.
I learned that you can take something from your real life and turn it into a fictional story." - Maeve T.
Kristine Asselin inspired my 4th graders with an engaging and interactive classroom presentation about writing and the life of an author. She was prepared with a formal presentation, which allowed for plenty of student interaction. My 4th graders peppered her with a variety of questions, which she skillfully and appropriately answered. Toward the end of the visit, Kris read a excerpt of her book, The Art of the Swap. The impact of hearing an author reading her own book, in her own voice, left quite an impression on my students. My 4th graders enjoyed the visit so much that they asked Kris to return to our classroom so they could interview her for their show, 'Great Book Reviews'. She graciously agreed and helped them fulfill their vision of conducting their first official author interview. The interview aired on our local community television channel, which was very exciting!
-Heidi M., 4th Grade Teacher, Russell Street School, Littleton, Massachusetts, June 2018
"Kristine's presentations fascinated our students and encouraged future writers! In one day, she spoke with 10th graders about her writing process and 3rd graders about research and her books. It was interactive and engaging. Awesome visit!"
-Emily B., Librarian and Media Specialist, Shrewsbury High School, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, May 2017
"The presentation today was such an incredible experience for the students. You are so flexible when it comes to scheduling and responded so quickly! The kids really loved talking to you and got a lot of great information about writing. This gave them motivation to keep writing and to dig deeper for ideas. Thank you for your inspiration and willingness to talk to our students at Mount Airy Elementary School. We would love to do this again!"
- Sarah Watcher, 5th Grade Teacher, Mount Airy Elementary School, Maryland, April 2016 (for a Skype Author Chat)
"Kristine’s workshops are entertaining and educational. She engages the group and teaches about writing at the appropriate level for the group involved. We highly recommend her for any of your writing workshop needs."
- Dana Dextrose, Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, August 2015
"Kristine Asselin is a friendly, engaging presenter who gets students excited about writing. She stresses the importance of "showing and not always telling" when writing, and how strong, descriptive language will capture the readers' attention, making them want to read more. Mrs. Asselin also discussed the importance of revising. Often students finish a piece of writing and want to move on to the next assignment rather than revising and editing their piece. She disclosed to the students that she enjoys revising the most and explained why it is her favorite part of the writing process. Students had an opportunity to creatively write about a mysterious, haunted house that was projected on the screen. Many of the students were excited to share their initial work and later finished the piece. Mrs. Asselin's presentation was inspiring! I hope she will come back next year to motivate a new group of 6th graders."
- Diane Tracanna, 6th Grade English Language Arts, Littleton Middle School, May 2015
"Kristine Asselin is an amazing author and engaging speaker. She was able to take my 4th and 5th grade students through the research process in a way that involved them in the discussion and captured their interest. Through this discussion she was able to impart the importance of verifying your information through multiple reliable sources and to always cite your sources. In addition, she explained how "its all in the details" when writing. If you include vivid details in your writing it will captivate your audience. Now that "Common Core" has placed such an emphasis on nonfiction text that having an author so versed in nonfiction writing present to your students is a "no brainer."
- Kelly Gruhn, Media Specialist, Cedar Hill Elementary, Lawrenceville, GA. April 2015
"Kris had my second graders in hysterics as she taught them how to "show, not tell" when writing their stories. She spoke about the importance of capturing the reader's attention and had students think of examples of how to do that. Her presentation was fun, interactive and meaningful! The students loved it!"
- Amy McGrath, Grade 2, Shaker Lane School, Littleton, MA. March 2015
"She was easy to relate to. As students, kids are always asked to write about topics they have varying degrees of knowledge about. They probably feel adults already know everything. It was great for them to hear that even as adults, we still have to research and learn, and that it's fun! She also took the time to show the corrections and suggestions that her editor makes to her stories. She pointed out that these "red marks" don't mean that she's not a good writer. She and her editor are a team. Her editor is helping her to write the best story she can. I liked the fact that she had such a diverse selection of stories,(science, history, biographies). I'm looking forward to reading her fiction story due out this year!"
- Vanessa Holm, Grade 2, Shaker Lane School, Littleton, MA April 2013
- Diane Tracanna 6th Grade ELA teacher, Littleton Middle School, May 2019
Student Reflections -
"I learned that there are a lot of writing tactics unexplored by the general community." - Karsten S.
"One thing that I learned yesterday was that you can make a story really interesting by adding personal experiences or feelings and tweaking them to become part of your writing." - Hannah S.
I learned that you can take something from your real life and turn it into a fictional story." - Maeve T.
Kristine Asselin inspired my 4th graders with an engaging and interactive classroom presentation about writing and the life of an author. She was prepared with a formal presentation, which allowed for plenty of student interaction. My 4th graders peppered her with a variety of questions, which she skillfully and appropriately answered. Toward the end of the visit, Kris read a excerpt of her book, The Art of the Swap. The impact of hearing an author reading her own book, in her own voice, left quite an impression on my students. My 4th graders enjoyed the visit so much that they asked Kris to return to our classroom so they could interview her for their show, 'Great Book Reviews'. She graciously agreed and helped them fulfill their vision of conducting their first official author interview. The interview aired on our local community television channel, which was very exciting!
-Heidi M., 4th Grade Teacher, Russell Street School, Littleton, Massachusetts, June 2018
"Kristine's presentations fascinated our students and encouraged future writers! In one day, she spoke with 10th graders about her writing process and 3rd graders about research and her books. It was interactive and engaging. Awesome visit!"
-Emily B., Librarian and Media Specialist, Shrewsbury High School, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, May 2017
"The presentation today was such an incredible experience for the students. You are so flexible when it comes to scheduling and responded so quickly! The kids really loved talking to you and got a lot of great information about writing. This gave them motivation to keep writing and to dig deeper for ideas. Thank you for your inspiration and willingness to talk to our students at Mount Airy Elementary School. We would love to do this again!"
- Sarah Watcher, 5th Grade Teacher, Mount Airy Elementary School, Maryland, April 2016 (for a Skype Author Chat)
"Kristine’s workshops are entertaining and educational. She engages the group and teaches about writing at the appropriate level for the group involved. We highly recommend her for any of your writing workshop needs."
- Dana Dextrose, Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, August 2015
"Kristine Asselin is a friendly, engaging presenter who gets students excited about writing. She stresses the importance of "showing and not always telling" when writing, and how strong, descriptive language will capture the readers' attention, making them want to read more. Mrs. Asselin also discussed the importance of revising. Often students finish a piece of writing and want to move on to the next assignment rather than revising and editing their piece. She disclosed to the students that she enjoys revising the most and explained why it is her favorite part of the writing process. Students had an opportunity to creatively write about a mysterious, haunted house that was projected on the screen. Many of the students were excited to share their initial work and later finished the piece. Mrs. Asselin's presentation was inspiring! I hope she will come back next year to motivate a new group of 6th graders."
- Diane Tracanna, 6th Grade English Language Arts, Littleton Middle School, May 2015
"Kristine Asselin is an amazing author and engaging speaker. She was able to take my 4th and 5th grade students through the research process in a way that involved them in the discussion and captured their interest. Through this discussion she was able to impart the importance of verifying your information through multiple reliable sources and to always cite your sources. In addition, she explained how "its all in the details" when writing. If you include vivid details in your writing it will captivate your audience. Now that "Common Core" has placed such an emphasis on nonfiction text that having an author so versed in nonfiction writing present to your students is a "no brainer."
- Kelly Gruhn, Media Specialist, Cedar Hill Elementary, Lawrenceville, GA. April 2015
"Kris had my second graders in hysterics as she taught them how to "show, not tell" when writing their stories. She spoke about the importance of capturing the reader's attention and had students think of examples of how to do that. Her presentation was fun, interactive and meaningful! The students loved it!"
- Amy McGrath, Grade 2, Shaker Lane School, Littleton, MA. March 2015
"She was easy to relate to. As students, kids are always asked to write about topics they have varying degrees of knowledge about. They probably feel adults already know everything. It was great for them to hear that even as adults, we still have to research and learn, and that it's fun! She also took the time to show the corrections and suggestions that her editor makes to her stories. She pointed out that these "red marks" don't mean that she's not a good writer. She and her editor are a team. Her editor is helping her to write the best story she can. I liked the fact that she had such a diverse selection of stories,(science, history, biographies). I'm looking forward to reading her fiction story due out this year!"
- Vanessa Holm, Grade 2, Shaker Lane School, Littleton, MA April 2013