HANDING OUT THE BOOKS

Once your books arrive, please distribute them however works best for your community.

Here are a few options:

• Hand out books to all students and teachers in advance of our visit (along with our personalized video and educational materials). This gives teachers the opportunity to introduce us and our books before we arrive, do a classroom read-along, and/or for students to read the books independently before our visit.
• Hand out teacher books in advance but wait until the day of our visit to hand out the student books. This option might be best if your teachers are interested in introducing our books but think your students are more likely to be excited about having/reading them after meeting us.
• Give each teacher the option of whether or not to introduce the books in advance. In our experience, some teachers are interested in doing introductory lessons and others are not.
• Perhaps there is another approach we’re not thinking of. That’s fine with us. The books are yours to use as you please!

If you’re on the fence about which approach to take: In our experience across hundreds of school visits, the most successful ones have come when students are familiar with our books in advance—but we absolutely defer to what you think is best for your teachers and students!

We have developed pre- and post-visit lessons and exercises—one that relates to Everywhere, Wonder and another for The Cookie of Doom. We’ve also created a video-based drawing tutorial for both age groups. These materials are intended to help teachers:

• prepare students to get the most out of our presentation by familiarizing them with the themes and topics we’ll be discussing
• give students an opportunity reflect on, apply, and reinforce these themes and topics after our presentation
• let students learn a few basic illustration tips and see how easy (and hopefully, fun) it is to draw

These materials are meant to be helpful and not a burden. Please tell teachers that they are 100% optional.

We will send you an email with links to these materials one month prior to our visit, but here are the links if you need them:

• Everywhere, Wonder Pre-Visit Exercise (PDF)
• Everywhere, Wonder Post-Visit Exercise (PDF)
• Draw a Bear Tutorial (video)
• The Cookie of Doom, Pre-Visit Exercise (PDF)
• The Cookie of Doom, Post-Visit Exercise (PDF)
• Draw Dumbles Tutorial (video)

Choosing a Space

We will present wherever you think works best, but our preference is for a space with:

• A big screen. Our presentations are highly visual, so the larger we can project, the more the kids will get out of it.
• A nice sound system. The louder and clearer our sound quality, the better able we’ll be able to hold the kids’ attention.
• The ability to dim the lights/block ambient sunlight, etc (so that the slides look better).
• A stage can be helpful, so that we can be elevated and kids can see us better, but it’s definitely not necessary.
• Enough room for everyone to sit comfortably. Kids packed too tightly tend to get wiggly.
• That said, we invite you to sit the kids as close as possible to us when we present. It makes the energy better when there’s not a big gap between us and them.

SETTING UP THE ROOM FOR OUR PRESENTATION

• We like to put our laptop on a podium that is situated near where we’ll be presenting. We will plug our laptop into whatever projection setup your school uses (whether directly into the projector or into an A/V system that powers the projector).
• Near the podium should be the computer end of the cable that connects to the projector. We will travel with a variety of adaptors.
• Ideally, near the podium will be a power strip or an extension cord with at least two three-prong outlets.
• It would be ideal if you could have a tech person or someone familiar with the school’s projector and/or presentation system on hand to help us set up on the morning of our presentation.

Our preference is for the kids to sit on the floor—as close as possible to the screen and as close as possible to us. That intimacy makes for a better presentation.  That said, we absolutely understand if your Covid protocols (or any other protocols) require kids to be more set back or spread out.

We absolutely hope that all classroom teachers, librarians, and other educators will attend our presentations! We’ll be presenting themes (and jokes!) that relate to the books we’re giving away and that will serve as a shared point of reference for your whole community in the wake of our visit.

If you have any questions about how to set up the room, let us know!

SCHEDULE

We’re proposing the same schedule to every school, and we’d prefer to stick to it if possible.

If you need to make adjustments, let us know, and we’ll do our best to accommodate them.

7:30am–9:00am

Arrival and setup

Unless you say otherwise, we’ll plan to show up at 7:30am so that we’ll have plenty of time to park the bus, meet you, see the presentation space, set up and test the projector and microphones, get our kids and dog situated, and answer any questions you might have before we get started.

We totally understand if you need us to get there earlier to park the bus before drop-off, for example. If this is the case, let us know, and we’ll make it work!

9:00am–10:00am

First assembly (pre-K–1 or 2–5, your choice)

It makes no difference to us whether we present first to the younger or older kids. We’re happy to do whatever works best for your schedule.

The first assembly will consist of 30-40 minutes of slides and presentation followed by 20-30 minutes of Q&A.

Ideally, you’ll start seating the kids around 8:45am so we can start right at 9:00am. As kids come in, we’ll greet them at the door, give high-fives or elbow bumps, and answer questions as they get seated.

You are welcome to have someone officially introduce us if you like, but feel zero pressure to do so. We start our presentations by introducing ourselves. So you can also just hand us the mic and say go!

10:00am-10:30am

Short break

You can use this time to get the first group of kids out and the second group in. We’ll stand by the doors, saying farewell  to departing students before catching our breath, getting a drink, and checking in on our kids.

10:30am–11:30am

Second assembly (pre-K–1 or 2–5, your choice)

The slideshow will be different, but otherwise, this assembly will mirror the first, so see above for a description of what to expect. We recommend starting to seat the kids by 10:15am.

11:30am-12:00pm

tech break down and group session setup

We’ll pack up our stuff and head to wherever the small group session is taking place.

12:00pm–1:00pm

lunch/small group session

We’ll spend 40 minutes talking to the kids and 20 minutes signing books, taking photos, and asking the kids to fill out a short survey. Here’s a more detailed description of this session.

1:00pm (or so)

our departure

We’ll get back on our bus and head out. This part will be somewhat bittersweet, but with any luck, you’ll have a building full of excited teachers and students—and a bunch of books for them to read.

*Afternoon of our visit (STUDY participants only)

administer Student Survey #2*

If at all possible, administer the second student survey while our visit is still fresh. If it’s not possible, please have them take it the day after. (This item applies only to schools participating in the research.)

JUST THE SCHEDULE (WITHOUT ALL THE BLAH, BLAH, BLAH)

•  7:30am–9:00am – arrival and get set up
• 9:00am–10:00am – first assembly (pre-K–1 or 2–5, your choice)
• 10:00am-10:30am – break and transition time
• 10:30am–11:30am – second assembly (pre-K–1 or 2–5, your choice)
• 11:30am-12:00pm – tech break down and group session setup
• 12:00pm–1:00pm – lunch/small group session
• 1:00pm (or so) – our departure
• *that afternoon (study participants only)– administer Student Survey #2*

Here is a printable version of the schedule!

A FEW ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ABOUT THE DAY OF OUR VISIT

It would be extremely helpful if you and/or someone else could be available during the entirety of our visit—to answer any questions or for troubleshooting. We’ll be sending you an email asking the name and cell number of whoever this person(s) will be a few weeks before our visit date.

You are welcome to invite whoever you like to attend our presentations—whether parents, colleagues at other schools, local media, etc. The more the merrier!

Our four kids will be traveling with us. They are: Alden (who is 14) and her brothers Kato (12), August (10), and Jasper (5). They are sturdy, adaptable children who spend a month every summer living off-grid on the Alaskan tundra. We imagine our kids will do one (or more) of the following during our visit to your school:

• sit in the back of the gym/cafeteria/auditorium/library and heckle
• sit in the bus and do their homework
• interact with your students in any number of meaningful ways (read on)

Our tour will double as a year-long, virtual road trip of America’s historical, cultural, geographical, culinary, and architectural wonders—and we invite anyone who’s interested to join us as we travel. We plan to focus on America’s hidden treasures and off-the-beaten path communities.

Our storytelling will include the following:

• Matthew will share photos and daily essays about our travels.
• Robbi will post sketches of the places we see and the people we meet.
• Our daughter Alden will make videos that offer the kid perspective on each US state.
• Alden and our oldest son Kato will host a monthly “show” about their experiences on the road,
• We’ll host weekly livestreams to give updates and answer questions.

 The best ways to follow along are on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, or the Tour Blog.

For Tour Hosts Only, we’ll be posting behind-the-scenes photos and stories about our school visits on the hosts-only Tour Host Facebook Page. Please join us if you haven’t already! But please also know this is totally optional! There will be no mission-critical info posted there.

Research Project Info Forms

The research team has provided two forms that explain the project in straightforward terms—addressing goals, methodology, student privacy, and the potential benefits of the research.

• Research Project Info Sheet (English), (Arabic), (Chinese), (Hmong), (Portuguese), (Somali), (Spanish), (Tagalog), (Vietnamese)
• Research FAQ for Parents/Guardians (English), (Arabic), (Chinese), (Hmong), (Portuguese), (Somali), (Spanish), (Tagalog), (Vietnamese)

You may distribute these resources to parents and guardians in whatever form works best for your school—whether on paper, via email, or in your school newsletter.

Please send out the Research Project Info Sheet approximately one month prior to our visit—either along with or prior to sending the permission forms (see RESEARCH PERMISSION FORMS section below).

A week or so later, please send out the Research Project FAQ in a different format—perhaps via email or online newsletter—to increase the chances parents will see it and learn about the project.

About a month before our visit, we’ll send an email reminding you to circulate these forms—along with the forms you’ll be sending to allow parents and guardians to either opt-in or opt-out of their student participating in the research (see RESEARCH PERMISSION FORMS section below). 

Research Permission Forms

About a month before our visit, please download, print, and send home either the opt-in or opt-out forms (below)—depending on your school’s or district’s rules or preferences, as indicated in your Intent to Participate Letter).

• Opt-Out Consent Form (English), (Arabic), (Chinese), (Hmong), (Portuguese), (Somali), (Spanish), (Tagalog), (Vietnamese)
• Opt-In Consent Form (English), (Arabic), (Chinese), (Hmong), (Portuguese), (Somali), (Spanish), (Tagalog), (Vietnamese)

The opt-in approach requires parent(s) or guardian(s) to explicitly give their permission before their student may participate in the research.

The opt-out approach gives parents or guardians the option to exclude their student from participation; absent a response, the assumption is that permission has been tacitly granted.

Research has shown that the opt-out approach yields a larger and more diverse (racially and socioeconomically) data set. For this reason, opt-out is our research team’s preferred consent method.

Students will also have the opportunity to opt out of participating in the research if they so choose. Teachers will be provided with a brief script to read to students before they administer the survey. This script will describe, in kid-friendly language, the purpose of the project and how the data will be used.

Feel free to send the permission forms home with the Research Project Info Sheet if that’s easier, more efficient, or (in your experience) helpful to families to get both at the same time—but please do not send home the permission forms prior to sending the Research Project Info Sheet.

NOTE THAT THESE FORMS DO NOT NEED TO BE RETURNED TO US OR THE RESEARCH TEAM. Their sole purpose is letting you know which students are eligible to participate. Once the surveys have been completed, you are free to either keep or get rid of the permission forms.

These are the six surveys and when to administer them:

• Student Survey 1 (a day or two before our visit)
• Educator Survey 1 (a day or two before our visit)
• Student Survey 2 (the day of our visit, after our presentation)
• Student Survey 3 (one month after our visit)
• Educator Survey 2 (one month after our visit
• Administrator Survey (one month after our visit)
  Please administer this survey to 4-6 key administrators, librarians, media specialists, literacy specialists, and other Title 1 professionals who provide school-wide services.

Partcipation and Consent:

• Letter of Intent to Participate in Research Form
• Research Project Info Sheet (English), (Arabic), (Chinese), (Hmong), (Portuguese), (Somali), (Spanish), (Tagalog), (Vietnamese)
• Research FAQ for Parents/Guardians (English), (Arabic), (Chinese), (Hmong), (Portuguese), (Somali), (Spanish), (Tagalog), (Vietnamese)
• Opt-Out Consent Form (English), (Arabic), (Chinese), (Hmong), (Portuguese), (Somali), (Spanish), (Tagalog), (Vietnamese)
• Opt-In Consent Form (English), (Arabic), (Chinese), (Hmong), (Portuguese), (Somali), (Spanish), (Tagalog), (Vietnamese)

forms:

• Host Shipping Info Form
• ’22-’23 Enrollment Form

Documents:

• Small Group Session Permission Slip (PDF)
• Printable version of our Day-of-Visit schedule (PDF)
• Everywhere, Wonder Pre-Visit Exercise (PDF)
• Everywhere, Wonder Post-Visit Exercise (PDF)
• Draw a Bear Tutorial (video)
• The Cookie of Doom, Pre-Visit Exercise (PDF)
• The Cookie of Doom, Post-Visit Exercise (PDF)
• Draw Dumbles Tutorial (video)
• Busload of Books Tour Press Release (PDF)
• Busload of Books Tour Media Guide (PDF)

Research-related forms:

• Letter of Intent to Participate in Research Form
• Opt-Out Consent Form (English), (Arabic), (Chinese), (Hmong), (Portuguese), (Somali), (Spanish), (Tagalog), (Vietnamese)
• Opt-In Consent Form (English), (Arabic), (Chinese), (Hmong), (Portuguese), (Somali), (Spanish), (Tagalog), (Vietnamese)

Research-related DOCUMENTS:

• Research Project Info Sheet (English), (Arabic), (Chinese), (Hmong), (Portuguese), (Somali), (Spanish), (Tagalog), (Vietnamese)
• Research FAQ for Parents/Guardians (English), (Arabic), (Chinese), (Hmong), (Portuguese), (Somali), (Spanish), (Tagalog), (Vietnamese)