I took a different approach to my recent author visit: Instead of spending the majority of the time talking, I spent about 5 minutes presenting and the rest of the hour engaging the students in writing and story prompts. It worked so much better! Students were more attentive and focused, and they seemed to genuinely love developing their characters. (Even after I left, most of them continued working on their stories.)

The students’ characters were diverse and complex, and it was so cool to watch them stand up and proudly share their creations with their peers. After we worked through the prompts, I passed around blank books so the students could build a plot around their characters. I saved the book giveaway for last. Shopping for a diverse mix of picture books, chapter books and middle grade novels is one of my favorite parts of planning a school visit (though it’s definitely not easy or cheap — thank goodness for discount book stores). It was especially great when one of the second grade kids approached the book table and said, “I remember you gave me Charlotte’s Web last year!” I asked if he liked it and he said he did, though he was still finishing it.

It turns out that all that presentation and media training works really well on the grown-ups, but kids benefit from a more interactive approach. Sounds obvious in retrospect (and surely it’s something authors with more school visits under their belts already know), but it was a big “aha” moment for me this week.

What have you discovered over time that has improved your author/school visits?

© 2018 Rachel Martin. All Rights Reserved.