Winner of the North Carolina Excellence in Teaching Award

North Carolina Piedmont Laureate for Children's Literature 

LET’S DO SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY FOR YOUR READERS AND WRITERS

With over 25 years experience in schools, John knows how to ignite your students excitement for writing and reading.  Bring him in this year for an unforgettable author visit. Email John.

“John brought his books and aspects of folklore alive for our students with a lively and entertaining program and did what has become increasingly difficult in our video age, inspired them to read!” ~ Dr. Rhonda Zayas-Palmer, media specialist

“A masterful job of sharing his love of literature and writing. But John also succeeded beautifully in presenting the concept of living a creative life - of how to find your passion and share it with others. That’s got to be a 21st century success skill” ~ Cris Crissman, PhD, NC State University

“I continue to see and hear the impact of Mr. Bemis’ visit with our students and teachers.” ~ Donna Cook, principal at Rea View Elementary

“John’s perspective helped my kids make so many connections with their reading and writing!” ~ Bethany Baker, teacher at Burlington Day School

"Innovative and compelling teaching." ~ Bill McDiarmid, Dean of UNC Chapel Hill's School of Education

PROGRAM BASICS

A typical full-day school visit is 3 - 4 presentations. You pick out any combination of the programs from the list below. For example, John could start the day with a large assembly presentation for the entire school of the "Igniting Writing" program followed by 2 or 3 "Writing Workshops" with combined classes in a particular grade-level. If you're an elementary school, you might want John to do "Igniting Writing" for a combined assembly of  3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, followed by "Everyday Life in Africa" for Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd together, and round out the day visiting a class (or combined classes) that are reading one of his books. Middle schools might have 3 assembly programs, one for 6th, one for 7th, and one for 8th, as well as a lunch-talk for the Battle of the Books team. 

Not sure what you want? Contact John to discuss possibilities. He wants to fit what he's doing with what your teachers need. And when John comes to your school, he likes to stay busy and make the most of your day together. He promises, it'll be loads of fun.

PROGRAM OPTIONS

IGNITING WRITING
Grades: 3 – 12
Audience size: up to 500
Length: 45 minutes
John shares about his books and how reading, learning, and developing personal passions have ignited his love for writing. Learn more about his creative process and what authors do to dream up exciting stories. A dynamic and interactive program that will leave students inspired to read and write!

WRITING WORKSHOPS            
Grades: 3—12
Audience size: up to 50
Length: 45—60 minutes
Through John’s engaging lessons, students will learn the process writers follow to create interesting stories. John leads the students through exciting exercises that will help young writers come up with ideas and get stories started.  He shares how he uses story maps, the importance of revising, and what to do when you get writer’s block.  John is happy to adapt his workshops to support the lessons of classroom teachers.

DEEP DIVE Q & A
Grades: 3—12
Audience size: up to 50
Length: 45—60 minutes
John always make time at the end of all his programs for students to ask questions, but sometimes students learn the most by driving the discussion. With this program, students have the opportunity in a more informal setting to ask questions: about John's process as a writer, about specifics in one of his books, how he comes up with ideas, the nuts and bolts of getting published. . . anything the kids want to know. This program is especially great when a group has read one of his books and wants a real "behind the scenes" look at how the story was created.

EVERYDAY LIFE IN AFRICA
Grades: K—5
Audience size: up to 50
Length: 30—45 minutes
John’s picture book Flora and the Runaway Rooster tells how gifts of animals can transform the lives of school children in rural Africa. John reads his book and shares photos and stories from his trip to Rwanda where he visited schools and families benefitting from Heifer International’s model of “Passing on the Gift” to help end hunger and poverty.

NURTURING LIFELONG READERS
For parents and/or teachers (great for Principal Coffee Hours, book fairs, PTA meetings, or staff development days)
Audience size: up to 100
Length: 45—60 minutes
As a parent and former classroom teacher with his M.Ed in Literacy, John shares practical tips to help parents support young readers from early childhood to the teen years. Is it okay that my child reads the same books over and over? How do I know what books are appropriate for my child? What can I do to encourage my child to read more? These questions and many more will be explored.

John is also available for:

Battle of the Book Team Lunches   ·   Week-long Writing Residencies   ·   Inspiring Keynote Addresses    
Book Fair Kick-offs   ·   Book Club Talks   ·    Teacher In-Services    ·     Young Author Celebrations

SUGGESTIONS FOR MAKING
THE MOST OF JOHN'S VISIT:

Read aloud from John’s books to your students. This familiarizes your students with John and gets them excited for his visit.

Share video and other content from his website.

Have students prepare questions in advance. When students have thought about what they want to ask, it makes the Q&A much more interesting.

Request the teacher guide for The Nine Pound Hammer. If you're using this book in your class, you might enjoy these lessons and discussion guides.

FOR PRICES AND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SCHEDULING AN AUTHOR VISIT,

EMAIL JOHN AT JOHN@JOHNCLAUDEBEMIS.COM