WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE In this program, CLiF arranges to have a professional author or poet visit an elementary school in New Hampshire or Vermont and spend three days giving inspiring, dynamic writing workshops to up to 100 children in the first through sixth grades. This sponsorship is provided at no cost to the school. More than one-third of Vermont children tested at the elementary level have not met the basic standard for writing skills, and a recent nationwide study indicated that only one in four school children in the US has the knowledge and skills needed to write stories and reports proficiently. The Writer-in-Residence workshops give children a fresh perspective on the process and pleasure of writing. Schools that receive this grant select up to 100 students who will participate in the program, allowing the presenter time to visit different classes and work with students individually throughout each day. During the classroom visits, the presenter reads and discusses a few pieces of writing, engages the children in a conversation about the works, and then asks the children to begin writing pieces of their own. While the children are writing the presenter walks around the class offering suggestions and encouragement to each young writer. Finally, several students have the opportunity to stand up and read their works aloud to the class and receive further feedback from the poet or author. By the end of the three days, all students should have written one to three pieces of their own. These workshops are conducted by poets and authors from New Hampshire and Vermont who are regionally or nationally recognized. Equally important, these presenters are also very skilled at bringing writing alive for elementary school children and inspiring young writers. Feedback from CLiF workshops has been extremely positive: "We cannot thank you enough for sending [poet] Ted Scheu to Brookfield. He was incredible! All [the students] were actively engaged in their learning, and experiencing writing in a way many had not before. Virtually every student approached me afterward, excited and proud to share the poems they had created. In fact, poetry is now very cool at the Brookfield School." Principal - Brookfield Elementary School - Brookfield, VT (pop. 1,000) View a list of Writer-in-Residence sponsorship sites. Click here to apply for a Writer-in-Residence grant and learn more about the deadlines and application process. You can also view other comments from teachers whose students have received a sponsorship.