School Visits

School visits are a fun part of being a writer. I look forward to each one. I learn as much from the children and their teachers as I hope they do from me. To help that happen, I treat presentations like my writing. I sculpt and revise them regularly to keep them interesting and fun for everyone.

Below is a short description of what I do during a school visit. I've developed my programs to very generally build upon one another and grow with the children:

Grades K - 2:

In this presentation, we talk about how a book goes from an idea to a finished project. I talk about getting an idea, writing it down, as well as show early dummy books, illustrations, press proofs, and fold and gathers. Then, we read one of my books so children can take what they've learned and hear and see it first hand (plus, listen to a story).

Power Point Presentation

Time: 30 min.

Grades 3 - 8:

This presentation focuses on the nuts and bolts of the writing process. We use a picture book as a tool to talk about story structure - exciting event/hook, building problems, climax, wrapping it up, ending with a twist - and story arc, dissecting the picture book story into its main parts. Then we segway from story structure into the writing process and revisions. I explain with examples from my own work and others why revisions take so long and how to make them count.

Power Point Presentation

Time: 45 min

Writing Workshop for Grades 3 - 8:

This is a character development workshop that works well with students in grades 3 - 8. It builds nicely upon the story structure and writing process talk by guiding students through creating their own character and then writing a short story about them.

We start with a sentence in which they must come up with a noun, verb, adjective, adverb, and mysterious note and then use that sentence to create character, place, and mood. Students spend about 20 minutes writing their story. The length of the stories vary. For 3rd graders, the story is usually 10 sentence long. For 4th graders, 15, and 5th-8th graders 20 sentences - up to a page. 

I save about 15 minutes at the end to read through some of the stories and offer tips on how to improve.

Power Point Presentation

Time: 1 hr 15 min

Lunch with the Author:

I always enjoy having lunch with a select group of students to talk about writing, their writing, ideas, and pretty much whatever they bring up. It's a fun experience for all sides, getting to pick the mind of an author.

Group Size:

I have spoken to all sizes of groups, ranging from 10 to 1500. I am pretty comfortable with just about any size. Writing workshops can be small or large. If they go over 20 students, it is helpful to have teachers who can also field student questions.

Some programs I've been asked to do:

1) 1 general session for k-2, 1 general session for 3 - 5, 3 individual writing workshops, one for each grade 3 - 5, Lunch with a group of students

2) 5 sessions, one for each grade level and Lunch with a group of students

3) 1 general session with 3 - 5, 3 individual writing workshops, one for each grade 3 - 5 and Lunch with a group of students

4) 5 smaller sessions with grades K - 2 only and Lunch with a group of students

What we end up doing is really up to the librarian and what works best for the school. I'm flexible. I can put together just about anything.

Fees:

Please contact me directly me at 619.665.6172 or at sanyikos(at)gmail(dot)com, or my publicist, Michele Kophs at 360.597.3432 or michele@provatomarketing.com. Also, you can view my calendar of events, so you can begin planning a date for the visit.