To celebrate Book Week (17-23 August), the Australian National Maritime Museum will be hosting a series of free online workshops designed to inspire and ignite the creativity of primary school students across Australia.
This series of 5 engaging workshops include 3 sessions with some of Australia's favourite children's authors, Dr Vanessa Pirotta, Jackie French, and Jess McGeachin, and 2 sessions with the Museum's Digital Education Project Officer leading creative writing workshops to spark the imagination and passion of young writers.
Conducted via Zoom so that students across Australia can be involved, these live workshops are interactive, and students are encouraged to actively participate and engage with the texts, authors and topics of discussion.
Head of Education, Mathew Sloane, has said, "Reading is one of the earliest life skills we learn as children. It's an essential communication tool which helps us to understand and marvel at the people and places in our amazing world and beyond. The Museum is proud to be participating in Book Week and fostering the curiosity and creativity of children as they develop their reading and writing skills."
See the full program and registration details below.
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Pirate Characters: Creative Writing Workshop (Years 3-6) Monday 19 August 2-3pm AEST
In this guided writing workshop, students will develop a motley crew of pirate characters, ready for adventures on the high seas. Students will build rich character profiles for their crew members and develop a distinctive voice for their pirates as they experiment with vocabulary and dialogue.
To register: Webinar Registration - Zoom
Oceans at Night with Dr Vanessa Pirotta (Years K-2) Tuesday 20 August 2-2:30pm AEST
Join wildlife scientist and author Dr Vanessa Pirotta to hear her beautiful new picture book Oceans at Night. Settle in and explore the wonderful world under the waves, and see what animals do from sunset to sunrise. From penguins to sharks, giant squid and plankton, discover the fascinating after-dark lives of ocean creatures.
Ocean at Night showcases the beauty and wonder of life below the sea, so dive deep and discover what happens while you sleep!
To register: Webinar Registration - Zoom
Shipwrecked! Creative writing workshop (Years 3-6) Wednesday 21 August 2-3pm AEST
Inspired by the drama and turmoil of real shipwreck tales, this stop-by-step workshop will guide students in writing their own adventure story. Students will use sensory writing to respond to shipwreck artifacts from the museum's collections, learn about the hyperbole involved in sailors' sea stories and begin the composition of an imaginative fictional text.
To register: Webinar Registration - Zoom
Author talk with Jackie French (Years K-4) Thursday 22 August 2-3pm AEST
Join author, ecologist and part-time wombat Jackie French as she shares the inspiration behind her picture book, The Turtle and the Flood (Illustrated by Danny Snell).
As Jackie shares this beautiful story, find out how animals like Myrtle the turtle can predict flood and drought, and how we can help to prevent dangerous floods in the future. Students will also learn how Jackie finds inspiration from nature and history, and turns real life into captivating fiction.
Students will have the opportunity to ask Jackie their questions before and during the Zoom, and hopefully spot some native animals from the window of Jackie's writing studio.
To register: Webinar Registration - Zoom
Meet the author/illustrator Jess McGeachin (Years 3-6) Friday 23 August 11am-12pm AEST
Join author and illustrator Jess McGeachin as he shares his books Deep, Lost and Kind, which celebrate the wonder of the natural world. Peek into Jess' sketchbook to see his creative process in action, and see how he grows the seed of an idea into a published book! Grab a pencil and paper to draw along as Jess demonstrates how to draw one of our favourite ocean creatures.
Students will have an opportunity to ask Jess their questions before and during the Zoom.
To register: Webinar Registration - Zoom
