Carmela Dutra's Blog - Posts Tagged "classroom"
Author Visit
Over the past two months I’ve had the opportunity to visit 5 classrooms, grades 2nd and 3rd. I also have had the opportunity to meet other teachers who expressed interest in having me come and visit their classrooms. Visiting the classrooms was such a wonderful privilege, I had been sharing some of the photos on my various social media pages. Each time I posted one I was asked more than once to tell them about the visit. So I thought I would take a few moments to tell all of you about these wonderful visits.
First I have to give a big thank you to a dear friend of mine Irma P. She took the initiative to reach out to the teachers of her niece and nephew. By her doing this, it allowed me to get my foot in the door with other teachers. She is probably tired of hearing me thank her, but here is one more big thanks to you Irma!
Author visits are more than just showing up to read their book(s) to the class and leaving. The best part of the visit is the interaction with the students. But how do you know what to do at these visits? What would I do? Would I talk about myself? About the book I’m reading? What kind of questions would I ask to engage my audience? Being young, their attention span might not be that long. So what would I come up with that would keep them engaged and focused during my visit?
Before visiting each classroom I talked with the teachers many times to find out where their students were in terms of the writing, and reading. What were they focusing on in the classroom? Younger grades might be focusing more on the art aspect of books, trying to tell stories through images. Or for the older students working on their understanding of verbs, nouns, and adjectives. Keeping all of this in mind would allow me to tailor my visit to each classroom to best meet their needs.
It just so happened that all of the classes I would be visiting were working on how to write their own stories (this is an author’s dream classroom visit). What better activity would there be then to have the students help write a new adventure for Lorenzo the Bear to take!
After introducing myself to the classroom I would give them a chance to ask me anything they wanted to ask (most of the time I didn’t have to even ask if they had any questions they would just start shouting things out at me). Before reading I would ask them “What would you do if your best friend didn’t show up to play with you one day?” Their answers were really thought out, and different too.
I then introduce everyone to Lucy Bear! She would spend the whole visit with all of the students. I encourage everyone to share her so everyone can have a chance to hold and play with her. Then I would hand her to the teacher to select which student would hold her first. Lucy Bear has become a key aspect of my author visits. She is used primarily for inspiration when writing. Once the reading is finished I open it up to the students, to see if they have any questions they would like to ask. E.g. characters, the writing process, illustration etc. I am always blow away by the variety of questions they ask me.
Next is time for the best part, activities! They students get so excited when they hear they will not only get to help write a Lorenzo story, but that the book will Painter classroom visit3include their ideas and be dedicated to their classroom. The particular story they were working on was a Winter Wonderland Story, where Lorenzo and Lucy journey to the artic. They are encouraged to think outside of the norm, getting creative is most of the fun!
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The ideas these kids had were so funny and unique. They ranged from artic animals to Pit Bulls, Zebra’s, and even a few made up animals. At the conclusion of my visit all of the students received a certificate, promoting them Junior Authors! They were all shocked when I handed them their certificates, I had several ask me: “Does this mean I get to write my own stories now too?” As authors is any sweeter feeling than knowing that your visit impacted them? Even if just one student puts a pen (or pencil) to paper and creates something of their own, it was all worth it.
It was such a joy to visit these classrooms, work one on one with the students, and to connect with the teachers. The best part is going home with their stories and reading their ideas for the next story The Adventures of Lorenzo the Bear. Once I have the story completed the teachers have invited me back to visit again, and share the story we all created together. I had one teacher tell me, “In all of the years I have been teaching, I’ve never had a single author come and visit my class before. This was a treat for the student’s, but an even bigger one for me.”
Behind the scenes of an Author Visit
Well it’s that time of year again folks! School is coming to an end, or at some schools it has already ended. Summer is just around the corner and the adventures are soon to begin! This past school year has been a blur! It feels like just yesterday I was watching commercials for school supplies at the local Target. I’m sure all of you parent’s reading this are nodding your heads in agreement.
While this school year feels like it just started, it’s already coming to a close! For me, it was a very different type of school year. It wasn’t the normal collecting box tops for education to send to my niece and nephew, or even sending them notebooks and pencils. This year I was privileged to visit a variety of classrooms.
Each visit was a different experience, the grades ranged between first and third. There were English and bilingual students. I had a few combo classes, I was even working with a few special needs students. Each class came with its own challenges, some of which were the various sizes of the classes. Some school have the 20 -1- rule, and others did not. In the end, all of them were filled with a buzz of energy! I enjoyed every second I had with the students, and I cannot wait for the new school to begin so I can start them all over again!
Lately I have been getting several messages/e-mails that look something like this.
“I just got invited for my very first author visit, and I wanted to see if you had any advice since you have done these types of visits before. I will be reading to (insert grade level), what advice do you have regarding handouts, activities, selling books, etc.?”
I thought this would be a fantastic blog opportunity, to break down what goes into a classroom visits. Everything I discuss will be in reference to my series The Adventures of Lorenzo the Bear.
However, the same idea can be used with any book. I will be applying these same techniques when my new series Little Katie comes out June 3rd. That’s right everyone, The Adventures of Lorenzo the Bear will not be my only series! I’m so excited so share Little Katie with everyone! She has been over a year in the making. Eek! So excited!! Okay, back on topic now.
The grade levels that I tend to stick with are between 1-3, this is my target audience, but I do not limit myself to these grades. I have recently been asked to start visiting both fourth and fifth grade as well, so we’ll have to get more creative there. Before each visit there are several, and I mean several phone/e-mail/text and sometimes in person conversations between the teacher(s) and myself. Any parent knows that each of their children are unique, needing things tailored just for them. Same goes for each classroom I visit.
The needs of each school, classroom, teacher, and student’s vary. That is why I spend so much time communicating with the teacher(s) to address the needs of their student’s. I often ask what they are focusing in school? Do they want an activity that will focus on writing, or art? With their feedback, I work with them to create a custom classroom visit. I usually e-mail a few activities for them to choose from, and then we go from there.
There is a basic structure to the visits; I come introduce myself, read my story, Q&A, activities, handouts, and say goodbye. But each visit varies based on the needs of the class. Sadly, some schools I visit had their funding for Arts cut. Since I am also an illustrator, I inform the teacher(s) that I can offer art as an activity to focus on. Sometimes I’ll show a video to the class showing them how Lorenzo the Bear comes together, then I help the students to draw Lorenzo themselves. The steps they learn when drawing Lorenzo the Bear, can be then applied classroom draw any animal they desire.
Other classrooms are wanting to focus on writing, especially plot and character development. Or, writing a story with your audience in mind. In this instance I offer an activity that focuses on writing, usually a story prompt.
For the really little ones simplicity is key! I like to keep it as short and as simple as I can! I aim to keep in them engaged as much as possible. This is where we will usually play a game together, make bear hats, or color.
Sometimes teachers who just want their student’s to have fun! When this is the case we play something like MadLibs, or Word search. Regardless of the activity that is chosen, each one is custom made by myself, and ties in with the book I read to the class. There is always a theme I stick with, and that is my books. Oh and most importantly, I make it a point to personally work with each and every student in the class.
Despite what some of the kids may say, they all LOVE to color! So I am sure to always bring along coloring pages for them. These are kept as a backup to use, if we fly through the planned activity. Otherwise they get these at the end of the visit to use later in class, or to take home.
I really appreciate the enthusiasm of the teachers. They often ask: “How long can we keep you!?” I explain that it depends on how many classrooms I will be visiting that day. Overall my visits are usually 60 min. especially if I have back to back classrooms. Sometimes my visits are a little shorter for first and kindergartner’s, it just depends.
Here is the big question everyone wants to know “If you sell your books, how do you go about it?” I have to give all of the credit to my publishing house here. My editor sent me a flyer they give to all of their children’s authors to help them sell their books in schools. It’s known as a give back program. The students are sent home with a flyer allowing them to purchase the book from me directly at a discount, then a portion from each sale goes back to the school library. This is approved by the principal, and then sent home with the students. This has been very effective in selling books.
In addition to sending home book order flyers, each student receives a parting gift to commemorate our visit. Usually it’s a book marker, but sometimes it’s a printable activity like a bear and or pirate hat. The student’s seem to get most excited over the donation of a book to each classroom I visit, so they will always have it to read over and over again.
So there you have it! A breakdown of an author visit with me, Carmela Dutra. I hope this helps any of you who might be starting off with author visits. Best of luck. You will rock your author visit! Are you an author who has visited a classroom before? Please leave a comment sharing your experiences!
Are you a teacher or Librarian? Would you like to schedule your own author visit? Please, visit the link below to set one up. Do live out of state? Or perhaps out of the country? That’s OK we can schedule a Skype visit too!
Besides being a fun break from the classroom routine, an author or illustrator visit introduces students to the processes of writing, developing characters, and expressing one’s creativity. It gets readers excited about books, and it provides an opportunity to encourage young writers. All of my visits are free, as I believe strongly in giving back to schools. So schedule one for you today!
CarmelaDutra.com
While this school year feels like it just started, it’s already coming to a close! For me, it was a very different type of school year. It wasn’t the normal collecting box tops for education to send to my niece and nephew, or even sending them notebooks and pencils. This year I was privileged to visit a variety of classrooms.
Each visit was a different experience, the grades ranged between first and third. There were English and bilingual students. I had a few combo classes, I was even working with a few special needs students. Each class came with its own challenges, some of which were the various sizes of the classes. Some school have the 20 -1- rule, and others did not. In the end, all of them were filled with a buzz of energy! I enjoyed every second I had with the students, and I cannot wait for the new school to begin so I can start them all over again!
Lately I have been getting several messages/e-mails that look something like this.
“I just got invited for my very first author visit, and I wanted to see if you had any advice since you have done these types of visits before. I will be reading to (insert grade level), what advice do you have regarding handouts, activities, selling books, etc.?”
I thought this would be a fantastic blog opportunity, to break down what goes into a classroom visits. Everything I discuss will be in reference to my series The Adventures of Lorenzo the Bear.
However, the same idea can be used with any book. I will be applying these same techniques when my new series Little Katie comes out June 3rd. That’s right everyone, The Adventures of Lorenzo the Bear will not be my only series! I’m so excited so share Little Katie with everyone! She has been over a year in the making. Eek! So excited!! Okay, back on topic now.The grade levels that I tend to stick with are between 1-3, this is my target audience, but I do not limit myself to these grades. I have recently been asked to start visiting both fourth and fifth grade as well, so we’ll have to get more creative there. Before each visit there are several, and I mean several phone/e-mail/text and sometimes in person conversations between the teacher(s) and myself. Any parent knows that each of their children are unique, needing things tailored just for them. Same goes for each classroom I visit.
The needs of each school, classroom, teacher, and student’s vary. That is why I spend so much time communicating with the teacher(s) to address the needs of their student’s. I often ask what they are focusing in school? Do they want an activity that will focus on writing, or art? With their feedback, I work with them to create a custom classroom visit. I usually e-mail a few activities for them to choose from, and then we go from there.
There is a basic structure to the visits; I come introduce myself, read my story, Q&A, activities, handouts, and say goodbye. But each visit varies based on the needs of the class. Sadly, some schools I visit had their funding for Arts cut. Since I am also an illustrator, I inform the teacher(s) that I can offer art as an activity to focus on. Sometimes I’ll show a video to the class showing them how Lorenzo the Bear comes together, then I help the students to draw Lorenzo themselves. The steps they learn when drawing Lorenzo the Bear, can be then applied classroom draw any animal they desire.
Other classrooms are wanting to focus on writing, especially plot and character development. Or, writing a story with your audience in mind. In this instance I offer an activity that focuses on writing, usually a story prompt.
For the really little ones simplicity is key! I like to keep it as short and as simple as I can! I aim to keep in them engaged as much as possible. This is where we will usually play a game together, make bear hats, or color.
Sometimes teachers who just want their student’s to have fun! When this is the case we play something like MadLibs, or Word search. Regardless of the activity that is chosen, each one is custom made by myself, and ties in with the book I read to the class. There is always a theme I stick with, and that is my books. Oh and most importantly, I make it a point to personally work with each and every student in the class.
Despite what some of the kids may say, they all LOVE to color! So I am sure to always bring along coloring pages for them. These are kept as a backup to use, if we fly through the planned activity. Otherwise they get these at the end of the visit to use later in class, or to take home.
I really appreciate the enthusiasm of the teachers. They often ask: “How long can we keep you!?” I explain that it depends on how many classrooms I will be visiting that day. Overall my visits are usually 60 min. especially if I have back to back classrooms. Sometimes my visits are a little shorter for first and kindergartner’s, it just depends.
Here is the big question everyone wants to know “If you sell your books, how do you go about it?” I have to give all of the credit to my publishing house here. My editor sent me a flyer they give to all of their children’s authors to help them sell their books in schools. It’s known as a give back program. The students are sent home with a flyer allowing them to purchase the book from me directly at a discount, then a portion from each sale goes back to the school library. This is approved by the principal, and then sent home with the students. This has been very effective in selling books.
In addition to sending home book order flyers, each student receives a parting gift to commemorate our visit. Usually it’s a book marker, but sometimes it’s a printable activity like a bear and or pirate hat. The student’s seem to get most excited over the donation of a book to each classroom I visit, so they will always have it to read over and over again.
So there you have it! A breakdown of an author visit with me, Carmela Dutra. I hope this helps any of you who might be starting off with author visits. Best of luck. You will rock your author visit! Are you an author who has visited a classroom before? Please leave a comment sharing your experiences!
Are you a teacher or Librarian? Would you like to schedule your own author visit? Please, visit the link below to set one up. Do live out of state? Or perhaps out of the country? That’s OK we can schedule a Skype visit too!
Besides being a fun break from the classroom routine, an author or illustrator visit introduces students to the processes of writing, developing characters, and expressing one’s creativity. It gets readers excited about books, and it provides an opportunity to encourage young writers. All of my visits are free, as I believe strongly in giving back to schools. So schedule one for you today!
CarmelaDutra.com
