Of course, I need to be prepared. But so does
the school community.
If students have read my books and are looking
forward to meeting me, the day always goes better. The best visits of all
happen when students have done meaningful projects related to the books and
ideas I’ll be discussing.
Here are some great examples of project-based
learning that students did in the days and weeks leading up to my visit at
Pownal Elementary School in Pownal, Maine.
One classroom read Under the Snow and then created four lovely murals that show how animals discussed in the book survive in their winter environments. Fantastic!
In another classroom, students were learning to
identify the main idea and supporting details in a text. After students spotted
the main idea of Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes,
and Stinkers: Celebrating Animal Underdogs, their teacher wrote it on a piece
of paper and hung it on the wall. Then students used words and pictures to
highlight supporting details.
After reading No Monkeys, No Chocolate, Grade 3 students suggested creating a
bulletin board showing plant and animal relationships in the cocoa tree’s rain
forest home.
I especially love this detail, which comes
equipped with a magnifying glass (on the far right). What a great idea!
Students in grade 5 practiced the readers
theater script I wrote to accompany No
Monkeys, No Chocolate and performed it for me just before I presented to
them. They did an amazing job!
Thanks to these projects, students had some skin
in the game. They had a deep understanding of the books before I even walked in
the door. And not surprisingly, the day was a tremendous success.
Truth. It takes more than just the author to create a good author visit.
ReplyDeleteSo true!! I just did an assembly of 450 K-2 kids which is quite large for that age group. It went really well because the librarian had prepared them, so they were all really engaged. Phew!
ReplyDeleteI love the magnifying glass addition for the student 's bulletin board they created for No Monkey's No Chocolate. That is a great idea.
ReplyDelete