School Visit Guide == Elizabeth Winthrop

I make a limited number of school visits between October and June, which I fit in around my publishing deadlines, as well as conferences and lectures. I've put together this guide to give interested parents, teachers and librarians a way of understanding my programs and my guidelines. Please feel free to contact me at elizabeth@elizabethwinthrop.com to inquire about fees, expenses and availability.

For school visits, Elizabeth Winthrop makes a total of three presentations a day to groups of up to 180 students at a time, divided into appropriate age groupings. For kindergarten through second graders, she shows the different stages that her books go through from an idea in a journal through manuscript and dummy all the way to the final book. She then reads from some of her books and answers questions from the audience. Her presentation to this age group runs about thirty minutes depending on the attention span of the audience. The children should talk first with their teacher about the questions they might want to ask.

Her presentations to the third through sixth grades consist of a twenty five minute slide show which connects her real life experiences to the books she has published. (Please be sure you can provide her with a Kodak Carousel slide projector. She will bring the carousel itself.) The point she makes here is that children do not have to be a President or an astronaut or a movie star to write a book. They simply have to notice life as they are living it, become witnesses to their own story. She emphasizes that by the time they turn twelve, they will have had enough adventures to write a whole shelf of books. Ms.Winthrop takes questions from the audience and if there is time, she plays a game with the students about the books they are reading. Her presentation to this group runs about fifty minutes.

If one of these older classes wishes to focus entirely on the two CASTLE books (THE CASTLE IN THE ATTIC and THE BATTLE FOR THE CASTLE), she can also lead a discussion group on those books specifically. This presentation can include the slide show or not, depending on prior discussions with the teachers and/or librarian.

It is absolutely crucial that all the children be exposed to as many of Ms. Winthrop's books as possible before she comes to school. Then the presentations are really meaningful to the students and they recognize the stories she is discussing when she meets with them.

Ms. Winthrop is happy to have lunch with teachers on an informal basis between presentations, but please be sure that the teachers are interested in this opportunity.

She will sign books that have been ordered ahead of time, but she needs to do that in a quiet room at a separate time.

She is also happy to make presentations to parents, teachers, librarians and other interested adults, but again please keep in mind that her schedule is limited to three appearances a day.

ENTHUSIASTIC REVIEWS

"Thanks to Elizabeth Winthrop for a fabulous day. Everyone loved hearing her, and many already this morning have said that she encouraged them to write. That's terrific."
Kathy Elliott
Burton Street School
Cazenovia, New York

"Elizabeth Winthrop had the audience eating from the palm of her hand. The teachers have each expressed their appreciation for the way she took command and let the boys know who was in charge and when they could have their say. Boys who have trouble being attentive were hanging on her every word."
Doreen Morales
Assembly Coordinator
Buckley School
New York, New York

"I was so glad to hear one of Winthrop's presentations in full. It was simply delightful and so appropriate for the kids she was with."
Sharon Lauer
School Principal
K-8
Fairfield, Connecticut

"I appreciated the kid-friendly way Winthrop used humor and stories children can relate to in order to keep the group engaged, entertained, interested.... and inspired to do more writing of their own."
Stephanie Entin
Lower School Librarian
Abraham Joshua Heschel School
New York, New York

At this time, Elizabeth Winthrop is fully booked for school visit appearances through 2007. Feel free to be in touch with her at elizabeth@elizabethwinthrop.com with requests for other events.

SCHOOL VISIT GUIDE
home the author bookshelf reviews and honors teachers page school visit guide advice for young writers guestbook news & events	I make a limited number of school visits between October and June, which I fit in around my publishing deadlines, as well as conferences and lectures. I've put together this guide to give interested parents, teachers and librarians a way of understanding my programs and my guidelines. Please feel free to contact me at elizabeth@elizabethwinthrop.com to inquire about fees, expenses and availability. For school visits, Elizabeth Winthrop makes a total of three presentations a day to groups of up to 180 students at a time, divided into appropriate age groupings. For kindergarten through second graders, she shows the different stages that her books go through from an idea in a journal through manuscript and dummy all the way to the final book. She then reads from some of her books and answers questions from the audience. Her presentation to this age group runs about thirty minutes depending on the attention span of the audience. The children should talk first with their teacher about the questions they might want to ask. Her presentations to the third through sixth grades consist of a twenty five minute slide show which connects her real life experiences to the books she has published. (Please be sure you can provide her with a Kodak Carousel slide projector. She will bring the carousel itself.) The point she makes here is that children do not have to be a President or an astronaut or a movie star to write a book. They simply have to notice life as they are living it, become witnesses to their own story. She emphasizes that by the time they turn twelve, they will have had enough adventures to write a whole shelf of books. Ms.Winthrop takes questions from the audience and if there is time, she plays a game with the students about the books they are reading. Her presentation to this group runs about fifty minutes. If one of these older classes wishes to focus entirely on the two CASTLE books (THE CASTLE IN THE ATTIC and THE BATTLE FOR THE CASTLE), she can also lead a discussion group on those books specifically. This presentation can include the slide show or not, depending on prior discussions with the teachers and/or librarian. It is absolutely crucial that all the children be exposed to as many of Ms. Winthrop's books as possible before she comes to school. Then the presentations are really meaningful to the students and they recognize the stories she is discussing when she meets with them. Ms. Winthrop is happy to have lunch with teachers on an informal basis between presentations, but please be sure that the teachers are interested in this opportunity. She will sign books that have been ordered ahead of time, but she needs to do that in a quiet room at a separate time. She is also happy to make presentations to parents, teachers, librarians and other interested adults, but again please keep in mind that her schedule is limited to three appearances a day. ENTHUSIASTIC REVIEWS "Thanks to Elizabeth Winthrop for a fabulous day. Everyone loved hearing her, and many already this morning have said that she encouraged them to write. That's terrific." Kathy Elliott Burton Street School Cazenovia, New York "Elizabeth Winthrop had the audience eating from the palm of her hand. The teachers have each expressed their appreciation for the way she took command and let the boys know who was in charge and when they could have their say. Boys who have trouble being attentive were hanging on her every word." Doreen Morales Assembly Coordinator Buckley School New York, New York "I was so glad to hear one of Winthrop's presentations in full. It was simply delightful and so appropriate for the kids she was with." Sharon Lauer School Principal K-8 Fairfield, Connecticut "I appreciated the kid-friendly way Winthrop used humor and stories children can relate to in order to keep the group engaged, entertained, interested.... and inspired to do more writing of their own." Stephanie Entin Lower School Librarian Abraham Joshua Heschel School New York, New York At this time, Elizabeth Winthrop is fully booked for school visit appearances through 2007. Feel free to be in touch with her at elizabeth@elizabethwinthrop.com with requests for other events.

SCHOOL VISIT GUIDE