FAQs

 

Q. What type of presentations do you give?

A. (a) Two (2) Children’s picture book presentations (grades K – 6)

(b) Four (4) Interactive hands-on living-history presentations (grades 2 – 8)

(c) Teacher presentations: Teacher/In-service Curriculum Day presentations.

Q. What are the topics/titles of the children’s picture books presentations?

A. These 2 presentations correlate with my picture books:

• 50 Wacky Things Animals Do
• North Carolina, the First Golden State

Q. What are the highlights of the children's picture books presentations?

A. During the interactive, 50 Wacky Things Animals Do presentation the author will:

• Come dressed in a parrot costume
• Entertain with animal hand puppets
• Share funny animal jokes & wacky facts in power point presentation
• Read excerpts from her book
• Allow student interaction with puppets
• Inspire students to read and write
• Explain how a book is published
• Q & A
• Do a creative writing/art project compiled into a class book (small group assembly only)

B. During the interactive, North Carolina, the First Golden State presentation the author will:

• Come dressed in gold miner’s costume
• Give history of America’s two big gold rushes (1799 and 1849)
• Bring gold mining artifacts to handle
• Demonstrate how to pan for gold
• Allow students to pan for gold (depending on assembly size)
• Read excerpts from her book
• Inspire students to read and write
• Explain how a book is published
• Q & A

What is the length of each children’s books presentation?

A. 50 Wacky Things Animals Do:

Large group assembly – 45 minutes
Small group assembly – 90 minutes {This includes a creative writing/art project}

B. North Carolina, the first Golden State

Large group assembly – 60 minutes
Small group assembly – 60 minutes

Q. What are the topics/titles of the living-history presentations?

A. There are 4 presentations that correlate with my books:

• It Happened on the Oregon Trail 
• African American Women of the Old West
• It Happened on the Underground Railroad
• Black Cowboys of the Old West

Q. What are the highlights of the living-history presentations?

A. During the interactive, hands-on presentation the author will:

• Come dressed in a period costume
• Share over 100 artifacts to handle
• Give a history of the time period (45-minute power point presentation)
• Bring America’s past to life and excite students to read more about it
• Talk about stories from her book
• Explain how a book is published
• Share how ideas are developed for a book
• Inspire students to write
• Stress the importance of editing and rewriting their own work
• Q & A session

Q. What is the length of each living history presentation?

A.  The following presentations are 60 minutes long:

It Happened on the Oregon Trail 
African American Women of the Old West
It Happened on the Underground Railroad
Black Cowboys of the Old West

Q. What themes do your books cover that tie into the classroom curriculum?

A. The following themes are explored in my books: determination, perseverance, geography, relationships, grief, survival skills, fame, moving, ingenuity, problem solving, tolerance, forgiveness, friendships, intergenerational relationships, religious perspectives, law, minority and ethnic relations, pioneers, women’s issues, cowboy life, and slavery.

Q. What is the cost of the school presentation

A. Go to “Site Map” tab on Home Page and click on “Presentation Length And Pricing”

There is a sliding fee for multiple programs.

Q. Do you have any family orientated programs?

A. Yes, the 90-minute program, A Child’s Life out West, can also be done as an evening family/intergenerational literacy program. Fun for all ages from tots - teenagers - grandparents. This exciting hands-on program unites families and promotes literacy!

Q. Do you offer your books for sale when visiting the schools?

A. Yes, students may purchase personally autographed books. As a former teacher and reading specialist my goal is literacy for all students! Additionally, an autographed book dedicated to the students is donated to the school library.

Q. Do you give Teacher In-services & Curriculum Days?

A. Yes, I have 1-day, 2-day, 3-day, or 4-day options available. My conference course entitled “Trailblazers: Reading in Elementary Social Studies” is appropriate for 2nd - 8th grade teachers interested in integrating literacy in their Social Studies curriculum. Check the “Teacher In-services & Curriculum Days” tab for more information.

Q. Who does the school contact to set up an Author Visit or Teacher/In- service Day?

A. Please contact the author directly at: tricia@authortalk.org. Feel free to e-mail any questions.

Q. What equipment does the school provide?

A. I will bring my program on a flash drive to plug into the school’s computer/whiteboard. (I can bring my own laptop and projector, if needed.) The school will need to provide: a large enough room to accommodate the size of the audience, screen or white board for the power point presentation, several wheeled carts to bring items in, 2 large tables to display artifacts, microphone for large rooms, and student nametags.

Q. Do you give school presentations nationally?

A. Yes, I give presentations in North Carolina and I also travel around the country giving presentations to elementary schools.

Q. What costs are schools responsible for out-of-town visits?

A. (a) Presentations within a 120-mile driving radius of Denver, NC: mileage

(b) Presentations 180-240 mile driving radius of Denver, NC: mileage, hotel, meal stipend.

(c) Presentations outside 240-mile radius of Denver, NC: flight, transportation to and from hotel to school, meal stipend.

(If visiting multiple schools in an area the cost of transportation/hotel, etc. can be split making it more cost effective.)