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TRACEY BAPTISTE
Tracey does four energetic presentations per day. The first three are classroom/library presentations, lasting 45-60 minutes.They include a reading from "Angel's Grace" a discussion about elements in the book, as well as a multimedia presentation which includes biographical information and audio of a steelpan band (a type of music featured in "Angel's Grace") and a question and answer period.
The fourth presentation is with a smaller group of students for a 30 minute writing workshop.As a former teacher, Tracey can hold the attention of awide range of ages, but her novel is best suited to grades 5-9.
She will work with each classroom teacher/librarian to tailor the presentation to suit the audience. Her focus is on teaching about the writing process, especially self-editing. She uses anecdotes from her own experiences to encourage students to trust their own creativity.
Hardcover Book Angel Grace $15.95*
Visit Tracey's Website
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EJ CROW
Program curriculum depends upon which mission Mr. Crow is currently exploring. He is available for school visits and does this
FREE OF CHARGE
for any school worldwide. He only asks that you cover travel expenses and purchase his book, otherwise the visit is free-- anywhere in the world!
EJ donates a portion of his royalties to The Gift of Adoption Fund.
Contact Mr. Crow directly for further information and curriculum discussion. ejcrowflies@yahoo.com
Paperback Book The Eye Pocket $7.95
Visit EJ Crow's Website
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JOANN DAHAN
1. JoAnn and Tilly her lab discuss and read book, followed by a demonstration on how to train a dog. Lots of interaction with Tilly.
2. JoAnn and Tilly demonstrate all of Tilly's tricks and will explain the importance of proper dog training.
3. Author answers all your doggy questions. Followed by a book signing. Tilly will attend if requested.
4. Fun interactive hands on training with willing participants.
5. Book Signing.
All programs are for Grades: K –5th and run approximately 45 minutes.
Hardcover Book with DVD available for sale:
Kids Training Puppies in 5 Minutes $18.95*
*10% of visit’s proceeds will be donated to the school or library. 10% is also donated to local animal shelters.
Visit JoAnn's Website
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TIM JACOBUS SCHOOL VISITS :
Tim Jacobus visits elementary, middle, high, and Vo-Tech schools. His presentation includes a 45 minute slide show, emphasizing a career in the arts, followed by a question and answer period. Grades 3 - 6 usually request a book signing.
The profession fees are: $800 for a half day 1 -2 presentations, within 40 miles of Morris County
$1,000 for a full day 3-5 presentation
plus travel expenses.
Visit Tim's website - www.timjacobus.com
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JANE KIRKLAND SCHOOL VISITS :
Program 1.
"I Saw A Bald Eagle Over My Grocery Store"
Audience K-8
Length 1 hour
Cross-curricular (science, environment and ecology, language arts, technology).
This exciting, fast-paced, interactive, multimedia presentation is Jane's true-life story of why she left a career as a best-selling computer book author to write nature discovery books for children. The story begins with a rare and unexpected sighting when Jane spots a Bald Eagle soaring above her grocery store parking lot. Jane tells of hand-taming wild birds, “talking” to birds, and rescuing sick birds—and the consequences of each of her actions. She leads discussions about safe close encounters with nature and ways we can protect wildlife. She also discusses the reasons that plants and wildlife become endangered and extinct.
Students learn the secret to Jane’s 20-Second Nature Break™ as Jane reveals how nature breaks can benefit our minds and bodies as well as the nature around us. This one-hour assembly program is suitable for large groups, mixed-grade groups, and students as young as kindergarten. To facilitate the entire student body, we recommend two assemblies with classroom visits for short Q&A sessions.
Students receive a color nature bookmark and a discount for Take A Walk® Books. Schools receive four beautiful color nature posters, order forms for the books, and a complimentary set of books for their library.
Program 2 "The Most Extreme Nature in My Schoolyard"
Audience K-8
Length 1 hour
Science, environment and ecology
Perfect as a follow-up to Program 1 in the same or succeeding school year, this interactive, multimedia program presents ten of the most fascinating objects of nature in your schoolyard. This exciting and fast-paced program demonstrates the diversity of nature in your schoolyard as Jane presents a series of clues in which students must guess the “extreme” plant or animal. Then she leads a discussion on the role each plant or animal plays in our environment and the characteristics that qualify it as a “most extreme”. Finally, she reinforces her "20-second Nature Break™" message, by revealing the most likely time of day and time of year students can expect to see their top ten plants and wildlife.
Schools receive a set of 4 posters with clues about 4 different "most extreme" plants or animals in their region.
Program 3 "Creating a Field Guide to Your Schoolyard"
Audience: Educators
Length 4 or 6 hours (2 formats)
Limited to: 10
Cross-curricular
This workshop is based on Jane's new book "Creating a Field Guide To Your Schoolyard" (Stillwater, 2006). It helps even the most inexperienced environmental educator get up-and-running quickly on a Field Guide Project™ (FGP). The FGP is a cross-curricular, hands-on, multi-discipline, and multi-genre project, in which students and teachers create a field guide to the nature in their schoolyard. The workshop demonstrates ways to lead students in the planning, research, development, and creation of a field guide.
Educators learn how to find and identify a diverse assortment of plants and animals in their schoolyard—even when it appears there is none! Teachers will explore their schoolyard with Jane and learn how to find, observe, record, map, and document the nature in their schoolyard. Finally, they’ll learn the methods for creating the book itself, the ways they can incorporate technology. Participants receive a copy of "Creating a Field Guide To Your Schoolyard", a matrix aligning the Field Guide Project™ to their state academic standards for science, ecology, and the environment, a set of Take A Walk® Books for their classroom, posters, reference materials and other handouts.
Visit Jane's website - www.takeawalk.com
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DAVE ROSS SCHOOL VISIT OPTIONS:
Programs Offered
(Length of performance, 45-60 minutes, will modify to fit your schedule).
Option 1. "How a Book is Born"
This presentation is suitable for any age level. Items covered: how I come up with ideas, develop an idea into a concept, sell the concept to a publisher and work with an editor and/or art director to create a picture book. The presentation includes many examples of work, artifacts and interesting bits of publishing history created by yours truly. This "behind the scenes" look at children's literature, includes many concepts useful to young writers (such as the role of the first draft in shaping the final product). However, facts and information about picture books are intertwined with humorous anecdotes to entertain as well as educate. After seeing this program, a student will understand how much "unseen" work goes into writing and illustrating.
Option 2. "Lets Write a Story"
This presentation is a high energy and fast paced exercise in creative writing. The workshop begins with the group playing with letters and words to invent a new name for a character. It ends with each student having crafted their own unique idea that could be expanded into a story. (If you have a very aggressive writing program this may be appropriate for Kindergarten or first grade, otherwise I would suggest second grade or higher.) This program introduces and explains such processes as brainstorming, drafting, characterization, writing dialog and constructive peer critiquing. It reinforces many of the concepts taught in "process writing."
Visit Dave's website - www.daveross.org
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KATHY TEMEAN SCHOOL VISIT OPTIONS:
1. I Can Make You Into Anything I Want!
Introduction - Show my picture book text and illustrations in progress. Talk about how an artist or writer can take a person and make that person into anything he or she imagines. This would be followed up with a presentation of what I imaged for each of the students. Pictures of the students would have to be provided ahead of time, in order to create the personalize slide show. Grades 2 – 8.
2. Making a Book Dummy:
- Students would work in groups to create a Picture Book dummy of a story they have written ahead of time in class or one supplied by me. This activity would take the most time. Directions could be e-mailed by me to the classes ahead of time for writing their own story. The teacher could break the students into groups. When they finish their stories the children could e-mail them back to me, so we make the most of our time together. Supplies: paper, paste, magazines colored pencils or crayons. Grades 5-12.
3. Story Creating:
Creating first lines for a story for illustrations provided. Students could work in groups. After each illustration the published first line would be read. Talk about things students can do, right now, if they want to become a writer. Places who want to publish children's writing and illustrating. Grades 4-9.
4. How to Improve Your Artwork:
Children would e-mail their artwork to me ahead of time to use in my presentation on how to improve their artwork using the computer. Grades 3-9.
5. Book-in-Progress:
Present current Picture book (writing and illustration) in progress. Show how it started and how it has progressed over the last year. Grades 4-8
6. How History Can Become A Story:
Discussion about research and how writers use real information to make their book sing. Specific examples given, such as, Jerry Spinelli's "Milkweed" and the research he had to do to make that era in Nazi Germany become real for the reader. This also could be tied into a topic that is being focused on in the classroom. Or I could talk about the three non-fiction books I have written about New Zealand (kids may be interested in this because of Lord of the Rings) or "Dancing in Your Sleep" a non-fiction book about the 1920's Dance Marathons or "Whispering Walls" a non-fiction picture book about how man has used walls to express the world around them from the cave man to today. Goal would be to show how much fun it is to do research and find unusual information. Grades 5-9.
7. Earn a Living Being A Writer:
- Presentation and discussion about how you can earn a living, writing without ever getting a book published. Where children can send their writing to get published. Grades 8-12.
8. The Computer As An Art Tool:
For schools that have computers and Photoshop, Demonstration on how to use digital art to sell. Grades 4 – 12.
9. Show Don’t Tell:
Using writing and illustrating to learn how to show Expressions, Feelings, etc. Supplies: paper, colored pencils or crayons.
Grades 2-6.
10. Making Crafts:
How to use crafts, games and “How to” articles to get published. Supplies: paper, colored pencils or crayons. Grades 6-9.
11. Anyone Can Draw!:
Easy lessons on how to draw animals and other interesting things. Grades 3-9
12. How Horses Have Helped Humans Throughout History!:
Follow horses through the ages. Learn unusal facts and solve secret codes. Grades 2-7
Visit Kathy's website - www.kathytemean.com
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TERRY WEBB SCHOOL VISIT OPTIONS
Option 1: Oral History and Dramatic Reading (upper elementary Reading and Writing classes)
Dr. Webb, dressed in period costume, will give an oral history from the point of view of one of the characters in her book Manning the Light, then she will ask student volunteers to participate in a dramatic reading of the first chapter of the book.
Option 2: Reading and Writing (5th,6th and 7th grade Reading and Writing classes)
Informal discussion with students who have chosen to read Manning the Light and Weathering the Storms. Author will answer questions and challenge students to become writers.
Option 3: History of Writing (middle school Language Arts)
An illustrated talk on the history of writing. The author will describe how a writer decides on a plot, a theme, develops characters, and chooses words. Then she will answer questions from the students.
Option 4: History of Lighthouse Keeping (middle school classes -American History )
An illustrated talk on the history of lighthouses and the keepers who manned them. The author will emphasize the importance of lighthouses for US Maritime Coastland Security. Word searches and puzzles available.
Option 5: Baseball Firsts (class size – prefer 6th and 7th boys)
The author will read from the chapters in Weathering the Storms covering the first two games of the First World Series in Boston.
Option 6: Early Twentieth Century Transportation and Communication (middle school boys: American History)
Going back in time one hundred years ago, the author will familiarize students with modes of transportation and communication.
Option 7: Building Resiliency (upper elementary – middle school boys and girls- Health & Drug Prevention)
A discussion with students as to how the characters in her books did or did not resist peer pressure to use drugs.
Visit Terry's Website
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