Learn the Lessons in Creating Teaching Notes for Your Book

Book Marketing Secrets #7

What are the benefits of incorporating teachers’ notes alongside my book?

Well, you’ve written a children’s book with a certain purpose in mind, and consciously or not, you will have included a range of learning opportunities within your piece of literature. So, in the hands of its readers – teachers, parents, librarians, specialists, children – the potential for further investigation serves as an integral part of improved student performance, motivation, confidence, problem solving and awareness of various values and topics. Giving your audience the resources for teaching and learning development is pivotal in how they understand and interact with your book, and importantly, another way to connect with you.

How do I know what educational resources to create?

You can be as detailed or as straightforward when it comes to programming a few engaging and valuable learning experiences for your book. Here are a few aspects you might like to consider in your notes:

• Summary –
• What is the book about?
• What is the specific theme or themes?
• Age Range / Key Learning Areas

 

• Author / Illustrator Information –
• What are the writing and illustrating styles seen in the book?
• What are the backgrounds of the author and illustrator?
• What are their inspirations?

 

• Discussion Points – 
• Before Reading: Look at the front and back covers. Discuss clues to explore features, thoughts, prior knowledge, interesting vocabulary, type of story, and so on.
• During / After Reading: Ask questions relating to specific pages or as opportunities to analyse the text / theme / illustrations arise. Think about asking questions relating to audience perceptions / feelings / problem solving / prediction / making comparisons.

 

• Activities –
• Consider composing tasks that reflect the themes and address different developmental learning areas. These primarily include Literacy (reading, writing, speaking and listening), and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Humanities, Maths), the Arts, and you might have a specific focus such as History, Environmental Awareness or Interpersonal Topics like families or mental health.

 

• Specific tasks might include:

– Research on facts and creation of posters, slideshows, videos, etc.

– Downloadable worksheets such as Character Profiles, Reflecting on the Text Questions, Vocabulary Wordsearches, Thinking Charts, Finish the Sentence, Illustration Samples, and so on.

– Discussion of narrative / text – Write their own story / poem in the same style.

– Discussion of illustration – Draw / illustrate a picture in the same style.

– Art and Craft / Home / Outdoor Activities relating to the theme – cooking, experiments, building, nature, animals, etc.

 

What do I do with my newly created educational resources?

Think Online and Offline Pursuits.

Online –

• The obvious place to share your teaching notes is on your website! Dedicate a page for Resources or Fun Stuff for Kids.
• Create a Pinterest Board with a link/s to your activities, and also include other fantastic, related Pins sourced from others.
• Share your ideas with other Educational Resource sites, perhaps via a guest post.

Offline –

• Send your activities in the form of a booklet to schools prior to, at, and after your author visit.
• Offer your education pack with books sold at the market.
• Kids love fun tasks to engage with at your Book Launch or Workshop event.

Can you think of any more places to offer your resources?

 

In Summary…

There are plenty of awesome teacher notes to reference on the web under the publishers’ sites. I’ll list a few, along with some of my own examples below. Even if you’re time poor, something as simple as asking your audience to write a letter to your book character, a wordsearch, a colouring page, or a recipe on your website, are great ways to encourage further interaction from your readers to you and your book.

Remember:

Book Marketing is all about making those connections.

‘Marketing is sharing what you love with people who want to hear about it.’ – Joanna Penn

By offering additional learning resources, you are adding to that unique, authentic content that is relevant to your story, and therefore creating interest around your subject.

 

Resources:

https://romisharp.wordpress.com/teaching-notes/
www.hardiegrant.com/au/egmont/teacher-notes
www.allenandunwin.com/resources/for-teachers
www.ekbooks.org/teacher-notes
www.classroom.walkerbooks.com.au

 

Books On Tour PR & Marketing is available to help you create an effective marketing plan for your book. For further information, feel free to contact us.

 

 

Previous articles…
Learn the Basics to Book Marketing and How You Can Implement Them Without Fail
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How to Get Featured – 5 Tips for Pitching to the Media
Want More Likes? How to Plan for Social Media Marketing
Authors! The Focus is on YOU! How to Successfully Conduct Author Visits
Make it POP! Creating Graphics and Visual Content

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