School Visits: Assemblies and Workshops with Author-Artist Vikram Madan
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Author-Artist Vikram Madan regularly visits elementary schools (both in-person and via Zoom/Google-Meet) to share poetry with grades K-6.
His presentations feature poetry readings from his award-winning poetry books, behind-the-scenes insight into the creative process, and a creativity exercise in which he does a live-illustration of a poem by tapping into kids' imaginations - all of which leave kids excited and pumped to start making their own creations. The presentations are supplemented with animated visuals that engage even the most reluctant and restless kid, and are tuned to grade level and audience size. As an author and a professional visual artist, and as a former engineer and scientist, and as a first-generation immigrant and person of color, Vikram brings a diverse background into the classroom. Vikram is the author-illustrator of three collections of funny poems, the author of an early-reader series releasing in 2021, and the author-illustrator of an early-reader Graphic Novel releasing in 2022. Learn more about his books here. * 'A HATFUL OF DRAGONS: And More Than 13.8 Billion Other Funny Poems'
- ALSC Summer Reading List 2021 - Texas Bluebonnet Master List Selection 2021-2022 - Kirkus Starred Review - 2020 Best Book: Kirkus Reviews, New York Public Library, Denver Public Library, Evanston Public Library, Betsy Bird's Fuse 8 Blog * LORD OF THE BUBBLES - 2019 Moonbeam Book Award for Children's Poetry * THE BUBBLE COLLECTOR - 2013 Moonbeam Book Award for Children's Poetry * BOBO & PUP-PUP (Author) - Releasing Fall 2021 * OWL & PENGUIN - Releasing Fall 2022 |
Download a summary of Vikram's School Visit information:
Download a Teaching Guide for Vikram's book THE BUBBLE COLLECTOR.
Teaching Resources for A HATFUL OF DRAGONS have been created by several educators. Here is one example showing how the book is "a vehicle for addressing a wide range of TEKS and Common Core standards". | ||
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"We loved having Vikram come visit our school and bring writing alive for our students! Out second graders were fascinated to learn about how Vikram started out as an author and pursued his passion. His advice to keep practicing what you love resonated with us. Vikram's visit was the perfect enrichment opportunity for us." - Second Grade Teacher, Cedar River Elementary |
"This visual connection to literacy is so important to kids this age. The Bubble Collector is a great example of this." - Librarian, Redmond Middle School "[The Bubble Collector is] Wonderfully Illustrated... Reminiscent of Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein... A great book to introduce children to the joys of poetry." - The Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA |
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Vikram does both in-person and virtual author-visits.
Visits include assemblies for grades K-3 and assembly-workshops for grades 4-6. Most visits include reading funny poems from Vikram's books, with the reading supplemented by an animated visual presentation that engages even the most restless student. Most visits include a raucous group creative-drawing exercise that will get kids excited about applying their own imaginations to their work. Some reasons to consider inviting Vikram to visit your school:
"[A] Freewheeling... Punchy... Wisecracking... Impish... Screwball... High-Spirited Read-Aloud. Ages 7-12."
- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY |
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"Vikram's presentation was humorous and inspiring for students. He encouraged students through his own stories, poetry and art to persevere as they pursue their unique dreams and aspirations. This important message cannot be repeated enough and Vikram did so eloquently and with grace." Librarian, Thoreau Elementary |
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Grades 4 though 6 - Workshops and Assemblies:
With the older grades, Vikram will read more complex poetry and cover topics such as:
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"Vikram’s program and presentations were both interesting and entertaining. The students learned how to turn ordinary poetry, into compelling works. Vikram was very personable and patient with all students, K-6. I would highly recommend Vikram Madan for any elementary audience." Librarian, Echo Lake Elementary |
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K-3 Assemblies:
Assemblies for younger grades are usually shorter and involve faster-paced poetry-reading from The Bubble Collector (and other forthcoming books), supplemented with animated visuals to hold the attention of the kids, followed by 'Ask the Author' Q&A as well as drawing demonstrations and exercises. With a smaller audience of younger grades (20-25 kids or less), Vikram can conduct a longer assembly that additionally includes creative group-drawing exercises that invite the kids to use their imagination and excites them about the possibilities of creative visualization. Vikram has done K-3 assemblies for upto 250 kids at a time. |
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"We had the honor of hosting Vikram Madan in our class. After his presentation, each student dropped everything and started writing! The kids in my class adore [The Bubble Collector], and I love it because it’s very clever and fun to read." - Fourth Grade Teacher, Spiritridge Elementary School |
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Author Appearance Rates:
Typical charges for author visits:
Note: I offer my rates as ranges so that we can find a specific number in there that fits within your budget while accounting for the size of the groups I will be meeting. The content and nature of each session will vary based on the size and age of the groups you will want Vikram to meet with. In general, the more intimate the setting, and the smaller the group, the more the kids will get out of the visit. Note: If your school or classroom does not have the budget for a full author visit, I am open, depending on schedule and availability, to doing a free 10-15 min VIRTUAL visit to answer student questions about my books. Please contact me if you would like to explore this option. |
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"In addition to engaging students in the fun, fantasy and whimsy of his poetry, Mr. Madan also communicated the invaluable lesson of perseverance in the writing process." - Librarian, Audubon Elementary School "Seeing your artwork has opened up a world of possibilities for my students. They are now really excited about art. - Elementary School Teacher, Louisa Boren STEM K-8 School |
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Book Sales:
Vikram's poetry books can be ordered through most book channels. For virtual classroom visits please order books directly through your preferred source. For in-person visits only, Vikram can provide students with copies of his award-winning poetry books, The Bubble Collector (winner of a 2013 Moonbeam Award for Children's Poetry), and Lord of the Bubbles (winner of a 2019 Moonbeam Award for Children's Poetry), at a special discounted school price. To do this, Vikram will provide you with an order form (below) ahead of time and request you circulate the form and collect orders prior to his arrival. On the day of the visit, Vikram will bring copies of the book to the school and sign them for the students. (Students who miss the opportunity to purchase books prior to the visit can always order the book from Amazon.com or Vikram's website)
Equipment Logistics:
Please arrange to have the following ready for the visit: 1. Projection system - for showing a PowerPoint presentation. 2. Large drawing surface - Flip-chart (preferred), smart-board, white-board etc. 3. Wireless Microphone for large spaces like gyms and lunch-rooms, or for large groups. | ||
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"Vikram's poetry and illustrations are engaging, and my students thoroughly enjoyed the presentation. They stayed through recess to talk with him and had to be persuaded to return to their classes when the bell rang! We had the best time. - Librarian, Stevenson Elementary School |
"Vikram's presentation via Skype was excellent! Our 300 students in grades one through five sat enraptured during his time with us and were inspired to ask him lots of questions. He focused on his experiences as a poet for our "Poem in Your Pocket Day" assembly and was both funny and completely on target. I had at least a dozen of our teachers tell me how wonderfully perfect they found his presentation to be."
-- Primary School Teacher Librarian,
Washington International School, Washington DC
A long time ago
HOMESCHOOL GROUPS:
Visits can definitely be arranged for homeschool groups. Usually, one parent/family should take the lead for organizing such a visit and for being the point person for arrangements:
1. Arrange a venue - this can be a meeting room in your local public library or community center. You should be able to book the room for no charge. The ideal venue will have a projector and whiteboard (but if these are not available, we can work around that!).
2. Coordinate with the other parents to decide a day and time, and to collect contributions to pay for the visit (See rates above - the more families you can pull together, the smaller the per-child cost).
3. Contact Vikram to finalize the visit.
Visits can definitely be arranged for homeschool groups. Usually, one parent/family should take the lead for organizing such a visit and for being the point person for arrangements:
1. Arrange a venue - this can be a meeting room in your local public library or community center. You should be able to book the room for no charge. The ideal venue will have a projector and whiteboard (but if these are not available, we can work around that!).
2. Coordinate with the other parents to decide a day and time, and to collect contributions to pay for the visit (See rates above - the more families you can pull together, the smaller the per-child cost).
3. Contact Vikram to finalize the visit.
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Comments from Kids:
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Comments from Educators:
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