| STEPHANIE CALMENSON Ms. Calmenson has access to both iChat and Skype. Please have the students prepare in advance a list of questions for her to answer. She will first give a brief presentation, perhaps showing her latest book or talking about an upcoming project, and will then take questions. If you prefer, the Q&A can come first, depending on your students' needs. How you handle the Q&A is up to you. Sometimes students come up to the screen individually to ask questions and then the next student comes up. Sometimes the students gather around the screen to ask questions. The format will depend on your needs and what kind of equipment you have. If you have an activboard or some other means to project the images onto a larger screen, for example, the format might be somewhat different. In any case, students must be familiar with some of her books.
For a slide presentation, Stephanie can also send you the slides in advance of the visit so that the teacher can advance the slides on her cue. Please let us know if you would like this to be a feature of the chat.
If you would like a different kind of program, please let us know before setting up the program and please provide a general idea of what you would like. Further details will be needed at least a week before the chat so she can prepare.
She'll also be happy to autograph bookplates in advance of the chat, but be sure to send them to her in a timely manner so she can sign them and get them back to you before the chat. Honorarium: $750 * for 3 one-hour long chats over the course of a day $450 * for 2 one-hour long chats over the course of a day $250 * for 1 one-hour long chat NegotiablePlease visit Stephanie Calmenson for more information about her and her books. Her books are available from a variety of sources, including Booksource, Barnesandnoble.com, and amazon.com. Grade levels: Pre-S-5 Residence: NY
A FEW WORDS FROM A TEACHER WHOSE CLASS SKYPED WITH STEPHANIE: As a teacher I could not have asked for a better experience, especially for the first skype chat! This experience is not over yet. Tomorrow . . . the children will be making Stephanie's favorite drink, egg cream. They will then write about it in their journals. Additionally, [we] will have the children write suggestions for Stephanie's next book. They were and still are excited!
I think a half hour is just the right amount of time for our age group [second graders]. We are using the experience in many ways. One way is to tie it into our unit about careers. It also helps reinforce the writing process. We have *editing meetings* to correct, change or add to the things that the children write. I am always telling the children that authors do this too. These experiences allow children to see that and connect it with their writing. Also, it encourages them.
Stephanie was wonderful. She was a perfect fit for us and really did her best to make it a good experience for the children. I would welcome her into my classroom anytime!
Sincerely, Margaret Ann Rivera The Pen Ryn School 235 South Olds . Blvd. Fairless Hills, PA 19030 tel number 215-547-1800 Further references for online chats are available upon request.
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