Thanks for your interest in my programs! The programs you choose should be based on your students' grade level and their needs. I strongly recommend, however, that my first visit to your school be devoted to the Flip's Fantastic Journal program. This will give students a strong foundation for the other programs, which teach additional skills. Whichever program you choose, I will spend the entire school day, or most of it, visiting as many classes as possible. The programs work best when I can spend from 45 minutes to an hour with each class. The maximum number of students per class should be between 30 and 35.
SINGLE-DAY PROGRAMS
MULTI-DAY PROGRAMS
SINGLE-DAY PROGRAMS
Flip's Fantastic Journal: A writing and drawing workshop
Flip's Neighborhood Journal: A community-studies program
Flip's Mighty Memoir Journal: A stepping-stone to memoir writing
Flip's Super Journal: An exciting program that teaches responsibility, teamwork and conflict resolution
Flip's Math Party Journal: learning that early math is fun!
Flip's Fantastic Journal: A writing and drawing workshop
Materials needed: Pencils and/or crayons
Most sessions begin in the reading area of the classroom, with the
students seated on the floor in front of me. I begin the program by
reviewing the basic geometric shapes, because these are the shapes used
to draw the Flip characters. I then introduce the students to the seven
main Flip characters by drawing them on a large newsprint pad. After
this, I do an exciting and lively reading of my book, Flip's Fantastic
Journal.
The students then return to their desks while I put up my Flip
character drawings. Each student receives a blank Flip's Journal Page.
The page has a large drawing panel and lines for writing. Students
choose their favorite character and draw and color one or more of the
characters themselves. While students are drawing, I show them how to
connect their Flip character to a simple journal entry. I also show
them how to re-connect the journal entry to the drawing, and how to
make their characters "speak" with the use of word balloons. Soon,
everyone has an illustrated journal entry!
If time permits, I also answer students' questions and I always try to
find time to draw some of the students' favorite characters from TV,
comics and video games.
Flip's Neighborhood Journal: A community-studies program
Materials needed: Pencil, crayons (optional).
Ideally, this program is a follow-up to the Flip's Fantastic Journal
program. If the students are not familiar with Flip's Fantastic
Journal, I begin the session by briefly summarizing the book and
explaining who the main characters are. I then read Flip's Neighborhood
Journal. In this book, Flip tells about his life in the city and his
relationship to the community helpers in his neighborhood. The book
includes five different kinds of maps, drawn by Flip.
After the reading, I draw and color the Flip characters as community
helpers (for example, Flip becomes Flip the sanitation worker and his
sister Sniffie becomes Sniffie the brave firefighter). While doing
this, I explain to the students what each helper does in the community.
I then put up the drawings so that the students can copy one or more of
their favorites. Students are given a blank Flip's Journal page, so
that they can write a simple journal entry about the community helper
they've drawn. This is a truly fun and effective way to learn community
studies!
Flip's Mighty Memoir Journal: A stepping-stone to memoir writing
Materials needed: Pencil, crayons (optional).
This program, great for reluctant writers, allows students to write in
the first person, while pretending to be one of the Flip characters. I
begin by giving a brief introduction to the Flip characters and a
summary of Flip's Fantastic Journal. I then discuss, with the students,
what a memoir is, giving examples from my own childhood. After that, I
read Flip's Mighty Memoir Journal, in which Flip's teacher asks him to
write about something from his past. Flip has trouble thinking of
anything to write, so, to jog his memory, his mom takes him to visit
their old neighborhood. Flip is still unable to recall anything about
his earlier life until he finds an old toy dinosaur, named Crunch, in
his closet. Through Crunch, Flip remembers incidents from his past and
writes a much-improved memoir.
Following the reading, I show students how to connect to a memoir
through objects, feelings and places. Each student is given a blank
Flip's Journal Page on which to draw and write. Students follow along
with me and draw one of the Flip characters with a "Feelings Face".
Students choose their favorite Flip character and write a simple memoir
that tells why their character was happy, sad, angry, excited, etc.
When the session is over, students will not only know what a memoir is,
they'll have written and illustrated one!
Flip's Super Journal: learning about conflict resolution and responsibility through comics
Materials needed: Paper (any kind), pencil, and crayons (optional).
This kid-pleasing program gives students the opportunity to draw and
write their own Flip comic book. The program begins with a quick
introduction to the Flip characters. I then show the students some of
the comic books that I've written during my 25 years as a comic-book
writer. This is followed by a reading of Flip's Super Journal, which
tells how Flip plans a "super fun day" with his best friend, Muzz. This
includes playing with their favorite action figures, Space Flier and
Mighty Mutt. Unfortunately, their fun is postponed when Muzz has to
watch his baby brother, Digger, for "10 whole minutes." But Flip and
Muzz flop as babysitters and their fun day is canceled. On the way home
from Muzz's house, Flip blames Baby Digger for ruining his day. Flip's
big sister, Sniffie, reminds Flip that he was once a baby brother, too.
Flip regrets doing a poor job of watching Digger. In his journal, he
creates a comic in which he and Muzz are superheroes. This time they do
a great job of watching Digger!
After the story, I show the students an easy way to draw the seven Flip
characters as superheroes, using basic shapes. I then demonstrate a
simple technique for creating a comic: 1) Students choose their
favorite Flip superhero. 2) I show students how to use two or more
panels to depict the events of a a story sequentially. 3) I teach
students to use dialologue and/or word balloons to relate a comic
story. 4) Students are asked to use what they've just learned to
connect their Flip Superhero with an exciting or important event. For
example: "Superstar Sniffie saw a volcano erupting. She flew to outer
space and found a meteor. She placed the meteor on top of the volcano.
She was a hero!" Students will be proud that they've written and
illustrated their own comics!
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Flip's Math Party Journal: learning that early math is fun!
Materials needed: crayons
A wonderful program for K or later Pre-K. I begin by introducing the
students to Flip by drawing him from 5 basic shapes. I then do a fun
reading of Flip's Math Party journal, always keeping in mind the age of
my audience. In this story, Flip thinks math is boring and vows never
to do math again. With his mom and sister, Flip attends a New Year's
party at Mrs. Liverlump's house. It turns out to be the most boring
party EVER. Flip falls asleep and dreams of a fun party, filled with
elements of early math. When he wakes up, he writes about both parties
in his journal. Flip's teacher reads it and tells Flip that he's good
at math! She points out the places in his journal where he did math
without even realizing it. Flip learns that math is something we do
every day...even when we're having fun!
The book reading is followed by an exciting early math activity.
Students are each given a sheet of black construction paper. They then
use pre-cut colorful shapes and glue sticks to create "Party Food" for
Flip. Circles, squares, triangles, rectangles and ovals become ice
cream cones, cupcakes, juice cups and a pizza! In doing so, students
learn about shapes, the relationship of one shape to another, how
shapes can be different sizes, patterns and even simple fractions (we
divide the pizza into twos and fours). The end result is a colorful
mathematical mosaic!
All programs conclude, when time permits, with one of my highly popular
cartooning sessions.
Five-Day Programs are available only through Puppetry In Practice. For more information, please contact Tova Ackerman of Puppetry In Practice at tovaa@aol.com. Or call 1-718-336-2919 or 1-718-951-4240.
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