Heather Butler
In the last year Heather Butler has been writer-in-residence at a school in East London and led a children's writing week at Scargill Retreat Centre on the North Yorkshire Moors. She also visited lots of schools to excite children about writing, taught part time and had a book of classroom literacy games published by Routledge.
Contents
About Heather Butler
Heather Butler's School Visits
Heather's Books (a selected list)
Recommendations & Reviews
To Make a Booking
About Heather Butler
Heather Butler has taught in UK primary classrooms for over 30 years, and still teaches part time. Her most recent teacher resource books are Literacy in Action: Football (Routledge 2010), written to help boys with their writing and Classroom Literacy Games (Routledge2011) to focus on both technical and creative aspects of writing. Heather has written over 30 plays and stories for children, some of which have been read on BBC Schools Radio.
During a 12 week writer-in-residency at a school in Tower Hamlets, East London, she worked with every primary year group; each child drafted, edited and then self-published their own story. Heather has worked with families at the Roald Dahl Museum & Story Centre and been to Croatia as part of a team supporting traumatised children.
Heather Butler's School Visits
Heather is happy to work with children from nursery years up to year 6. Heather usually works with one key stage group at a time, introducing them to the day's theme. Heather is used to working with very large groups in the introduction session that takes place in the main hall. When the children move back to the classroom for the workshops - groups should not exceed 35 students.
The morning introduction session is an interactive session where everyone works together on one story with lots of exciting props, students share their ideas and the key stage group vote to decide which way a story should go. This is an exciting way to begin the day and Heather loves the unpredictability and high energy generated during the introductions.
Heather will travel to your school by car or train and she brings props with her on the day.
Children return to class bases to work on ideas generated during the opening session leaving Heather to work with individual classes. In these workshops they work with Heather to make up more stories or else focus on an aspect of story writing discussed beforehand with the teacher - such as story structure, extending vocabulary or generating creative ideas.
Heather is happy to craft a day to suit a school's particular needs, or fit in with set themes that the class are working with. Listed below are some examples of workshops Heather has worked on recently in schools.
PROFESSOR PRAGUE flies anywhere and is the ultimate answer to writing stories earthed in cross curricular learning - he's crashed in to Jack's beanstalk, skidded across gravel pits, startled bees on a Dutch flower farm and arrested a jewel thief on a construction site.
Clowns, human canon balls and elephants feature in CIRCUS STORIES with feisty princesses, dribbling dragons and the usual suspects appearing in DICING WITH DRAGONS. Both of these days are very creative and killing is banned from the outset.
CHARACTER CAFE is when invented characters meet in a café. Each is given an envelope with non-fiction writing inside. These days can relate to any cross-curricular theme as stories are driven by the contents of the envelope.
EDITING SPACE is more prescriptive and is about the role an editor plays in the book making process. Children then become editors themselves by writing and publishing a story about friendly aliens who normally live in her shed but love visiting schools.
Schools focusing on speaking and listening often choose TALKING OF ELEPHANTS. Children act out a story about an elephant swept away in a mud landslide. They then create their own plays about elephants whilst working in groups of 5 or 6.
WORLD OF STORIES looks at story structure, the entry point being a story from a part of the world other than the UK. PARTYING PIRATES and ANIMAL DAY are about what their titles suggest. Their learning focus is usually dictated by the school.
In ISLANDS OF INFORMATION, children sit round a parachute (the island). Bumps beneath the parachute are revealed to be buildings such as a windmill or a castle. Children think about the non-fiction these buildings might produce and how it could help develop a storyline before creating their own islands.
DIARY DAYS focus on characters heading for an art gallery, meeting various people on the way. Jeremy Pointer met the BFG and Mrs Twit last time she did this day.
What does Heather need?
The beginning of the day starts in the main hall, she would prefer to stay in the hall for the rest of the day for the class workshops but is also happy to move back into the classroom (the more space the better).
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Heather's Books (a selected list)
2011
Classroom Literacy Games
Educational games played in groups or pairs help develop key language and social skills. Based on a range of material to extend vocabulary, punctuation and cross-curricular creativity, Classroom Literacy Games contains original activities with suggestions of how to develop writing tasks after playing them. Each photocopiable game is differentiated four ways.
2010
Literacy in Action: Football - 24 flexible lessons for 9-11 year olds
This unique classroom resource contains 24 lesson plans, each structured like a football match. For an hour, transform your classroom in to Wembley Stadium! Each details lesson plan includes:
* Short kinaesthetic, focused tasks with instant feedback and praise
* Speaking and listening exercises - children engage in talking and collaborative work before completing a writing task
* Special notes for teachers summarising key points from research in to boy's writing
* Alternative tasks available for those not interested in football
* Differentiated material for a wide ability range
2009
Circuses and Pirates
Something to Think About -stories for BBC Schools Radio
Together -stories for BBC Schools Radio
Someone Like Sam Stapleford
2008
The Complete Stories to Make you Think
10 Must Know Stories
What you can do with Water and Buildings
2007
REActive Learning
They Can Write, they just need a bit of help to write more
Friends and Heroes - lessons and worksheets to accompany programmes for CBBC
2006
What Makes Me Me?
They Can Write, they just need a bit of help
Recommendations & Reviews
'An excellent session, particularly appreciated by less able year 6 boys. Loads of ideas. Many thanks.'
Kingsfield Primary School, Chatteris, Cambs
'It was a pleasure to see the children respond with so much enthusiasm, interest and animated conversation to the fantastic stimulus you provided. The range of work produced in response was incredible. You left us inspired. We cannot wait for next year when you visit us again.'
Galley Hill Primary School & Nursery, Hemel Hempstead
'We were very impressed with how you kept the attention of all year groups from reception to year 6. But you did and it was great. Where did you get that bird?!!'
Little Spring, Chesham, Bucks
'Can't believe how much writing my year 2 class has done. And they have been so enthusiastic about it.'
Bigland Green, Shadwell, Tower Hamlets, London
'A wonderful way to meet a writer. The work my class did was just brilliant. Look forward to seeing you next year.'
Manor Farm Community Junior School, Hazlemere, Bucks
'My able writers loved it. Thank you!'
Hazlemere CE Primary, Bucks
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To Make a Booking
To make an enquiry about Heather Butler, or any of the other authors, poets & illustrators listed on this website, please phone Trevor Wilson on +44 (0) 1535 656015, or email him at info@authorsabroad.com
Further information on Heather Butler is available on her website: www.heatherbutler.info