Sammie is available for school visits, conference presentations, speaking engagements, and teacher workshops. She presents at local reading conferences throughout Florida, Florida Reading Association Conferences, International Reading Association Conferences, and Pathways to Literacy Conferences sponsored by the International Institute of Literacy Learning.

School Visits

• Writers Are Ordinary People, Too - (45 minutes-1 hour, grades 1-8) Background information about Sammie including a close-up look at the writing process and how an idea becomes a book.
• Anchors Aweigh - (45 minutes-1 hour, grades 1-8) is a salute to the men and women of the United States Navy. Students take a behind the scenes tour of the U.S. Navy Alphabet Book (including information not published).
• Welcome Aboard - (45 minutes-1 hour, grades 1-8) This presentation is a combination of Writers Are Ordinary People, Too and Anchors Aweigh.
• A Little Dab Will Do You - (30 minutes, Pre-K and Kindergarten) An abbreviated presentation.

April 5, 2004 - W. H. Taylor Elementary School (Norfolk, VA) Sammie reads one of her favorite books, Epossumondas by Coleen Salley, to her neice Hayley's class.
[Click to Zoom In]	[Click to Zoom In]

Teacher Workshops

• Outrageously Contagious Poetry!
  What is poetry? Why is it important? This session will answer these questions and more. Love, laugh, and learn as you discover how infectious poetry is for everyone. Explore the importance of poetry as a powerful tool to turn children onto our language.
• Listen to the Rhythm and Write
  This session demonstrates how to use literacy scaffolds to enable your students to write freely, express themselves in their own special language, and achieve success writing poetry. Student samples will be shared.
• Gone Fishin'! Hooking the Reluctant Writer
  This session will introduce the use of pattern and predictable books as well as story retellings to help children put language in their pockets. The powerful connection between art and writing will be demonstrated. Numerous student samples will be shared.
• Reading, Writing and Rubrics
  Participants will be introduced to six critical writing traits. Student-friendly rubrics and sample writings will be shared to demonstrate how students learn to assess their own writing. Emphasis is placed on using children's literature to teach each trait.