Martha Joseph Watts, Children's Author, Educational Consultant, Non-Fiction Writer, Writing Instructor

Website:

www.buddinwriters.com

Social Media:

Location:

Florida

Willing to Travel

A content developer and publisher of educational resources, an award-winning children's fiction author, and writing instructor.

Dr. Martha Joseph Watts is an author of educational non-fiction resources and children’s fiction. She developed the Writing to Respond (WTR) process as an approach to teach writing across disciplines to grades K-12 students. She authored and published texts, workbooks, charts, and other tactile resources to facilitate the process. As a writer of children’s fiction, under the pen name, Aunty Marcella, she focuses on themes of resilience, perseverance, determination, and effective social interaction. Her main character, Iyani, an iguana, and her friends live on an island and teach cultural aspects while drawing ion all subjects. Her forthcoming works include a non-fiction book for educators on how to develop confident writers and the third book in the children’s fiction series, Adventures of Iyani: The Cause.

Dr. Watts enjoys bringing joy to readers, teaching writing, and guiding instructors. As content developer, she creates content and accompanying workbooks for professional development presentations. She also conducts professional development sessions via various media. In addition, Dr. Watts develops content for video and audio voice overs. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing, MA in Education Administration, and Ed.D in Teacher Leadership from Full Sail University, University of the Virgin Islands, and Walden University respectively. She lives on the Space Coast in Florida.

Awards:

While working as an English teacher in the US Virgin Islands, Dr. Watts was awarded the Heath Humanities Award for excellence in teaching the humanities.

Writing to Respond to Text and Tests: Honorable Mention, Educational, 2019 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards

Adventures of Iyani: The Voyage West: Honorable Mention, Chapter Books, 2019 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards

The Adventures of Iyani: The Incredible Beginning: First Chapter Books (Ages 6-10) Fiction and Making a Difference categories, Story Monsters Approved

Speaking Engagements and School Presentations:

In 2019 Dr Watts conducted speaking engagements at four elementary schools where she utilized the Adventurers of Iyani books to present anti-bullying and kindness campaigns to fifth graders. Students had the opportunity to own a chapter book that encouraged reliance, perseverance, and determination.
Since sharing The Writing to Respond Process (WTR) as an approach to improving writing performance among students with the English and Business departments at the school where she worked in 2009, Dr. Watts has had many speaking engagements in schools, different islands, and conferences. She presents the WTR process as a tool to develop and cultivate the habit of reading and evidence-based writing in students with visible success.

During those engagements participants requested additional resources to facilitate teaching WTR as an approach to prepare even pre kindergarteners for writing. Each year, Dr. Watts added to the list of resources. In addition to the two original texts, she now has three charts for oral interaction with the process; a WTR student wheel; a WTR educator wheel, and a series of workbooks for Pre-K- 1, K-2, Grades 3-5, and Grades 6-12.

Here are few of her activities over the past five years:

2021 – Virtual professional development presentation to middle and elementary teachers at schools implementing WTR as an approach to improve writing (two different countries)
2020 – Virtual teaching and virtual sessions with parents over the peak of the pandemic; Virtual reading of Adventures of Iyani: The Voyage West to students
2019 – In person sessions Anti-Bullying and Kindness campaigns in elementary schools: Used Adventures of Iyani children’s fiction series to present at four elementary schools and presented autographed books to 80 students. (Sponsored event)
2019 – Presentation at International Reading Association conference on utilizing habits to develop writing skills in all students (Florida Chapter)
2017 – Professional development to 60 administrators and 60 teacher leaders on school-wide implementation
2018 – Job embedded professional development in private and parochial schools, presentations at home schooling conferences
2015- 2016 – A district initiative to assists a school that was identified as “in-need of improvement by the No Child Left Behind Act (2002); ASCD presentations Nashville and New Orleans; Other Virgin Islands and Florida Writing project engagements

Here are a few of the topics for fiction or non-fiction engagements:

Children’s Fiction