"Dilly's Place" - lessons for middle school kids to express themselves & have the confidence to stand up when others put them down.
I know that any amount of money is a LOT of money when it is NOT YOUR money, but please take the time to see what is offered for the rewards. I'm not just sending out a few autographed copies of a book. I'm going to schools - your school - 30 or 40 schools - as many schools for which someone signs me up - to teach for a day - anywhere in the country. I'm working for this money and not just mailing out "thank you" notes. If this appeals to you, then go to your kid's school and tell them to check it out. Or make a pledge and do something fabulous for your kid's school. I'm asking you to make - me - work. Make - me - travel - to -schools - and - teach - kids - and - teachers - about - writing. So, let's begin...
Whatever happened to creative writing in school? Short story competitions? Literary journals and poetry contests? Schools do everything to promote and publicize sports, but too many schools generally ignore performing and creative arts. They'll promote theater because there are tickets to be sold, but what about writing? Teachers don't teach it as much because they're forced to spend so much time preparing kids for the type of writing on those annoying statewide tests. Schools just don't do enough to facilitate and promote creative writing. Not all teachers can handle creative writing, so their approaches are sometimes ancient and boring.
That's where I come in.
This project is about making and doing something, namely me making and delivering and doing something. This project is about me visiting schools and meeting with children and teachers in classrooms and libraries. It's about bringing a story, books, inspiration, and creative writing lessons to schools chosen by donors. I am writing a book about a boy who enjoys creative expression but is intimidated by a bully and must learn positive ways to stand up and find support. This project is about building confidence and self esteem, having the confidence to express yourself, and the importance of family. By the way, anyone can be "family," not just those who live with you. I have spent the past 25 years teaching writing, reading, and character education. I also have another language arts teacher assisting with the supplemental material and a school superintendent guiding me on the best ways to assess students performance in regard to the story.
The book - Dilly's Place - is roughly 50,000 words and 150 pages. The quality of writing will hopefully be considered in the direction of books like Because of Winn Dixie (with all due respect to my favorite female author, Kate DiCamillo) and Maniac Magee and Stargirl (with all due respect to my favorite male author, Jerry Spinelli). I have written four novels, half a dozen short stories, award-winning poems, and social commentary. This is not just an eBook but a paperback in your hands as well as support material for schools and teachers and students. This is a complete novel as well as writing lessons, a study guide, and projects geared towards the themes of the book. Please visit http://brainsnorts.wordpress.com to see samples of my writing, and you will be impressed.
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More and more kids are having trouble with self esteem, confidence, and bullying. Dilly's Place is a story about Dillon, a 12-year old boy, who is short for his age and often pushed around and picked on by other children because he enjoys writing poetry, acting, and working with his mother in a garden. Usually, his 13-year old sister Rose is there to protect him and stand up for him when trouble happens, but she reminds him that there will be times when she cannot be there. This the last year that they'll be going to the same school, on the same bus, because next year Rose will be going to high school, and Dilly will not have her around all day. He must learn to stand up for himself. In many cases with boys like Dillon, a father might coach him on what to do when someone is bullying you. However, Dillon and Rose's father is a soldier who is on the other side of the world, helping protect other people and cannot help his own son. Although Dillon gets valuable help from his sister and mother, he greatly missed his father, and of course they all do. Rose and Dillon will help kids see the value in good friends and family. The lessons Rose teaches Dillon can transfer to anyone, even kids without a big brother or sister. And eventually, the things about Dillon that make him a target for teasing will prove to be very valuable for both him and others.
This book will be written during May, June, and July of 2012 and be available through either Createspace. Purchase price for paperback copies will be at the lowest cost allowed by Createspace (which sets a minimum price that I cannot control) and will not be priced to earn a profit for me.
The money pledged is so that I can appear at schools to teach lessons in creative writing, self esteem, and confidence. Those appearances will also include five copies of Dilly's Place for the school library. As you can see in the rewards, the money from pledges is so that I can appear at schools across the country in order to not only share the story of Dilly's Place but to also teach some creative writing exercises in classrooms as well as show teachers some simple, easy, and free ways to promote and display student writing.
If the individual donations are smaller than the higher rewards required for a school visit but the total money pledged is enough to reach the goal, then the 30 highest donors will each select a school for me to visit during the 2012-2013 school year.
The money raised through donations will go towards paying for the books and supplemental materials that I will provide at the school visits. Schools will not have to pay extra money for copies of the books. All supplemental materials are reproducible, thus saving schools from having to repurchase booklets because they will be free to photocopy as much as necessary. If you work in a school, you'll know how important that is. Money will also be used for expenses accrued while writing and printing the book as well as travel and for making school appearances. Donations are also covering the rights for the cover art.
If a donor happens to be a photographer and would like to donate cover art, then I would certainly make sure there was a photography credit for that on the cover of or inside the book. If a donor happens to be a sketch artist and would like to provide line drawings at the beginning of each chapter, then I would gladly provide a description of what to draw and also give illustrator credit on the cover.
I hope you find this project as worthy and as important as I do.
Thanks for stopping by.
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
3
Backers
$60.00
pledged of $25,000 goal
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Funding Unsuccessful This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on July 9, 2012.
Funding period
May 25, 2012 -
Jul 9, 2012
(45 days)
- 2 created · 2 backed
- Decker Schutt 0 friends
- Website: brainsnorts.wordpress.com
Pledge $10 or more
1 backer
A Nook, Kindle, or other eReader version of "Dilly's Place."
Estimated delivery: Aug 2012Pledge $25 or more
2 backers
A paperback copy of "Dilly's Place." Donor's name will appear on a "Thank You for your Support" page at the beginning of the book.
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $100 or more
0 backers
(1).. Five paperback copies or one hardcover copy of "Dilly's Place." ..(2).. Donor's name will appear on a "Could Not Have Done It Without You" page at the beginning of the book.
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $250 or more
0 backers
FOUR things:...(1).. Ten paperback copies of "Dilly's Place." - OR - Five paperback and one hardcover copy - OR - two hardcover copies. ..(2).. Donor's name will appear on a "Could Not Have Done It Without You" page at the beginning of the book. ..(3).. Also included is one copy of supplemental material including chapter quizzes, study guides, final assessments, projects, and writing assignments based on the themes in the story. This material is designed for teachers using "Dilly's Place" in their classrooms. If this booklet did not interest you, it can be replaced by another paperback copy of the book. ..(4).. You would have permission to reproduce those assignments, so further purchases would not be necessary. If you work in a school, you'll know how important that is and how much money it can save you.
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $300 or more
0 backers Limited (10 of 10 left)
(1).. Five paperback copies or one hardcover copy of "Dilly's Place." ..(2).. Donor's name will appear on a "Could Not Have Done It Without You" page at the beginning of the book. ..(3).. Name a supporting character in the story. There are several children, some nice, some not nice. There are teachers, an elderly couple, and some townspeople. There are addresses that need to be decided, a school that needs a name, a town that needs a name, and there are businesses that can be named after your business if you have one..............please note that there is a higher dollar pledge that incorporates naming characters too. If one of those gets taken first, then some of these choices here will change. This reward is for donors who wish to personalize the story but do not wish to purchase enough books for a classroom or schedule a visit to a school...........please send me an e-mail or message so we can discuss which item or character you wish to personalize.
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $500 or more
0 backers
FOUR things:....(1).. Twenty-five paperback copies of "Dilly's Place." - OR - Twenty paperback and one hardcover copy. - OR - any combination in which one hardcover equals five paperbacks. ..(2).. Donor's name will appear on a "Could Not Have Done It Without You" page at the beginning of the book. ..(3).. Also included are five copies of supplemental material including chapter quizzes, study guides, final assessments, projects, and writing assignments based on the themes in the story. This material is designed for teachers using "Dilly's Place" in their classrooms. If this booklet did not interest you, it can be replaced by another paperback copy of the book. ..(4).. You would have permission to reproduce those assignments, so further purchases would not be necessary. If you work in a school, you'll know how important that is and how much money it can save you.
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $1,250 or more
0 backers
FIVE things: ..(1).. Everything in the $500 pledge. ..(2).. The school's name will be listed on a "Special thanks to the students of ______ School" page at the end of the book. ..(3).. I will appear at a middle school or library of your choice in the states of Delaware, Maryland, Eastern Pennsylvania, and New Jersey to teach a creative writing lesson with two groups of students and teachers to discuss the themes of this story, which include confidence, bullying, and self esteem. I have 25 years experience as a teacher of writing, language, and character education. There are no extra fees. ALL expenses and materials are included in the $1250 - which is roughly the same cost for a one-day consultation according to school administrators whom I've interviewed in order to help set the price. Some appearances may have to be scheduled beyond October depending on the number of pledges because I can only make two or three appearances per week due to travel and preparation. ..(4).. The school will select a group of approximately 40 students, divided into two groups, who can be identified as having proficient writing ability and/or in need of self-esteem support. Each writing and self-esteem lesson will be approximately one hour during the school day. ..(5).. I would also be available for questions and answers regarding writing, bullying, or self esteem with any parents, teachers, and students at the end of the school day, thus being available for anyone who might not be able to fit into the other two groups.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $2,500 or more
0 backers
FIVE things:..(1).. Everything in the $500 pledge. ..(2).. The school's name will be listed on a "Special thanks to the students of ______ School" page at the end of the book. ..(3).. I will appear at a middle school or library of your choice - anywhere in the US -to teach a creative writing lesson with two groups of students and teachers to discuss the themes of this story, which include confidence, bullying, and self esteem. I have 25 years experience as a teacher of writing, language, and character education. There are no extra fees. ALL expenses and materials are included in the $2500 - which is roughly the same cost for a one-day consultation according to school administrators whom I've interviewed in order to help set the price. Some appearances may have to be scheduled beyond October depending on the number of pledges because I can only make two or three appearances per week due to travel and preparation. ..(4).. The school will select a group of approximately 40 students, divided into two groups, who can be identified as having proficient writing ability and/or in need of self-esteem support. Each writing and self-esteem lesson will be approximately one hour during the school day. ..(5).. I would also be available for questions and answers regarding writing, bullying, or self esteem with any parents, teachers, and students at the end of the school day, thus being available for anyone who might not be able to fit into the other two groups. ..... The difference between the $1,250 and the $2,500 is the extra travel expenses outside of the states designated in the $1,250 reward. Those extra expenses are likely to include extra driving, fuel, food, and/or air travel, rental car, and possibly overnight lodging.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $3,000 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
This donor of $3,000 will get the same reward as the $2,500 reward but will also help me create the names for the town and school in the story "Dilly's Place." Perhaps you want to pay tribute to your town and your school or your children's school. I might not use the exact name, but it will certainly be very similar that we will both agree on.
Estimated delivery: Jul 2012Pledge $3,000 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
This donor of $3,000 will get the same reward as the $2,500 reward but will also help me create the name or names for another family of children who appear in the story "Dilly's Place." Perhaps you and your family, your spouse and children would like to have characters named after them. I might not use their exact names, but it will certainly be very similar until we both agree.
Estimated delivery: Jul 2012Pledge $3,000 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
This donor of $3,000 will get the same reward as the $2,500 reward but will also help me create the names for an elderly couple who appear in the story "Dilly's Place." Perhaps you have beloved parents or grandparents, and you would like the couple named after them. I might not use their exact names, but it will certainly be very similar.
Estimated delivery: Jul 2012
