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Mona Hodgson School Visit Q & A If you’ve made it this far, I assume you’re interested in hosting an author visit. This page is my attempt to remove at least some of the mystery and guesswork by answering questions usually asked by those interested in hosting an author visit. q
For what age groups are your
presentations appropriate? I have presentations that are appropriate for preschool through college students, and for teachers, as well. (See my For Event Planners/For Educators page regarding my keynote and workshop topics for educators’ conferences.) q
Do you only visit public schools? I have programs that are adaptable for public school, private school, Christian school, Catholic school, and home school events. I work with the event planner to shape a program best suited for the intended audience. q
What do your presentations offer
students? I shape my presentations to fit the needs of your school and the skill level of the student group I’m addressing. However, my main goal is that each student will leave my presentation with a renewed enthusiasm for reading and writing. I personalize the craft of writing and show students (and teachers) that they, too, can express themselves with the written word. My programs for primary grades on up emphasize writing elements and the process of writing for publication. I also explore a topic and the book I use to illustrate it for broader educational value. Assembly presentations are interactive and individual classroom visits include exercises or activities designed for the age group. Please refer to my Author Visits page for a break down on my topic offerings for Preschool, Elementary, and Secondary programs. q
What children’s books have you written? Please visit my
Children’s Book page for summaries of each of my twenty-two books
and a printable book list. q
How many students are you comfortable
speaking with at once? Smaller groups allow me to better tailor my content for a specific audience. Smaller groups also allow for more intimacy, which means I’m able to personally connect with more students. Groups of ten to one hundred are ideal. q
How many sessions will you do in a day? A full-day visit consists of three or four sessions. A half-day visit consists of one or two sessions. q
How long are your sessions? Preschool presentations usually last 20-30 minutes. Primary sessions usually last 40 minutes. And intermediate sessions usually last 50 minutes. Of course, I’m happy to shape the content and length to meet the needs of your individual school. Please allow ten to fifteen minutes between each session for transition. q
How far in advance do we need to schedule
your visit? The sooner the better, but feel free to contact me anytime during the school year. If my calendar is full, we can make plans for the following year. q
What equipment do you need? · A large screen or white wall. · An overhead projector on a rolling cart. · A large table for props. · A microphone if the group is larger than 100 students. · A bottle or two of water. · Two tables in a central area for book sales. q
Do you have other needs or requirements
when you visit a school? I appreciate your investment of time and money into my visit to your school. I want to make it fun and effective, and have it go as smoothly as possible for every one involved. To that end, I offer a few tips. · I prefer a stationary location where I can set up my props and students come to me. It makes for a smoother transition between groups. · The more students know about my visit and my work, the more prepared they’ll be for our time together. They can discuss my visit with their parents and invite them to come. · I like to know in advance if lunch is provided and the particulars. Will I dine with teachers and faculty? Will I eat with a select group of students? Is a group of parents providing a potluck? I am also fine with bringing my own lunch, if I know in advance to do that. · It’s a big help when both teachers and I are aware of the day’s schedule in advance. q
Can you provide references? I’m happy to do so. Feel free to contact: Tuba City Boarding
School Chandler Christian Elementary School Chandler, Arizona Marie Wilson, Principal boldone@cox.net Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Preschool Phoenix, Arizona Yvonne Salazar, Director 602-867-9179 q
What is the best way to contact you? Email is the best way to reach me, however, author hosts may also reach me by phone (928) 593-0629. q
How do we make your books available to
our students for purchase? I’m so glad you asked. When you schedule an author visit with me, I send you a pre-order form and parent letter that can be sent home with students. Here are two options for getting books to your students and faculty: 1. I bring pre-ordered titles with me the day of my visit. I bring additional books for on-site sales, as well. If I am flying in from out of state, I’ll ship the books to your school.
This is the preferred method, and it helps me to keep the cost to
the school down. 2. You can order most of my books directly from my publishers and receive a discount off of the retail price. Some schools use the book sales discount offered by publishers to help pay for the author visit. FEES (2008-2009 School Year) $500., plus expenses*
for a full-day; $300, plus expenses* for a half-day. A full-day
visit consists of three or more sessions. A half-day visit consists
of one or two sessions. Visits to preschools are an exception. I can usually fit three to five 20-minutes presentations into a morning preschool. A visit to both morning and afternoon preschool classes on the same day would qualify as a full-day visit. That’s also true if I speak to your preschool classes in the morning and elementary students that afternoon. If I’m driving more than an hour and a half to get to your school, I usually ask for lodging the night prior to my visit so I may avoid rush hour traffic and get to your school in a timely fashion the following morning. If I have a multiple-day engagement at your school or schools in your district, I’ll require lodging for the night prior to my first day’s events and for each night between visits to your school(s). Literacy Night Events: $150. if it is in conjunction with a day’s author visit, otherwise it is $250 plus expenses*.
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Do you have ideas for how a school might
fund an author visit with you? If author visits aren’t part of your school budget, you might look into these other possibilities: · Grants that support education. Here are some grants, just for educators. Community Foundation of Southern
Arizona · Book Fair money. · PTO funds. · Tax credit money. · Special Foundation support. · Title 1 funding. · A local hotel might donate lodging for my stay. · Perhaps a parent in your school would donate frequent flier miles for my flight. Thanks for sticking with me through the entire Q & A. Please contact me with any additional questions you may have. I appreciate your interest in having me visit your school and I look forward to hearing from you! Best wishes, Mona
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