A software engineer by day, Mr. Funk has written many amusing “not fairytale” stories, having published 15 books so far, and many more to come.
During the visit, he introduced his newest book, ‘It’s not Little Red Riding Hood,’ and Grade 2 students were in for a treat as their teachers took on different roles, in Readers Theatre style, during the storytelling session.
After the storytelling session, students had the opportunity to ask Mr. Funk questions such as how long he has been writing and if he had fun writing. He also shared with the students how he gets his inspirations from daily observations and wonderings, allowing his imagination to create a plotline. Mr. Funk even provided some helpful tips on improving their writing skills, such as keeping a notepad by the bed to write down ideas and encouraging them to keep on reading as much as possible.
Following the visit, Grade 2 students shared what they learned from the experience:
“I enjoyed listening to the reading out loud, hearing the different characters and voices. I learned that you always have to revise your writings to make a book.” – Ayra.
“It was so much fun. I learned that to publish a writing piece it takes patience and time.” – Brandon.
“I liked seeing an author in real life, looking at a book and hearing it read out loud. I also learned that sometimes your books might not be published even though they are good.” – Genevieve.
“I enjoyed looking at the pictures.” – Shao Xuan.
“The first time I heard about this book, I was shocked because I have no idea why there was no wolf in it, and there was a Captain Hook, and the characters were smart. I learned that you need to write many drafts before publishing a story, like maybe 10 or 14.” – Lewis.
Many thanks again to Josh Funk for enthralling and inspiring our Grade 2 students and ES faculty, Alex Lancia, in arranging this fun and informative learning session!
