School Visits
 School Visits
Diane travels all across the U.S. with her popular, dynamic, grade-leveled school and library presentations as seen on the left. She makes here visits as easy on the Media Specialist as she can by providing several copies of my books for preview, a handout announcing to the teachers about the upcoming visit, a Book Order Form and uses an independent bookseller to handle all book sales. She provide materials to display in the Media Center as well as an Author Visit Checklist to make preparations run smoothly. You provide the kids!
For All Presentations
Cost: $195 per presentation + travel and lodging outside Metro Atlanta. Minimum cost $500/day. **
Maximum Sessions: Up to 6/day *
Audience Size: Up to 175 (200 if you have a very, very large screen)
Location: Prefers the media center, but gym, cafeteria, for larger groups
Class Curriculum: Language Arts, History, Character Education
(Evening Presentations Available)
* 6 sessions/day-$1500
** If three schools book consecutively, travel fees waived, if 4-5 schools book consecutively, travel and lodging fees waived.
A Rockin’ and A Read Aloud!
Pre-K – 1st Grade (30-35 minutes)
 After sharing her non-fiction article, “Presidential Dentures” about George Washington’s false teeth, we have a rip-roarin' riddle contest, then Diane shares with the kids how her poem, “School Bus Bop,” became a rhyming picture book. "I started out writing poetry by changing the words of familiar nursery rhymes." She then shares a few of the poems published in Humpty Dumpty, Highlights for Children, Spider, and Children's Playmate. Several of the poems are hidden picture poems, so the kids get to find the hidden pictures. The kids also guess which songs she wrote the poems to. Next, the author tells the students that she had to submit the story 22 times before it was published, comparing herself to “The Little Engine that Could” (I think I can, I think I can!) Then she reads an excerpt of “Bus-A-Saurus Bop.”
Next she asks the audience if they like to make noise. She's never had a class tell her “no.” :-) Then she chooses someone to play Rosa and in “reader’s theatre” style reads her Rookie Reader "Rosa Loves to Read" about loud and soft noises. The kids have a blast with this!
With the help of the audience and Filbert the squirrel puppet, Diane recites “Look Both Ways.” She then introduces the the French and German versions. (It’s a hoot to read in German!)
A Rockin’ and A Readin’
2nd-3rd grade (45-55 min)
 Diane starts out with a concrete poem, then shares with the students a couple of nonfiction articles she has published in Highlights. One is called "Presidential Dentures" about George Washington's false teeth. (Do you know what they are made of? If you guessed wood, you need to guess again!) and the other article is titled "Wheels in His Head" – The Story of the first Ferris Wheel. (Did you know that it was built for the 1893 World's Fair and held 2,160 people!) She has pictures that she shares with the articles.
Next Diane tells them how Bus-A-Saurus Bop became a book and shares the same hidden picture poems and an additional poem titled, “Hey Sport” where kids have to guess which sport the verbs in the poem are describing. She then shares the sloppy copies of Bus-A-Saurus Bop, shows the kids all the red marks, and talks about the different ways the book changed during the editing phase. Then she reads an excerpt of Bus-A-Saurus Bop.
Next she shares with them some pictures from her Creat-A-Saurus activity that other kids have drawn and briefly talks about ideas and creativity. She briefly talks about This is the Dream and This is the Feast, and how a “small moment” inspired How to Drive Your Sister Crazy.
In addition, there is a 5-10 minute question and answer period. These kids ask a LOT of questions.
 Poetry Party!
4th-6th grade (45-60 min)
"And they thought they were just having fun!" is Diane's theme as she takes students through a school day of stories, poems, riddles and more. Beginning with her award winning poem "Get Out of Bed!," which is included in the poetry anthology "If Kids Ruled the School" (see below) Diane recites and acts out stories and poems from Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, Dr. Seuss, Roald Dahl and other favorite authors, all in a school setting. There's even a visit from "Mrs. Stein," the mean substitute, and a "field trip" to the zoo!
Diane includes in her presentation the process of making a picture book, and shares her own books as well as stories and poems published in HIGHLIGHTS FOR CHILDREN, CRICKET, SPIDER, TURTLE, HUMPTY DUMPTY and other children's magazines.
It's an energetic, educational, and inspirational performance that gets children excited about reading and writing!
Students learn:
hooks/beginnings -- rhythm/meter -- alliteration -- hyperbole -- concrete poetry -- internal rhyme -- metaphors/similes -- personification -- onomatopeia
Meet Ellinor Billington 17th Century Pilgrim
 Pre-K-4th grade (45 minutes)
maximum of 75 students
Diane performs and teaches about 17th Century America as Ellinor Billington, a colorful and rather opinionated colonist, who along with her troublesome husband and two mischievous sons traveled to the New World aboard the Mayflower in 1620.
In Pilgrim costume and Olde English language, Diane, through Ellinor's eyes, answers questions and shares stories of the Mayflower voyage, that first year of hardship in the New World, and everyday life in 1627 Plimoth. Includes a hands-on, interactive demonstration of 17th Century European and Native American children's toys and games.
It's an entertaining, engaging, and educational time travel that brings history to life! Diane is the author of This is the Feast (HarperCollins) an engaging read-aloud with lyrical text and rich, warm art recounting the Pilgrims' harrowing journey to the New World, their first year as settlers, and their celebration of friendship with the neighboring Indians.
Writing Workshop for Students
Write On!
Designed to help students enjoy learning the craft of writing, this workshop will have your students painting pictures with words and at the same time take the stress out of assess. With an emphasis on personal narrative, expository, and creative writing, these fun, interactive, hands-on activities will put your students on the “write track” for the statewide writing assessment.
Topics covered:
Story glove, hooks/grabbers, plot/action, show vs. tell, vivid verbs and colorful words, onomatopoeia, dialogue tags, sentence structure, sensory check, similies/metaphors, and wrap-up
Responses
"Diane is energetic, enthusiastic, and quite talented. She obviously loves children (she ate lunch with first-graders!) and they love her right back. She had the students telling jokes, answering riddles, interacting with her poems, and generally having a good time. She emphasizes the importance of 'writing what you know about' and the perseverance required to get a book published. She brings a kid-size Bus-a-Saurus, and we enjoyed taking pictures of the students 'riding' the bus."
Lynn Dye
Media Specialist
Keheley Elementary School
"Your books come in and go right back out — all the copies."
Loretta Cronier
Media Specialist
Shades Cahaba Elementary
"Diane Z. Shore's presentation was so fun, the students had no idea they were even learning."
Jill Brooks
Third Grade Teacher
Bennett Elementary School
"Diane 'drips' with creative juices."
Pepper Smith
Special Advocate for children
"Diane is the only person I know who has the students asking for more homework!"
Debra Heller
Reading Specialist
Newton Elementary
"Diane is a natural with children and inspires even the most reluctant readers to pick up a book and read."
Sylvia Fulton
Media Specialist
East Side Elementary
"Your poetry rocks!"
Fourth Grade Student
Mt. Bethel Elementary School
"She's cheerful and upbeat and shares interesting information about the research she did to develop several of her published nonfiction magazine articles. The children loved her poetry recitations and her enthusiastic reading of her lively picture book Bus-A-Saurus Bop. She brought along enlargements of her poems, a puppet, and a stand-up Bus-A-Saurus backdrop. She stayed beyond the expected time and autographed books and was delightfully pleasant to work with. Her fees are reasonable as well. I recommend her if you are looking for an affordable author your students will enjoy."
Meg Reed
Media Specialist
McKendree Elementary
"We loved your poetry and your humor. All the librarians are eager to return to their schools and share the poems with their students."
Stephen Schwartz
President
Society of School Librarians Int'l
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