Author visits by Kathryn Cave
Working as an author with a group of children is a real delight. No two sessions are the same. Ages in the group and fluency in writing and speaking English are key factors when deciding the kind of session you want: a lively free-the-imagination ideas-generating encounter (where an adult does any writing down that has to be done), a more sustained session on making and writing stories, or a read-aloud /slide show / Q & A author visit (with the focus on Something Else, other picture books,
or longer stories). I do - and enjoy - all of these. And I'm open to other ideas and suggestions. A few details below.
Story bag sessions
The story bag is packed
with objects (a mix of the
strange and the everyday},
that prompt the children to come up with ideas
for stories and characters. There are always lots of ideas! Some will get more fully developed than others. The main thing is for children to dip into the bag and get the chance to share things that fire their imagination. Tip: it's useful to have another adult there to note down ideas.
Feedback from recent
workshops
"The children have
been so enthusiastic
about their writing. I
gave my class some more time
to finish their writing this afternoon, as they requested, and they were working in self-imposed silence - this is almost unheard of for Year 2 in the afternoon!"
"I just wanted to thank you for all your hard work on Thursday. The feedback
I have had from the other teachers has all been very positive and the children certainly seemed inspired
by your visit. . . I hope you enjoyed the school as much as we enjoyed having you.
It was a pleasure to meet
and work with you."
Where do I visit?
Anywhere in the UK!
Recent workshops were
in London, Surrey, Herts, and Cambridgeshire but
I go farther afield: the south-west, Wales, northern England and Scotland. I live in north London.
Something Else workshops
We begin a story where we can
explore how much it matters to
us to feel we belong - a party with
weird and wonderful guests, a
picnic where everyone brings
some food to share, a train or bus ride where everyone needs to find a seat - some-thing that makes a good way in to the theme for KS1 children. They follow up their ideas after the workshop ends and finish off their story.
With the help of the story
bag and a modest flying
carpet KS1/2 children get to work on imagining characters and putting into words what they might see hear, touch and feel in situations they set up. Later they write up their ideas in a follow-up session - with me on hand if that's scheduled, or with their teacher. If I'm not on hand for the follow-up, I supply some notes and a mini story-bag of items to help get things going.
At Key Stage 2 the focus is on creating characters and settings that feel real to writer and reader, and on using vivid details (without spelling everything out...)
Q & A sessions / Reading aloud
"The quality of their writing, particularly my hard-to-motivate boys, is excellent.
I would say that for some of those children this is the best piece of writing they have produced all term. I will be doing my very best to build upon it!"
"Thank you so much for everything you did on Tuesday. The teachers and children had
a very special day with you and have spoken about how much they enjoyed it. So a huge
thank you from us
and from me."
Writing sessions
(with story bag/magic carpet)
Whatever the focus of the session, there's usually time for the children to ask questions: about being
a writer, the mechanics of making a book, who does the illustrations, and so forth. And I'll do a slide show or read a short extract from one or two of my books if that seems a good move - but the focus
is more on children's work than on mine.
