Darren J. Butler
Author, Director, Writing Specialist, Storyteller, and Motivational Speaker
Featured Topics
Fee Range
$2,500
Darren J. Butler
Biography
As an author, Darren J. Butler has written four books in the Abbie, Girl Spy series - The Case of the Missing Locket, The Ducks and Diamonds Mystery, The Secret of Crybaby Hollow, and The Masterpiece. Additionally, he published a children's fantasy novel entitled Merlin's Curse and Helen Keller - Leader Without Sight or Sound for Seacoast Publishing. His professional book Countdown to Assessment trained teachers how to prepare students for the Alabama Direct Assessment on Writing for 5th, 7th, and 10th grade students. In addition to his books, Butler published two monologues in Contemporary Monologues for Women II. In July, 2013, Butler will release RIP & Write - Integrating Reading Comprehension and Writing Using Common Core. Butler co-wrote a teleplay with Caroline Self (Real Housewives of New Jersey, Project Runway, Hell's Kitchen) entitled Succession. The project was optioned by NBC/Universal for the USA Network and is currently under development with the network and aid +abet films. In 2008, Butler wrote and directed a short film entitled, A Fix starring Emmy nominee Julianna Mauriello (Nickelodeon's Lazytown) and film actress Skye Bartusiak (The Patriot, Love Comes Softly, Against the Ropes, House, Frasier). Butler is the playwright behind many original plays and musicals as well as adaptions. In 2006, he partnered with award winning song writer and vocalist Judy Rodman of Nashville to write Runaway Home and We The People. Butler founded Virtual Village Classroom, an online curriculum resource for teachers, and serves as the CEO of Creative Development. He is married with three children and expecting the fourth child in September.
Darren J. Butler
Featured Keynote Programs
RIP & WRITE - Integrating Reading Comprehension and Writing with Common Core
In this session, attendees will learn how to utilize well-known reading strategies in a simple approach for young and older readers. As an author, I do not see the joy of reading in the faces of students I meet on my travels. Reading comprehension is key to the joy of reading. The Common Core Standards promote a deeper level of understanding of the text and the integration of writing to communicate knowledge, ideas, and understanding.
Benefits:
By using the RIP strategy, students will have a deeper level of reading comprehension. Students of all ages learn how to use reading strategies in a meaningful way. RIP has been proven to raise reading comprehension test scores with students using it on a consistent basis.
*Times are approximate and adjustable based on the needs of the client
You Call That A Narrative?
Typically, students are not good narrative writers. Their stories tend to be more "telling" than "showing" and lack the structure and mechanics of a solid short story. Author Darren J. Butler leads this session where attendees will learn how to implement his 9 Narrative Questions to create powerful narrative writers.
Benefits:
Narrative is the most difficult mode of writing for students. Creating a powerful beginning, middle, and ending can be challenging. And, students have to fold in powerful dialogue and descriptive language as well. Students not only learn to write powerful narratives, but they begin to comprehend strong
narrative structure. This enables them to be stronger readers. They begin to break down the stories they read to look for plot, conflict, and narrative elements from a writer’s perspective.
Teach Different
(60 - 90 minutes)
The 21st Century Classroom is not about technology. In fact, technology is only a tool in the 21st century classroom. Educators have to adjust their mindset to develop a learning environment suitable to the learning styles of their students using Common Core.
Years ago, Apple asked us to “Think Different,” and we did. Today, we have innovative technology such as the smartphone that few could live without. Teachers have to think out of the box and direct their approach to teaching to teach different - not differently. During his address, Mr. Butler includes strategies to integrate technology as a tool to create life long learners.
Mr. Butler’s Teach Different motivational presentation highlights the success of educators from the past and present who dared to teach different. And when they did, they changed the world.
*Times are approximate and adjustable based on the needs of the client
The Tragic Loss of the Joy of Reading
(60 - 90 minutes)
Children’s author and writing specialist, Darren J. Butler, addresses the growing problem in reading across our country - reading comprehension. “When I was a child, the library was full on Saturday mornings. Today, it is empty.” Somewhere along the way, children have lost their joy for reading. Discussions have been replaced with multiple choice tests and point systems. But, is this all bad? Is there a balance?
Mr. Butler proposes a compromise utilizing his RIP reading strategy which implements the Common Core Standards for Language Arts and Speaking and Listening.
*Times are approximate and adjustable based on the needs of the client