J&P Voelkel & Successful Author Visits

While Bear Pond Books takes a brief break from our monthly author-educator talks, we're turning our attention to sharing information from past talks and what's sent to us through our network of educators and authors. We're lucky to be in a state with so many creative, engaged people who are passionate about education, about the subjects they write about and teach, and about how children learn to always inquire and discover new things.

It seems appropriate during this vacation from educator events to start our blog posts with information on . . . well, educator events. It's a guide to arranging author visits to your school, classroom, library, book club, etc. . .

J&P Voelkel are known for their ability to make Maya history and culture come alive. You can get lost on their website www.jaguarstones.com. In fact, I just lost 15 minutes reading up on Maya math (did you know they were one of the first civilizations to get the concept of zero?). Their teachers' materials include a full CD of information compiled with input from archaeologists, middle school teachers, and contemporary Maya people. And that's before we even get to the books themselves, an adventure series called The Jaguar Stones that Booklist describes as “a fact-packed, thrilling ride."
So, who better prepared to give us an author's eye view on crafting events that both catch children's imagination and match up with a teacher's lesson plans?

It turns out, nobody is better prepared. And the Voelkels left us with both a checklist for author visits and full notes on their presentation about how to arrange a successful visit.

These materials have great information - so we'll close this post and let you switch over to what the Voelkels have to say. One important thing to note: J&P Voelkel are available to do presentations in Vermont schools and you'll see from what they've written that they're enthusiastic about it! E-mail them at info @ jaguarstones.com

Resources:

• Author Visit Checklist
• Author Visits: Making Them Happen and Making the Most of Them
• Jaguar Stones Website

Do you have useful resources, questions you'd like to see answered, or other information on connecting authors with educators? Let us know by e-mailing helen.labun.jordan @ gmail.com

Agriculture in the Classroom

On November 2nd, Bear Pond Books hosted a talk about food, farms and picture books, with a particular focus on preK-4th grade classrooms. Abbie Nelson, Education Coordinator at the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA-VT) and picture book author and illustrator Gail Gibbons led the conversation.

This event came ahead of Agricultural Literacy Week (November 18th - 22nd). It was an hour packed with information, and we've gathered some of it below:

• Invitation to the Talk (with background information)
• Gail Gibbons on Where Her Picture Book Ideas Come From
• Abbie Nelson on Resources for Ag in the Classroom
• Post from NOFA-VT on the November 2nd Talk
• Press Release and VPR Cafe Story on the New School Cuisine Cookbook
• Virtual Display Board of food and farm-related picture books

This was our last author-educator talk for 2013, but we're back with more in 2014! See the schedule here. If you want to receive announcements of educator resources and events from Bear Pond Books, please contact helen.labun.jordan -at- gmail.com with Subscribe in the subject line.  

Muffins with local carrots, flour, eggs, butter, cream cheese & maple syrup

 

Abbie Nelson and Ag in the Classroom

In Franklin County, four libraries participate in tractor days - when farmers bring their tractors out for preschoolers to explore and learn about farming.

Some schools are using Farm-to-School grants from the Agency of Agriculture to get cooking carts, which can travel from classroom to classroom for cooking projects.

Many schools participate in a farmer correspondence program, receiving letters from a local farmer during the winter, then visiting the farm or bringing their farmer correspondent in as a speaker in the spring.

One Vermont teacher has found a simple way to pull more food education into daily schedules - she brings in a whole fruit for snack time, letting kids identify the fruit, taste test it, looking at the parts of a fruit, or discussing where it comes from and how it's raised. A lot can be learned in a ten minute snack.

There are a lot of ways to build agriculture into classroom education. On November 2nd, Abbie Nelson from the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA-VT) shared some of the resources available to educators in Vermont. Her organization is part of VT Food Education Every Day, which "works with schools and communities to raise awareness about healthy food, the role of Vermont farms and farmers, and good nutrition." They have resources available online that include guides to bringing local food into schools, lesson plans, guides to taste testing, program evaluations, and how to involve the whole community in learning about farming. 

Two new resources that will be available in November are the New School Cuisine cookbook, which emphasizes healthy, local foods and practical ways to incorporate them into cafeterias, and a comprehensive guide to health and wellness in schools developed with VT-FEED and the Agency of Education. These resources are going to every school in Vermont. They're also being distributed nationally through the Child Nutrition Program.

These guides reflect both lessons learned in Vermont schools, and changes happening federally. Changes to school lunch guidelines mean that children will be introduced to more varied foods in the cafeteria, which in turn is an opportunity to teach them about these foods, health, and farming. Some changes include 'eating the rainbow' (many different colors of vegetable), more fruits and vegetables, more whole grains, legumes and tofu is now recognized as a protein source.

Right now, NOFA-VT is gearing up for Agricultural Literacy Week, November 18th - 22nd. You can use their webpage to find out about agricultural activities happening in your region that week, to list ones that you know, or get inspired about ways to get involved.

We got inspired through picture books. Picture book author and illustrator Gail Gibbons joined Abbie on Saturday, and you can read her thoughts here. We also used books Gail and Abbie referenced, recommended reading from Shelburne Farms, and favorites from Jane in the Children's Room to put together a virtual display of some great farm-related picture books - check them out!

(And don't forget that teachers get a 20% discount on purchases for their classrooms).

Where Gail Gibbons Gets her Picture Book Ideas

Gail Gibbons has written 169 picture books, and she's got no shortage of ideas for the next hundred either. While they aren't all about farming (her topics range from gorillas to sky scrapers), many of them are, and she came in to talk about her books as part of the Bear Pond Books author-educator discussion ahead of Agricultural Literacy Week (November 18th - 22nd).

Gail's first farm-related book was The Milk Makers, which became a Reading Rainbow book. She chose that topic because her normal driving routes went past many Vermont farms, and one day her young daughter asked why she hadn't done a book about cows. So, she did a book about cows.

Traveling around the state and country, talking with her young students, Gail quickly realized how much information about basic things like where milk comes from is missing from what children learn. "Kids in cities don't know where milk comes from, it comes from cartons, that's all they know. . . that's what really grabbed me," Gail said.

Even in Vermont, where most kids live near farms, there's a lack of understanding about where food comes from. One teacher shared a story of taking students out to dig sweet potatoes from the school garden. Students had a hard time guessing what the dug potatoes were. "Some of them guessed tomatoes!"

Gail's picture books can help fill those gaps. She starts with the basics and builds from there. Potatoes, for example, grow in the ground, tomatoes do not. So what are the vegetables we dig up from under ground? Gail gave other examples of basic ideas everyone should know, but many people don't. These are the ideas that find their way into her books. For example, there's the question of how to grow flowers (what grows from a seed? what grows from a bulb?) or the difference between corn, which you harvest then replant the next year, and apples, which you harvest then care for the same trees year after year.      
                                                                                           
Once Gail chooses a topic, she reads up on it, with "piles of books". Then, she checks with experts in the field. She's surprised at how many books pass along bad information - one book can make an error, and it's found replicated in other books later. Field trips and conversations with people who work every day on the topics she writes about are important ways to double check the reading material. On these trips, her husband will also help by taking pictures that Gail uses to make accurate illustrations later.

Students can follow a similar path of inquiry. It starts with looking at the food around them and asking, where does that come from? Then tracing that food back to the beginning, through reading about it in books, talking to the people who prepare the food, maybe even visiting the farms where it's grown or trying to grow some things for themselves! There's a lot to learn and Gail's books can be a great starting point.

For more resource ideas to support learning about agriculture, see Part 2 of this post with Abbie Nelson from VT Food Education Every Day.

Checklist for Author Visits to Your School, Class, or Book Club

Author Visit Checklist
(Things we've learned the hard way, so you don't have to)

by J&P Voelkel, authors of the Jaguar Stones books and survivors of hundreds of school visits across America. J&P Voelkel are known for their theatrical school presentations, including the always popular teachers-eating-bugs scene, that pique students' interest in both reading and learning about Maya history (see also our earlier blog posts Author Adventures and Making the Most of Author Classroom Visits). If you're interested in scheduling them to visit your school (which is free for VT schools) see their website www.jaguarstones.com

1. Arranging the visit

Make sure you and the author are on the same page:

• What kind of event are you both expecting? (E.g. formal assembly, sit-down chat?)
• Venue? (E.g. cafetorium, library, classroom, gym, theatre?)
• What format? (E.g. multimedia, slides, whiteboard?)
• How many students will be attending?
• Grades/age ranges?
• How much time does the author need? (Min/ max/how much flexibility?)
• How many sessions will the author do in one day?
• What equipment do they need?
• Any time constraints - what’s the earliest they can arrive/latest they can leave?
• How much time do they need for set-up? (This requires the room to be empty
ahead of time.)
• Any posters, bookmarks, fliers available for publicity purposes?
• Is the author amenable to interviews with students or any other extra side events
you might like to build in?

2. Before the visit

Publicize the event:

• Make sure all faculty and parents are informed.
• Talk up the author's books to the students.
• Generate book sales by sending home order forms, putting up posters, and making
school announcements.
• Try to drum up local media interest.

If possible, build the author's work, or subject, into the curriculum:

• Make a display in the school library and/or hallways.
• Have classes read the books and write book reports.
• Ask students to think up questions to ask the author.
• Throw a contest and have the winners receive autographed books.
• Have an art class make welcome posters, banners, and bookmarks.

3. Arrival & set-up

The most stressful part of school visits for the author is usually finding the school and
setting up. Ways you can help are:

• Send email confirmation with date of visit, agreed details including timing of
presentation, number/grades of students, venue (eg library, auditorium) and the
equipment you are providing. Include address of school and your contact numbers.
• Provide helpful information - any tricky directions, where to unload if author has a
lot of props, where to park, how not to get caught in morning drop-off lines, etc.
• Make sure the main office knows an author is coming and who to contact when
they arrive.
• Have someone to meet the author and escort them to the room (authors love it
when students do this job!)
• If the author will be giving multiple presentations, try to hold them all in same
location so there is only one set-up.
• Have all the equipment ready and tested in advance.
• Provide drinking water.
• Have technical help on call (.ie. someone who knows how to work all the
equipment including the projector, sound system, lighting, curtains etc.)

4. The presentation

Timing is everything:

• Confirm start and end times for presentation taking into account time for the
audience to file in and take their seats.
• Check with the author how they want to be introduced. (If time is tight, they might
rather launch straight in to their presentation.)
• Don’t keep the kids on too tight a rein (author visits should be fun), but don’t
abandon the author to the law of the jungle either. It’s helpful to share any
recognized school symbols for quiet - such as the presenter putting hand in air.
• Help the author manage time - prearrange a signal at, say, ten minutes to go.
• Help control Q&A (e.g. "we just have time for one more question").

5. Make the most of the visit

• Authors love meeting with small groups of students such as book groups, avid
readers, or aspiring writers. This is particularly good way to use a lunch break.
• Have students interview the author for school newspaper, radio, or TV.
• Remember to take photographs for the school website, yearbook, etc.
• Build in time for book signing (the bookstore will help you manage this)
• Get an address/email for follow-up questions (or skype).

6 Skype visits

Although Skype lacks the drama and excitement of an author visit, it can be a good
solution for remote school districts, complicated schedules and travel-averse authors.
It's particularly useful for follow-up chats after an author visit and when the students
have read the author’s books. The best format for Skype visits is a short talk by the
author followed by a question and answer session, where the questions have been
prepared by students and allocated ahead of time.

Most authors are happy to mail personalized bookplates to accompany a Skype visit.
How to get started:

1. If you’re not familiar with Skype, practice at home with someone you know.
2. Make sure your school network allows it.
3. Make sure the equipment you need is available and working.
4. Plan details with the author - timing, format of visit, how long it will last, etc.
5. Prepare the students: talk about Skype etiquette, have them prepare questions, work
out a running order, plan where the student will stand/sit while asking question and
what they're supposed to do when they’re done.
6. Test the Skype connection with the author before the scheduled visit.

On the day:

• Test your equipment is working at least 20 minutes before you’re scheduled to
contact the author.
• Introduce everyone who will be speaking.
• If your connection is lost, don’t panic. Just call the author back. (Have kids bring
books for silent reading in case there’s an extended period of lost contact.)

7. Follow-up after author visits and Skype sessions

Authors are extremely grateful if you recommend them to other schools - by blogging,
tweeting, or good old word of mouth. (And notes of thanks/testimonials that can be
displayed on the author's website are always much appreciated.)

Links

J&P Voelkel offer free school visits in Vermont. For more information visit:
www.jaguarstones.com/School_visits.html or email voelkel@jaguarstones.com

Authors who skype for free: http://www.katemessner.com/authors-who-skype-withclasses-
book-clubs-for-free/

Food, Farms, and Picture Books - Teaching Agricultural Literacy

Join us for a special talk on bringing agricultural literacy into the elementary school classroom - November 2nd, 11:00 am in the Children's Room at Bear Pond Books.

Exploring agriculture can be a hands-on way for students to learn about history, culture, nature, science, health, math, art. . . almost anything. In November, Agricultural Literacy Week encourages educators around the state to participate in activities that help students learn from agriculture.

As the Vermont organizers write "Agricultural Literacy Week is designed to educate Vermont citizens about the depth of our connection to agriculture in the landscape, environment and our personal health. People young and old will have the opportunity to rediscover the beauty of our state and the powerful role that farms play in its economy, energy resources, sustainability efforts and resiliency."

Vermont's Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Ross says "Ag Literacy is essential for Vermonters to understand and reconnect to Vermont farms and farmers."

On November 2nd, Abbie Nelson from NOFA-VT will talk about resources available in Vermont for teachers, librarians and community members who want to include agriculture in the elementary school classroom. She will share successful projects other Vermont teachers have tried, and we invite you to share your own stories, too. NOFA-VT is one of the partners in the statewide farm-to-school organization VT Food Education Every Day (VT-FEED).

Abbie will be joined by Vermont picture book author Gail Gibbons. Gail has written about farm-related topics from Apples to Veterinarians in the countryside (that's as close as we could get to "z"). She'll talk about young readers' responses to her books, her classroom experiences, and how teachers have incorporated this material into standards-based lesson plans.


There will be some great local snacks, using recipes from the New School Cuisine farm-to-school cookbook. Learn more about the New School Cuisine cookbook from this story on the VPR Cafe


We've put together a Pinterest Board of farm-related picture books - which is only a starting point. What would you add? Let us know by e-mailing helen.labun.jordan at gmail.com

The Shelburne Farms learning barn gave us a starting point for our picture book list. The Shelburne Farms website offers more information about farm-based education, including upcoming events.

This event is free and open to the public. Please join us at 11:00 am on Saturday November 2nd. 

Author Adventures

We recently noticed this tweet from Pamela Voelkel, part of the author team J&P Voelkel behind both the Jaguar Stones book series and our Ocotber 26th talk on making the most of author visits:

Look at this @egmontusa: Other authors visit schools, we INVADE them! http://preview.tinyurl.com/m89nltk  (Thanks to @kelleemoye.)

The post that she's referring to is found here from the blog Unleashing Readers.

All this talk of invading and unleashing leads us straight into the adventure side of author visits. There's a lot of excitement to be brought into the classroom when guests can share what they're most passionate about. Check out these intriguing tidbits from the Voelkel site:

• An archive of video interviews with the "real Indiana Joneses"
• Costumes and theater and replacement quetzal bird feathers
• Larvets Worm Snax (yeah, these were mentioned in the last post, but they're going to keep being mentioned until someone gives us a bug to eat)

The Voelkels focus on Mayan culture and Central America. But other authors give a sense of adventure closer to home. Check out this post from an author-educator event where Natalie Kinsey Warnock talked about exploring our own communities and family history.

And for many students, simply being able to interact with the authors behind their favorite books is its own kind of adventure. We can often make those connections when authors happen to be local, and increasingly it's possible with non-local authors, too. Here is some great advice from Kate Messner (who will be speaking at Bear Pond in the spring) on virtual classroom visits. And Skype, a common technology to use for these visits, keeps its own list of classroom opportunities here.

How do you translate the excitement around an author visit into sustained engagement and learning lessons that fit with curriculum goals? Come to Bear Pond Books on October 26th at 11:00 am and join the conversation for finding out the answer.

On Saturday, October 26th, Beard Pond Books presents How to Get The Most of Author Visits with Jon and Pamela Voelkel. The event is free and open to the public. It starts at 11:00 am in the upstairs Children's Room. Non-bug-related snacks provided. The full author-educator talk schedule is available here.