When Mike Artell visits your school or public library, he will read from some of his books and explain how he got the ideas for the different books. Mike has written and illustrated a wide variety of books from picture books to science and humor books. He's written books for toddlers, elementary-age kids and for kids in Jr. High. Mike has even written a number of professional books for teachers. Humor is a big part of Mike's presentations and he'll engage the kids in some word-play and mental gymnastics. In addition to being great fun, these little activities build students' thinking and literacy skills and gives them the creative confidence to think innovatively. Mike encourages the kids to ask questions, and Mike will answer as many questions as time permits.
Next, Mike will show your students (and teachers!) how to draw cartoons. That’s right, even the "artistically challenged" people in your school will learn to draw great cartoons using Mike’s step-by-step techniques. Everyone will need 3 sheets of plain white copier paper on which to draw. And of course, everyone will need a pencil with a good eraser. Why cartooning? Because human beings think in pictures. And besides being great fun, cartooning develops the visual literacy of students. Using Mike's techniques, kids learn to approach problems and challenges from different perspectives and to create clever and unusual associations. Along the way, Mike will point out to teachers how to incorporate the students' new thinking skills into your curriculum.
So how much does it cost to have Mike visit your school?
Mike will do three presentations (45 - 50 minutes each) at a cost of $1500 (travel, lodging and meals are additional).
Schools within 100 miles of New Orleans are eligible for a discount - be sure to ask Mike about this when you call.
The three presentations can be any combination of the following:
Presentations to students
Presentations to parents
Teacher in-service workshops
"Master class" for talented student writers and/or artists
For example...you may choose to have Mike conduct three presentations for your students. Or you may choose to have Mike conduct two student presentations and then do a writing workshop for your teachers. Or perhaps you'd prefer to have Mike speak to your parents on Family Reading Night, do a writing workshop for your teachers and then do a presentation for your students. Mike is happy to work with you to arrange any combination that you'd prefer.
If you still have questions, contact Mike for details. Also, ask about evening parent presentations as well as teacher in-service writing workshops. Travel, lodging, meals are additional. Mike flies in/out of New Orleans, LA.
Mike STRONGLY encourages you to print out his, "Author visit checklist." By covering all the items on this checklist, you can be sure that you're prepared for Mike's visit and you've "covered all the bases." This checklist contains just about everything you need to know and do to ensure a successful visit.
Mike will bring his notebook computer and an electronic drawing tablet and requests that your school provide him with an LCD projector and a cable that hooks to his (Windows) computer. Mike will draw on the electronic tablet and he'll do a PowerPoint presentation of images from his books. If your school does not have an LCD projector, Mike can do a modified presentation without images from his books if you can provide an overhead projector - but it's not as much fun so please try to have an LCD projector available if possible. If your school doesn't have an LCD projector or an overhead projector, we've got a problem. Let Mike know what A/V you'll be providing. It's important to have a big screen so the kids can see what Mike is drawing. The bigger the screen, the better. If you don’t have a big screen, we can project the images on a blank wall. If you don't have a blank wall, maybe we can use a large coach (just kidding). Mike will also need a mike (as in microphone). A wireless microphone is best because Mike moves around a lot (he's A.D.D.). But if you don't have a wireless microphone, any working mike will do. Please check out the A/V equipment prior to Mike's arrival. Please. And by the way, it works best if kids sit on the floor rather than at tables. But if you prefer tables, that's O.K. with Mike.
So exactly what does Mike do during his assemblies? Every assembly is a little different, but you can read an outline of Mike's presentations for grades K - 5 by clicking here. This outline tells you what Mike typically does with each group and how much time he spends on each topic area. Mike will change it up a little depending upon what he sees the kids responding to, but this outline will give you a pretty good idea of what Mike does. Keep in mind that Mike also does presentations for older students. Mike has spoken to many junior high and high school groups. The subject matter is more advanced (e.g. editorial cartooning, the "business" of publishing, etc.), but it's still great fun. Contact Mike for details.
Typically, Mike speaks to 100 – 150 students at a time (Grades K-8); but as long as everyone can see the screen, audience size really isn’t an issue. Mike has addressed groups as small as 20 students and as large as 600 students during a single presentation. Small groups are fun because they get to interact more with Mike, but big groups are great too because it's cool for kids to see so many of their classmates laughing and having fun. Once again, group size is not an issue as long as everyone can see what Mike is doing.
BOOK SALES - THE EASY WAY
Here's a simple, EASY way to handle book sales/autographing that won't drive you and all the teachers in your school nuts. Prior to visiting your school, Mike will send samples of some of his most popular books to you. You can then put the books on display so the kids can read them and choose which one/s they want. You take orders for the books (Mike will send you a sample order form if you need one - just ask). When all the orders are in, you email the titles, children's names and teachers names to Mike. He'll take the books out of his inventory, sign each book (Mike draws a little cartoon in EACH book) and ship them to you in advance of his visit. You can distribute the books whenever you choose. This completely eliminates the chaos that occurs on "author visit day" when kids are trying to pay for their books, get them signed, etc., etc. There's no more standing in line in the library, no more lost classroom time and no more need to recruit volunteers to help handle all the paperwork. And here's another neat little benefit. - you can keep the sample books as Mike's gift. For a list of Mike's books click here. If you'd like to view several pages from many of Mike's books, click on any of the books next to the words, LIMITED PREVIEW when you click here. The trick to making this book sales method work is to order your books WELL in advance. Contact Mike for more info.
If you prefer to handle book sales some other way, Mike will be happy to work with you. Just let him know what you have in mind.
Big kids like
Mike's presentations too!!
Sometimes it's hard to find a speaker that can engage older students as well as younger students. Mike's presentations are "age appropriate" so students of all ages have an opportunity to learn to think more creatively and communicate more clearly. (And it's FUN!)
Click on the "School visit info" link in the left column or just email Mike at mike@mikeartell.com. You can also call Mike toll-free at 877.407.9730.
