Park Avenue students receive a visit from children’s author Alan Katz
Students at Park Avenue Elementary School received a visit from children’s author Alan Katz on Tuesday, May 14, who spoke with them about the importance of reading and writing.
Mr. Katz is a print and television comedy writer who has written for shows like Pinkalicious and the Rosie O’Donnell Show, as well as written print, television, and radio advertising and promotional campaigns for a wide array of consumer products and entertainment properties, including Pepsi, McDonald’s, Disney World. He is the author of popular children’s books like “Got Your Nose!” “The Day the Mustache Came Back” and “I’m Still Here in the Bathtub.”
April was National Poetry Month and students recently finished up their unit on reading and writing and will continue lessons that vary throughout the different grade levels.
During the assembly, Mr. Katz encouraged students to continue reading and writing because not only are those important skills for them to have but also because it’s a fun way to learn and express who they are.
“The more you write, the better you read. The more you read, the better you write,” Mr. Katz said.
He also encouraged students to participate in a sing-a-long to some of his well-known stories like “Take Me Out of the Bathtub,” which he wrote to the tune of the popular song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” by Frank Sinatra.
“I’ve been writing since Kindergarten,” Mr. Katz told students. “And anybody can be a writer as long as you know the 26 letters of the alphabet.”
Students excitedly listened to Mr. Katz as he read from a few of his stories and explained the inspiration behind them.
“Alan Katz came to visit us to continue our school’s tradition of authors visiting the students (a Park Avenue PTA program),” said Matthew Spicehandler the Library and Media Specialist at Park Avenue. “This was the first year in a long time that we had an author in person.”
After the assembly, a select few students participated in a Writing Workshop with Mr. Katz where they were able to collaborate and write their own “LIEography.” LIEography is a series started by Mr. Katz, which is composed of “Absolutely untrue and 100% made up stories” written about well-known historical figures. Some of Mr. Katz’s LIEography’s include stories about Babe Ruth and Amelia Earhart.
Students in the writers’ workshop chose to write their LIEography about Albert Einstein! By participating in this workshop, students were developing their creative skills, and imagination, and learning that being a writer, like Mr. Katz, is a fun job that they can do too.
By integrating classroom lessons with professional and real-world experiences, students are exposed to different career paths and encouraged to develop new passions and skills.
“Summer is coming,” Mr. Katz said. “Keep reading and writing and your book will take you on a great adventure.”