Teaching Writing Skills with Children's Literature
Susan McElveen and Connie Dierking are educators, writer, and teacher consultants specializing in the classroom application of the writing process, as well as in the creation of materials for writing instruction in the K-5 classroom.Susan McElveen, a native of New Jersey received a B.S. in Elementary Education from East Stroudsburg University and a Reading Specialist Certificate and M. Ed. in Elementary Education from William Paterson University. In her 21 years in the classroom, she has taught second through fifth grades.Connie Dierking receieved a B.S. in Elementary Education and a M. Ed. in Special Education from Kansas State University. The Kansas native has taught 21 years in special education, kindergarten, first, and third grades.Connie and Susan teach Kindergarten and fourth grade, respectively, in Clearwater, Florida. They serve as writing demonstration teachers for Pinellas County, conducting in-service workshops for their school and district. They have presented at state, regional, and national IRA conferences.