Presentations

Ted is available for school visits of one to four sessions in a day, Family Literacy Evenings, and two different kinds of workshops.. He has differing presentations for various age / grade groupings. For Literacy evenings he has a mix of material (stories, show and tell, music) in shorter segments for a wider age range. Workshops run from primary through high school grades. All are detailed below.

Ted strongly suggests that for school-day visits students be introduced to age-appropriate material from his books beforehand. This allows him to do more than merely introduce his work. Students also benefit from a prior chance to talk over the questions they might like to ask.

Ted is comfortable working with large groups (over one hundred students), as long as the grade range is not too broad and the space is adequate.

The school library is his preferred venue. Primary/junior students should be seated on the floor. If the gym is used, he suggests mats be put down.

Ted needs a table for his show and tell materials and an armless chair.

Copies of Ted's books are available for sale and autographing. This should be arranged with him beforehand.

Primary sessions last forty-five minutes. They include storytelling from Ted's picture books, a related movement / imagining activity incorporating music (Ted brings along his banjo and guitar), and a question and answer time in which he shows how the books were created, using lots of visual aids.

Sessions last an hour. There are two main subject options, both offering a more in-depth look at the creative process.

The first, about novels, is built around the theme "where stories come from and how they become books". It begins with examples of how material from real life gets expanded and woven into characters and plots. Then comes an imagining session in which the students make suggestions about how a suggested anecdote could be used. Question and answer time is longer, often followed by some audience-participation music that relates back to the material.

The second is a behind-the-scenes look at picture books: how words and pictures combine, how the story must appeal to more than young children, standards of format, length and design, writing tips, and planning techniques. Senior grade students attempting their own work often find this valuable.

Family Literacy Evening (multiple brief presentations and sales/autographing session): $450.

Daytime visits:

• Single Session, $250
• Half day (two sessions) $575
• Full day (three sessions), $700; four sessions, $800

Full Contact Information

Creating Picture Books

Creating Picture Books is a series of weekly visits in which the goal is to have each student “publish” their own picture book via a highly structured, step-by-step process that includes, in succeeding weeks, group brainstorming, drafting a story on a storyboard, trying specific revisions, layout and design, illustration, and details like copyright, impression numbers, dedication, about the author paragraphs, etc. Students learn how and why these tasks are done professionally, and how they can try them in the classroom. The work calls on a variety of talents; everyone has a chance to shine.

In keeping with the “professional” approach, the series concludes with a book launch party, usually a couple of weeks after the last visit, in which the students’ books are celebrated as publicly as possible. (Often the local public library will be willing to put the books on display for a while afterward.)

Grades, Groups & Schedules

Originally for junior/intermediate grades, the series has been frequently and successfully adapted for both primary and high school classes.Depending on the number of classes involved, Ted visits the school either one or two days a week for five consecutive weeks. Each class taking part gets one visit per week. For an effective session he needs seventy-five minutes with each group, so he can work with four classes in a day. Thus a once per week series will take four classes through the process; twice per week, eight classes.

Sessions

Each session includes a read-aloud from picture books Ted brings to class, a lesson on the next stage of the project with show and tell materials, working time in which Ted can circulate and offer suggestions and encouragement and, if there is time, a bit of music. (Ted can bring a banjo and guitar. This works especially well with primary students, who need a simplified approach and a greater variety of activities.)Students have work to do between sessions, and deadlines. They tend to need more work time between visits near the end, when, for example, they will be copying their text onto book pages, or drawing and colouring multiple illustrations. The weekly stories, emphasis on professionalism and the final celebration of the students’ efforts all tend to be powerful motivators. Creating Picture Books is a busy project, but it should also be fun.

Materials

The project utilizes standard school supplies: newsprint, construction and photocopier paper, pencil crayons, etc. The book covers (only) need to be laminated. A long-arm stapler is needed for binding. Computers can be used, but are not necessary.

Fees

Once per week series (five visits plus celebration; four classes), $1750; twice per week (ten visits plus celebration; eight classes) $2750; both plus 5% GST

WordPlay

WordPlay is a half day writing workshop in which a group of up to thirty students have a chance to experiment with some different, and fun, aspects of creative writing. Using three very different and very funny picture book texts as starters, Ted combines group brainstorming, individual writing, and sharing to help participants play with figures of speech (exaggeration, alliteration, onomatopoeia, similes) plotting, and writing from different points of view.Participants leave with hands-on techniques they can apply to other creative writing, material they can continue to work on if they choose, exposure to different approaches to writing and stories, and hopefully, the memory of a fun and productive time.

Fees:

$350 + 5% GST per half day.