Get Ready

(Click on any image to see an enlargement)

If you have already booked an author visit, here is some important information to help you plan the day.  We encourage you to print out and share this information with teachers, PTO coordinators and staff.

Sarah Weeks is coming to visit your school!

If you’ve had authors come to your school before, then you know that every visit is different.  These pages have been put together in order to help you get the very most out of the visit you have planned with author, Sarah Weeks.

What do you need to do to get ready?
Once you have been in contact with Sarah directly (authorweeks@aol.com) to confirm the date and the honorarium, and you have received a letter of confirmation, you are ready to begin preparing for the visit.  To make the most of your efforts, it is important to use the weeks, or even months preceding the visit to focus on the author’s work. 

IMPORTANT: Make sure that a good selection of Sarah’s books is available in the library. You will find a list below of suggested titles appropriate for each grade level. In addition, pre-ordering books is an excellent way to help build interest in an upcoming visit.  Providing enough books for classroom read alouds and encouraging teachers to include the books in classroom art and curriculum lessons is a wonderful way to help the children anticipate the visit. 

Reading Group Guides for SO. B. IT and AS SIMPLE AS IT SEEMS are available from HarperCollins through their school and library promotions department (212) 207-7000). Your students might enjoy exploring the ABOUT ME page, and the READER’S THEATRE page on her website, where they can download free pdf’s of Readers Theatre scripts to use in the classroom. 

What Sort of Program Does The Author Do?
Sarah designs her programs to fit each grade level.  For younger students she focuses on her many picture books and talks about her life as an author.  For older students she focuses on her novels as well as the writing and editing process.  For every age group her program includes a PowerPoint presentation. If you would like to discuss Sarah’s programs with her beforehand, she will be more than happy to do so.  You can reach her by e-mail at: authorweeks@aol.com.

How long do the presentations last?
The length of the programs varies depending on the age group and attention span of the students.  K-1 programs usually run about a half an hour, older groups run between 45 minutes and an hour which includes a Q&A.

How do we schedule a day?
Every school has things they need to plan around.  It may be that the room where the author is presenting doubles as the cafeteria or the gym.  In planning a schedule for your day, keep in mind the following things:

1)     The author does three presentations only

2)     The author will need ten minutes between presentations

3)     Whenever possible it’s best to schedule presentations close together with autographing to take place after the presentations so that the author does not have long periods of downtime during the visit to your school.

What do we need to provide for the PowerPoint Presentation?

Sarah includes a wonderful, informative PowerPoint presentation in her programs.  She brings her own laptop (MAC) and an adaptor “dongle” to attach it to your LCD Projector.

The host is responsible for providing the following:

• LCD PROJECTOR*
• LARGE SCREEN
• ANY EXTENSION CORDS NEEDED

(* note: please see “HOW TO SET UP FOR POWERPOINT” below)

Will there be a question and answer time after the presentations?
Yes, all sessions will include a brief Q&A at the end.  You can help students prepare for this by compiling a list of questions that arise during read aloud, or silent reading sessions with the books. Some teachers like to have the students write a question on an index card and bring the cards with them to the presentations.

Does the author need to use a microphone?
Unless the setting is small and intimate, for example a library setting with a limited number of kids, a microphone is absolutely necessary.   

What do we do about lunch for the author?
Lunchtime is important down time in the author’s busy day.  It’s important to provide a quiet space for Sarah to eat her lunch.  Sometimes, she will do autographing during this time.   You can arrange ahead of time by e-mail or phone whether Sarah will bring her own lunch, or whether she will require something simple to be brought in for her.  It is not necessary to plan anything fancy, in fact Sarah prefers to have her lunch hour to herself.  If your school would like to have an author lunch with kids or teachers, this is something you need to discuss with Sarah beforehand.

How do we go about ordering books?
There are several options:

1)     You can contact your local bookstore.  Be sure to inquire as to whether they offer a discount for large book orders, many do.

2)     You can contact the publishers of the books you are interested in ordering.

•      HarperCollins: 1-800 242-7737
•      Scholastic – 1-800-SCHOLASTIC
•      Simon and Schuster - 1-800-976-1726
•      Harcourt/Houghton Mifflin- 1-800-543-1918

 3) If you are interested in having a booking agent handle all the arrangements for your school including the book sales, feel free to contact:

Kerri McPhail of Children’s Authors’ Ally, LLC
914-921-1776 (work)
914-582-0499 (cell)

www.childrensauthorsally.com

 

 

How do we get the books ready for autographing?
The more organized this process is, the more quickly and smoothly it will go.  Here is the method Sarah prefers:

1. Place a post-it note on the front cover of each book with the FIRST NAME ONLY of the person the book is to be autographed for.  Make sure that the name is PRINTED clearly. (You can put the full name of the person, or a classroom number or teacher name at the bottom of the post-it to make it easier to deliver the books later)
2. If a child has purchased more than one book, please put a separate post-it note on each book. If possible, use clear plastic bags to keep multiple orders together. If you must rubber band books together, PLEASE MAKE SURE the rubber band is large enough so that it can easily be taken off and put back on.
3. Organize the books by classroom/teacher in order to speed up the process of getting autographed books back to the classrooms after the visit.
4. If possible, have a volunteer available to work with Sarah while she signs.  That person can flap books (turn to the page the autograph will appear on), remove and replace rubber bands, organize and stack books.
5. Provide a comfortable adult-sized chair and a sturdy table in a quiet area for autographing.

BOOK LIST

(Note:  Grade levels are only suggestions, many books are appropriate for more than one grade)

Pre-K, Kindergarten and First grade

From HarperCollins:

• Mrs. McNosh Hangs up Her Wash
• Mrs. McNosh and the Great Big Squash
• Oh My Gosh Mrs. McNosh
• Woof, A Love Story
• DRIP DROP (I Can Read Book)
• SPLISH SPLASH (I Can Read Book)
• BAA-CHOO! (I Can Read Book)
• PIP SQUEAK (I Can Read Book)
• MAC AND CHEESE (I Can Read Book)

From Simon & Schuster:

• Catfish Kate and the Sweet Swamp Band
• If I were a Lion
• Paper Parade
• Angel Face
• Two Eggs Please

From Harcourt/Houghton Mifflin:

• Ella Of Course

Second Grade

From HarperCollins:

• Without You
• Follow the Moon

From Simon and Schuster/Beach Lane Books:

• Sophie Peterman Tells the Truth

From Scholastic:

• Boyds Will be Boyds #1- BEWARE OF MAD DOG!
• Boyds Will be Boyds #2-GET WELL SOON, OR ELSE
• Boyds Will be Boyds #3-DANGER! GIRLS DANCING
• Boyds Will be Boyds #4-FINK’S FUNK
• OGGIE COODER
• OGGIE COODER, PARTY ANIMAL

Third and Fourth Grade

From HarperCollins:

• Regular Guy
• So B. It (best for 4th)
• As Simple As It Seems (best for 4th)

From Scholastic

• OGGIE COODER
• OGGIE COODER, PARTY ANIMAL
• PIE

Fifth Grade and Up

From HarperCollins:

• So B. It
• Jumping The Scratch
• As Simple As It Seems
• PIE (available from Scholastic in Fall 2011)
• Up All Night (short stories appropriate for teen readers

An author visit can be a wonderfully enriching experience for your students. These suggestions are offered in order to help you plan the most successful visit possible for your school. Sarah Weeks looks forward to her visit with you!

Set-up for PowerPoint

Sarah travels with a laptop (Mac Pro) and an adapter toggle cable, sometimes called a “dongle”, which works with all LCD projectors.  SHE DOES NOT BRING HER OWN PROJECTOR OR SCREEN.

Please be sure that the space where the presentations will take place is set up before her arrival with the following things:

1. An LCD projector on a cart with extension cords if necessary.
2. The newer the bulb in the projector, the better.  IMPORTANT:  Please check BEFORE HAND to make sure that the projected images can be easily seen by the audience in the room where the presentation will be taking place.
3. A screen, which has already been either pulled, down or set up in the proper space.
4. If the space is large enough to require amplification Sarah will need a mic – A wireless hand held mic or a body/lapel mic which can be clipped on are preferred, but a hand held mic with cord and stand is also acceptable.
5. Some auditoriums and gyms have time-delayed lights which make it difficult to adjust lighting during a presentation. If you can make sure that there is someone at all presentations, who is familiar with the lighting, it’s a big help.

Sarah uses a remote control clicker during the presentation, but please make sure that if there are chairs they are set up in such a way that the cart will not be blocking anyone’s view of the screen, and also that there is enough space around it that there will be no risk of the equipment being touched or jostled by the audience.

Thanks for reading and please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Sarah if you have questions or concerns about this information.