Kate CunninghamAuthor visits

Contents

About Kate ..…………………………………………………………………………………………….………My background and how to contact me

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Logistics of booking and running sessions ……………………..………………Costs and how to book a visit

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Session options ……..……………………………………………….…………….……………..………Information about contents of sessions during visits

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Skype sessions ……………..……………………….……………….……………….……………………Details of an alternative option to a visit including costs

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Vlad books ………………………………………..…………………………………………………………….What is in the books and how to order them

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Activities linked to the visit ………………..………………………………….………..…………Two lesson plans and resources on questions and character description

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Hi, my name is Kate.I was born and went to school in Birmingham but have lived in South London for many years. Over the years I have worked for a development charity and then as a primary teacher.

Throughout that time I was always writing, but at the end of 2016 I decided to publish the Vlad series. Luckily by then my eldest son, Sam, had become an illustrator and so we joined forces to make the books.

The aim was to create historically accurate stories that would engage children and give them lots of information too.

I now continue to extend the series, create teaching resources to support the topics, and visit schools along with Vlad and his friends.

Key information:

I am a member of the Society of Authors and National Association of Writers in Education.

I am a fully qualified teacher with 9 years in London Schools. I’m still a paid-up member of the NUT and am fully DBS checked and have public liability insurance.

How to find or communicate with Vlad or Kate:

www.readingriddle.co.uk

readingriddle@gmail.comhttps://twitter.com/reading_riddlehttps://twitter.com/vlad_fleawww.facebook.com/readingriddle

https://www.instagram.com/vlad_flea/

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/readingriddlehttps://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/cunning1

https://www.youtube.com/c/ReadingRiddle

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Logistics of booking and running sessions

Costs

The costs for a visit is £150 for a half day and £250 for a full day, plus expenses.

Expenses include transport to and from the school at 45p per mile when driving, or the cost of the ticket and taxi if coming by train. I generally drive to a school as fleas and books are quite bulky, but for further distances I use the train. If you are booking a full day and want an early start there may be the cost of an overnight stay, which is often offset by a cheaper late train the night before. If you wish to book a session contact me with details of the school and I will give you an exact costing.

Children can order signed books at a reduced price which will be delivered on the day. See Vlad books on page 6 for further information about this.

Booking

Contact me for available dates, giving information about the name and location of your school and whether you want a half or full day. I visit on Monday or Thursday. If you have a particular date in mind let me know, but please be aware that I may already have a booking on that date so you may need to be flexible. I will give you options or pencil you in for the date and send you the booking form. Once that form is returned to me the booking is confirmed.

Ordering books

I do not set targets for book sales or insist on purchases, but I do rely on book sales to be able to keep my charges as low as possible. My experience has been that parents are disappointed that they were not given the opportunity to buy a signed copy, whether that is using the form or bringing money when they collect their child at the end of the day. All children will be given a Vlad bookmark on the day so no one leaves empty handed. Ultimately one of the bonuses of having an author visit is that it will excite the children about a story and encourage them to read.

When I send out the booking form I will also send a pro forma letter to offer parents and carers the chance to order signed books with a discount on the usual price. Obviously if you wish to order any of the books for school at this price I can fulfil an order during my visit too.

Before my visit it is really useful if you can give me an idea of numbers so I can bring the necessary books.

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Session optionsAll sessions can be run in either the classroom or a hall, depending on what works best for you. I like to use a powerpoint otherwise any specific equipment is listed below. All children get a Vlad bookmark and Vlad writes to the class after the Great Fire and Florence sessions (I will bring the letter for you to say has arrived by flea mail the next day).

Great Fire of London (60-75 minutes)

Find out about the events of 1666 through an active session which includes:

An interactive reading of the story Volunteering to be part of a bucket chain to put out the fire Telling your experiences to a reporter in groups Looking at artefacts Questions

Equipment needed: IWB if possible

Florence Nightingale (45-60 minutes)

Learn about Miss Nightingale and a Victorian hospital in a session which includes:

An interactive reading of the story Artefact quiz – what was this used for? Train to be a first aider by learning a skill to respond to an injury Questions

Equipment needed: IWB and white board and pens for the quiz (paper and pencils can be used instead).

Editing a manuscript - KS2 session (60 minutes)

Find out about process of writing and editing a book.

This session talks about the different stages of improving and refining a text and uses the book Vlad and the First World War to work together on drafting the writing. We look my first draft of one of the pages and the pupils write and share their versions. We talk about pacing the writing, refining the vocabulary and using metaphor. We finish with questions.

Equipment needed: IWB and either individual whiteboards and pens or paper and pencils for each pupil.

Assembley (20 minutes)

I share how I make the books, why reading is so important and how the children can get books on any topic, for free from the library. Read to succeed.

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Skype sessions

If a visit is tricky to organise or beyond your budget, a new option is a Skype session. These cost £50 for a half hour session.

Why is it cheaper?

Even if I visit for half a day I am working the whole day by the time I’ve packed, travelled and run the session. Also a Skype session does not incur any travel costs.

Why is it shorter?

When I visit a class the session is broken up with activities that involve moving around so that the children are not sitting for a whole hour. During Skype this is more difficult so I feel 30 minutes is long enough for most groups. If you feel your class would like longer then it can be arranged – every class is different.

What preparation does it need?

A Skype session is half reading and half questions so it is really important that the children have had an opportunity to prepare some questions. There is a plan at the end of this pack that can be used if you want it.

We also need to confirm a time to have a very short test connection before the event which I will confirm with you on booking.

What if the IT doesn’t work?

If anything prevents the session going ahead we will reorganise.

Books orders

To keep the costs of sessions down (both in schools and for Skyping) I do rely on selling books, I am after all a living, eating author and I hope to stay that way! Before the session I will send an order form that can be sent home. Please give parents the option to order books. There is nothing compulsory about this but it is a way to excite and encourage your pupils and parents. I can offer a 15% discount and free postage for orders of 6 books or more but would need to charge postage on orders smaller than 6.

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Vlad books

Vlad and the Great Fire of London Picture BookIt is 1666 and Vlad and the flea and his friend Boxton the rat, love eating and biting their way around London. But one night in Pudding Lane they are caught up in a fire that threatens to destroy them, along with most of the City of London.

£6.50

Usually £7.99

Vlad and the Great Fire of London Activity BookFind out about the Great Fire of London and test yourself with puzzles and games … but don’t get singed!

£4.50

Usually £5.99

Vlad and the First World War Picture BookOn 25th March 1918 Vlad the flea and his friend, Crisp VC the carrier pigeon, are on a mission to deliver a secret message from behind enemy lines. They must dodge the dog-fights, survive the trenches and seek help from the staff of the hospital tent as they race to reach Britain safely.

£6.50

Usually £7.99

Vlad and the First World War Activity BookAs Vlad and Crisp VC carried their message to Britain, they learnt a lot about what they saw. Now they explain how to make codes and periscopes, and share facts and information about the First World War.

£4.50

Usually £5.99

Vlad and the Florence Nightingale Adventure Picture BookIn 1854 Vlad the flea and Loxton the rat were enjoying the rotten food and dirt in Scutari Hospital. Their lives were turned upside down by the arrival of Florence Nightingale and her Jimmy.

£6.50

Usually £7.99

Vlad and the Florence Nightingale Adventure Activity BookFind out about Florence Nightingale through puzzles and games and learn how to help people with basic first aid skills.

£4.50

Usually £5.99

Coming this autumn:

Vlad and the Space Race

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Resources

I have attached 2 resources here that I hope might be useful to you. There are many more free resources on my TES shop (link on page 2).

1. Vlad wanted poster – lesson plan and poster template

This can be a useful way to write a character description.

2. Lesson plan for generating questions for Kate

I’ve included this as it does help focus the children on the type of questions they could ask me when I am in the classroom (or on the end of the Skype link). It is not essential but makes it less likely we will get side-tracked by an off-topic query!

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WANTED

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Wanted Poster planningWriting a description of Vlad flea

Aims of lesson:Literacy: writing - composition Consider what they are going to write before beginning by:

- planning or saying out loud what they are going to write about- writing down ideas and/or key words, including new vocabulary

Learning Objectives Teaching Activities Vocabulary Learning Outcomes

Writing a character description

To describe Vlad flea

use descriptive words that accurately describe Vlad

explain his behavior and be able to justify

Read one of the Vlad books (Vlad and the Great Fire of London, Vlad and the First World War, Vlad and the Florence Nightingale Adventure).

In 1665 Robert Hooke used microscopes to study the natural world and was the first person to record what a flea looked like. He described it as:“adorn’d with a curiously polish’d suit of sable Armour, neatly jointed, and beset with multitudes of sharp pins almost like Porcupine’s Quills.” (the full image and quote can be found on https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/micrographia-by-robert-hooke-1665 )

Ensure the children understand the quote and specific words.

Brainstorm and record words to describe Vlad.What does he look like? How would we recognise him? What vocabulary or phrases describe him?

AppearanceBehavior

Children can write a description of the character using their knowledge and information from the text.

How could we describe his behaviour? What evidence do you have for this?

HotseatingTeacher pretends to be Vlad and the children ask questions about him. Include words in the answers that you want the children to pick up and use in their descriptions.

Do we have any more words to add to the vocabulary to describe him?

Why are we searching for Vlad?What has he done?Why is that a problem?

Would you like to meet Vlad?Give a reason for your answer.

Use the vocabulary gathered to write sentences describing Vlad so that he could be recognized from the Wanted Poster.

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Writing questions for an author

Aims of preparation lesson and author video link:Literacy: Spoken language listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations, staying on topic and initiating and responding to comments speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English

***A slot will be fixed to test the link one week before the interview to ensure it runs smoothly on the day***

Learning Objectives Teaching Activities Vocabulary Learning Outcomes

Interviewing an author

To prepare questions to ask during the video interview

correctly use and spell question words

ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge

Read one of the Vlad books (Vlad and the Great Fire of London, Vlad and the First World War, Vlad and the Florence Nightingale Adventure). Let Kate know which book the children have read so that she can have any relevant resources to hand for the video interview)

Review the question words which can be used to start a question and ensure that the children understand how to use each one correctly.

Look at the slide suggesting the type of questions that they could ask.In groups/pairs children think of questions they would like to ask Kate/Vlad. Share their ideas and highlight the question they would most like to ask either in their books or on a flipchart.

WhoWhyWhereWhatWhen

Children can formulate and ask questions.

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