2014 Miami Book Fair International
Generation Genius Authors Final Report
Generation Genius Authors has encouraged reading in students of all ages for nearly 25 years by connecting local students with authors of popular children’s books. The goal of the program is to cultivate an interest and passion for reading by showing students that reading can be fun, introducing them to popular authors and sending them home with free books (often signed by the authors) to help create their own personal libraries. Numerous studies prove that students who can master reading and writing are much more successful throughout their academic career than those who don’t. Students given the opportunity to meet authors – and getting to keep their books – helps create a joyous connection between children and reading for pleasure. It is also encouraging for children to see that the authors of books are people just like them. Building self-esteem and belief in their own abilities and possibilities is just one of the less tangible -but equally important - ways this program helps children. Each year, we strive to improve and grow the program. In 2014, we offered 23 sessions to 6,580 Miami-Dade County elementary, middle and high school students from 123 schools over the course of two days. Additionally, we brought authors to 28 local schools to reach an additional 1,560 students unable to attend the Book Fair and also conducted four writing workshops.
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Below is a more detailed breakdown of the 8,140 students from South Florida schools who participated in both the on-campus and off-campus sessions. Elementary
Middle
High-School
Total
Students at On-Campus Author Sessions
2,244
2,486
1,850
6,580
Students at Off-Campus Author Sessions
480
600
480
1,560
TOTAL # OF STUDENTS
2,724
3,086
2,330
8,140
Below are a few more successes from last year’s program: • 151 schools from South Florida participated – 123 at on-campus sessions and 28 at off-campus sessions. This is approximately 38% of the 392 schools in Miami Dade County (we also had a few Broward County schools at the Fair). • 4,240 books were given away to students – 3,280 at on-campus sessions and 960 at off-campus sessions. • 1,847 students were transported to campus via 40 buses. At both the on-campus and off-campus sessions, students also had the special opportunity to meet with authors following the sessions and have their own book signed. Once again this year, we prepared surveys to help us more clearly evaluate the impact of the program. This year, we conducted an online survey of classroom teachers who attended sessions and received a 40% response rate (See Appendix C for Survey Results). This is in an increase over last year’s response rate and we are pleased with the continued responses from participating teachers both in terms of quantity (number of teachers) and quality (teachers’ comments). Positive feedback received from teachers and chaperones both days indicates students enjoyed the sessions and found them very beneficial. In addition to positive comments provided in the surveys, members of the team also received feedback from teachers and chaperones testifying to the positive experience they had at the Generation Genius Author Sessions. The teachers conveyed thanks for the session and free books while also commenting on the high engagement levels of the students. Author feedback on the sessions was also very positive.
students at TONY DITERLIZZI’s session
2014 Generation Genius Authors by the numbers:
2,724
elementary students
3,086
middle school students
2,330
high school students
8,140 students
151
schools
4,240
40
busses FREE books for students
The 27 participating authors in this year's program included: High School • Conor McCreery, Kill Shakespeare #4: The Mask of Night • Paige Rawl, Positive: A Memoir • Cinda Williams Chima, The Sorcerer Heir • T Cooper and Allison Glock-Cooper, Changers #1: Drew • Kami Garcia, Unmarked • Maggie Stiefvater, The Raven Cycle #3: Blue Lily, Lily Blue • Michael Cho, Shoplifters
Middle School • Ben Hatke, The Return of Zita the Spacegirl • Kazu Kibuishi, Amulet #6: Escape from Lucien • Tom Watson, Stick Dog Chases a Pizza • Soman Chainani, The School for Good and Evil #2: A World Without Princes • Tony DiTerlizzi, The Battle for WondLa • Paul Durham, The Luck Uglies • Trevor Pryce, Kulipari #1: The Rainbow Serpent • Kate Olesin, National Geographic Kids Mission: Elephant Rescue: All About Elephants and How to Save Them • Raina Telgemeier, Sisters • Liniers, Macanudo #2
Elementary School • Brad Meltzer, I Am Albert Einstein • Angela DiTerlizzi, Some Bugs • Tony DiTerlizzi, The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight • James Kochalka, Glorkian Warrior Delivers A Pizza • Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ivan • Jason Segel, Nightmares! • Michael Fry, The Odd Squad: King Karl • George O’Connor, If I Had A Raptor • Ben Hatke, Julia’s House for Lost Creatures • Dave Roman, Astronaut Academy: Re-Entry
Appendix A: Participating Schools We had 8,140 students from 151 schools participate in this year’s Generation Genius Authors program. Below is a listing of the participating schools. Academy for International-Education Charter School
Hialeah Senior High School
Miami Northwestern Senior-High School
Holmes Elementary
Miami Senior High School
Ada Merritt K-8 Center
Holy Cross
Miami Springs Middle School
Ada Merritt K-8 Center
Various High Schools
Miami Springs Sr. High
Allapattah Middle School
Horace Mann Middle School
Morningside K-8 Academy
Arvida Middle School
iPreparatory Academy
North Glade Elementary
ASPIRA RAM Charter School
John A. Ferguson Senior High School
Ojus Elementary School
Auburndale Elementary
John F. Kennedy Middle-School
Palm Lakes Elementary
Aventura Waterways K-8
John F. Kennedy Middle-School
Palm Lakes Elementary
Aventura Waterways K-8-Center
John G. DuPuis
Phyllis Ruth Miller Elementary-School
Biscayne Elementary
Jorge Mas Canosa
Pompano Beach Middle
Bob Graham Education Center
Jose de Diego Middle
Redondo Elementary
Bob Graham Education Center
Kelsey Pharr Elementary
Robert Morgan Educational-Center
Brownsville Middle School
Key Biscayne K-8 Center
Rockway Elementary
Carol City Middle School
Key Point Academy
Ruben Dario Middle School
Center for International Education: A Cambridge Associate School
Kinloch Park Middle School
Scott Lake Elementary
Lake Stevens Elementary
SEED School of Miami
Laurie Kaplan’s People
Shenandoah Middle School
Law Enforcement Officers’-High School
SLAM Miami
Liberty City Elementary
Somerset Academy Dade-Middle
Lindsey Hopkins Technical-Education
Somerset Academy Silver-Palms
Mae M. Walters Elementary
South Hialeah Elementary
Mater Academy East
Sunset Elementary
Mater Lakes Academy
Village Green Elementary
MDC-Wolfson
Virginia A. Boone Highland Oaks Elementary School
Citrus Grove Middle School Coral Gables Senior High School Coral Reef Montessori Academy Coral Way K-8 Cutler Bay Academy Dante B. Fascell Elementary Doral Academy Prep Dorothy M. Wallace COPE Center Florida Unschoolers (home schooled) Glades Middle School Gratigmy Elementary GW Carver Elementary Hialeah Middle School
Miami Arts Charter School Miami Beach Senior High Miami Country Day School Miami Edison Senior High-School
Youth Co-Op Preparatory-Charter School
Appendix B: Free books given to participating students: Authors, Titles and Quantity Distributed QUANTITY AUTHOR
TITLE
180 180 230 75 200 120 250 260 125 220 90 120 150 100 190 120 100 140 140 40 125 100
George O’Connor Katherine Applegate Michael Fry Brad Meltzer Tony DiTerlizzi James Kochalka Ben Hatke Jason Segel Soman Chainani Raina Telgemeier Paul Durham Trevor Pryce Ben Hatke Kazu Kibuishi Tom Watson Tony DiTerlizzi Kate Olesin Maggie Stiefvater Cinda Williams Chima Paige Rawl T Cooper Kami Garcia
If I Had A Raptor The One and Only Ivan The Odd Squad: King Karl I Am Albert Einstein The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight The Glorkian Warrior Delivers A Pizza Julia’s House for Lost Creatures Nightmares! The School for Good and Evil #2: A World Without Princes Sisters The Luck Uglies The Rainbow Serpent (Kulipari) The Return of Zita the Spacegirl Amulet #6: Escape from Lucien Stick Dog Chases A Pizza The Battle for WondLa National Geographic Kids Mission: Elephants Rescue Blue Lily, Lily Blue (Raven Cycle #3) The Sorcerer Heir Positive: A Memoir Changers #1: Drew Unmarked
3280
Total Books Distributed at Book Fair
60 Angela DiTerlizzi 60 George O’Connor 60 Katherine Applegate 120 Dave Roman 120 Michael Fry 60 Tom Watson 60 Raina Telgemeier 60 Liniers 60 Paul Durham 60 Trevor Pryce 60 Maggie Stiefvater 60 Cinda Williams Chima 60 Paige Rawl 60 Conor McCreery
Some Bugs If I Had A Raptor The One and Only Ivan Astronaut Academy: Re-Entry The Odd Squad: King Karl Stick Dog Chases A Pizza Sisters Macanudo The Luck Uglies The Rainbow Serpent (Kulipari) Blue Lily, Lily Blue (Raven Cycle #3) The Sorcerer Heir Positive: A Memoir Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night
960
Total Books Distributed at In-School Sessions
4240
Total Books Distributed
Appendix C: Teacher Survey Results Survey Highlights: • 100% of teachers would like to have their students participate in the Generation Genius Authors sessions next year. • 97% or teachers received positive feedback from their students regarding the author presentations and their books. • 67% of teachers will incorporate the featured book into their curriculum in the future. • 95% of the teacher’s students have expressed an interest in reading other books on the same subject, by the same author, or both.
BRAD MELTZER
Teacher Comments:
In response to the question “As a teacher, reading coach, or librarian, what do you find the most valuable in the Generation Genius: Authors program: -“the chance to meet a real author-illustrator- to get a real book in their hands- now that all of the book” -“stores have closed in our neighborhood, none of the kids have been to a bookstore in years.” -“This is a fun way to encourage students to continue to read.” -“Having students see the connection between the author and the text.” -“The students get to see authors as real people.” -“Students are inspired by authors to read and to write more.” -“What is of most value of the program is the encouragement aspiring authors receive from seeing someone who has written a successful book and the ability for students who could not afford a book to receive a free book of such quality.” -“The students get to hear from a real author and they can ask the authors questions and learn about what inspired them.” -“Most of my students have never been to a book reading or talk. This really opened their eyes to a new experience.” -“Meeting and listening to an author. Simply magical to my students.” -“Students were extremely excited to have met the authors!” -“Michael Fry, his book and having him sign the book!!!!! Priceless!!” -“They are avid readers and this motivated them even more.” -“I think it encourages them to be more active writers.” -“Meeting a real life author and holding their book in their hands was an amazing experience for them.” -“Thank you for a wonderful day! The parents were still e-mailing me and telling me in person how much their child enjoyed this field trip.”
Students on a field trip
listening to jason segel
In response to the question “Did you receive any feedback from your students on the author presentations you attended or its related book:” -“The most fabulous fieldtrip ever!” -“Yes, they were thrilled to receive a book and have it signed by the author. They were also all excited to read their books when they got home.” -“Best experience they had ever had. Many thank yous!”
TONY DITERLIZZI
-“He was amazing and very generous with his answers and time. I loved how he expressed to this generation of kids the importance of reading and to enjoy the simple moments.” a -“One student said, “I was this close to crying...” -“Students enjoyed reading with the author!” -“They enjoyed the presentation and the book very much.” -“The students really enjoyed it!!! The authors are great with the kids.” -“My students absolutely loved the author presentation and they were thrilled to receive the book. They all waited in line to have Michael Fry sign the book.” -“Yes, my students were inspired. They are reading the book for their reading log.” -“My students loved the experience and being able to go home with a book to share with their families. “Some went online and did more research about the authors.” -“We were able to see Katherine Applegate, and the students were really engaged in the topic of gorillas in captivity. It helped them think of this concept in a different way.”
Lessons Learned:
Overall, the Generation Genius author sessions were again very successful and well received by teachers, students, parents, and authors alike. While this is a strong program, there are always lessons to learn and improvements to make. Below are key lessons we learned from this year’s program and future improvements we intend to implement. • Books for every student and More buses. • Yes, they loved Jason Segel, but students were disappointed because they were not enough books for all of them. • I know the books are from donations but maybe to make sure each kid that is there can have a book Again, we received similar comments from several of this year’s participating teachers. Both the requests for more books and for buses are tied to funding. We purchase as many books as we can with the funding available, and always seek discounts for the books to try and stretch our program dollars. Last year we gave away more than 200 more books than we had the previous year. As you can see from the quote above, teachers and schools are creative in the way they distribute the books. We also seek to accommodate as many schools as we can with buses as we know there are so many schools in Miami Dade County who otherwise would not be able to come to the Fair. We will continue to seek additional funding for this program and continue to maximize our budget to ensure as many students as possible are able to attend the fair and receive free books.
kazu kibuishi
Sponsor recognition and more fun with Generation Genius Authors
Robin LaFevers
Students at Michael Fry’s presentation
Students browsing the street fair
Making science fun in children’s alley
Thursday, November 20
Generation Genius is a literacy and learning initiative for children and teens. Its goal is to rear the next generation of engaged world citizens: Generation Genius.
Author Sessions: For Elementary School Students 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Brad Meltzer on I Am Albert Einstein Auditorium (Bldg. 1, 2nd Fl.) 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
James Kochalka on The Glorkian Warrior Delivers A Pizza - Room 2106 (Bldg. 2, 1st Fl.)
Friday, November 21 | Auditorium
Play Time! International Children's Theatre Festival sponsored by
Teatro Prometeo (Bldg. 1, 1st Fl.) Presenting some of the best local, national, and international children’s theatre companies for the enjoyment of children and families of all ethnicities and cultures. Events are free!
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
10 a.m. - Maggie Stiefvater on Blue Lily, Lily Blue
10:00 a.m. Light as Water Luz como agua
Tony DiTerlizzi on The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight - Room 3210 (Bldg. 2, 2nd Fl.)
Two brothers take a magical journey in a rowboat to the source of their childhood memories. (Non-verbal)
For Middle School Students 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Kazu Kibuishi on Amulet #6: Escape from Lucien - Room 2106 (Bldg. 2, 1st Fl.)
11:30 a.m. - Ben Hatke on Julia’s House for Lost Creatures
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
11:45 a.m. Neighbors Vecinas
Ben Hatke on The Return of Zita the Spacegirl Room 3210 (Bldg. 3, 2nd Fl.) 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Tom Watson on Stick Dog Chases A Pizza
The acrobatics will amaze you in this story of two neighbors who can’t seem to agree on anything. (Non-verbal)
Room 3314 (Bldg. 3, 3rd Fl.)
For High School Students
1 p.m. - Raina Telgemeier Event signage on Sistersexample
Event Promotion Example 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Conor McCreery on Kill Shakespeare: Mask of Night - Auditorium (Bldg. 1, 2nd Fl.) 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Paige Rawl on Positive: A Memoir
Play Time! is made possible thanks to a Knight Arts Challenge Grant from the Knight Foundation and with the support of the Miami Book Fair International and Miami Dade College.
Room 3314 (Bldg. 3, 3rd Fl.)
With the Support of
The Batchelor Foundation
Book Label example
This session is brought to you with the support of The Batchelor Foundation