Frequently Asked
Questions
About Our
"Walk Through" Presentations
That Have Been Scheduled
These are our most frequently asked questions by teachers for those that who are having one or more of our presentations. Most of the questions apply to any of the "Walk Throughs", but some will be more specific. If these do not apply to your situation, please contact us through our website by clicking on "Contact Us" or call us at 714-247-2250. More "FAQs" will be added in the future, including a section for students who are participating in the presentations.
If you would like a print out of the recent FAQ sheet that we are sending with teacher kits, click here. It is an Acrobat Reader PDF file. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, please click below to download the program free from Adobe.
Answers to the Questions Teacher Ask
Preparation
Kits
Room & Facility
Preparing Students
Additional FAQs for Teachers having the presentations
Answers
to the Questions Teachers Ask
Walk Through Presentations
1. What should I do with my teacher preparation booklet? Open it now even if your program is scheduled weeks or months from when your receive it. You will want to understand how to prepare the students and how much time to allow as your program date approaches.
2. Is there an additional charge if I don’t return the kit? No. The teacher preparation booklet is yours to keep. Don’t return it to the presenter. However, if you need another kit prior to the program because this one has been lost, there is a $15 charge for the replacement kit.
3. I ordered the programs and I have received all of the teacher preparation booklets for my grade level or school. When should I distribute them to the other teachers? As soon as possible. Often teachers have told us that they received their teacher preparation booklet a few days prior to program date and have not had adequate time to prepare the class. They are surprised to hear that the booklets were at the school weeks earlier than when they actually received them.
4. I ordered the programs. What do I do with the CONFIRMATION FORM that was with the teacher preparation booklets? Fill out all of the requested missing information (usually teacher names, number of students, start and end times), sign it and return the white copy to us promptly. Keep the other copy for your records and let the other teachers have copies so they will know when their program is scheduled.
5. We have had your programs for years. Is it still a good idea to look at the teacher preparation booklets when we receive them? Yes. Frequently we change the contents of the programs. This may be new characters or words or preparation instructions. Always use the materials from the current teacher preparation booklet you received.
6. You want to know start and end times of programs and say to “ allow 2 ˝ hours”. Explain. This is not the start or end time of school. We need to know when your children will be ready (with name tags on and in line at the door to the room where presentation will be held.) Be sure to allow whatever time you need after school starts to be prepared. We need a full 2˝ hours for each program, and our presenter needs a full 30 to 45 minutes between programs to eat lunch and prepare for the afternoon program. If the morning program starts late by even a few minutes, something will be left out of it so that the afternoon program will be complete, and our presenter can eat, rest and prepare properly for the second program.
7. What about recess and snack times? Since every school we visit has different schedules, we cannot adhere to that schedule. Your children will be given a “rest room break” about half way through the program. There will not be time for normal recess activity. (They will have plenty of movement in program.)
8. How should we handle lunch time for the afternoon group? They should eat lunch before coming to the program. We cannot break the program for lunch and still present a complete program that maintains interest. This will likely require an adjustment to their normal schedule. It is equally important that this program start promptly or something will be left out and the students will not get the full benefit of the program. Don’t schedule the program to end at the same time that school ends, please. Allow whatever time you need to ready the children for dismissal. It is often the afternoon class that arrives late for program. The time you indicate as start time should be when the children will be in line outside the program room with name tags already on and whatever materials they are bringing.
9. What should be done to prepare a room? Refer to the chart in the teacher instructions for space size and set up please. Many activities will take place in the large open space shown on drawing: A very large relief map is used in the 4th grade programs and skits and other activities in other programs require this large space. Sometimes shoving the furniture aside does not leave enough space. Note the size carefully. Allow for extra space for visiting parents too! Since a lot of movement activity will take place, it is important that adequate (cooler than usual) ventilation be provided.
10. Are there any special requirements for the room?
A. Arrange the room so that parents and others can come and go at the rear of the program.
B. With so much activity during the program it is important to have adequate ventilation.
C. We cannot share the room with other activities. Do not use a room where others pass through.
D. We suggest that you place “ Do Not Disturb” reminder signs on the entrance doors to room.
E. We cannot move our programs from one area to another in the same day.
11. What time will your presenter arrive at the school? You will receive a reminder card about a week prior to the scheduled date indicating the time of arrival which is usually about 45 minutes prior to the start of the program. The presenter will need all of this time to set up his/her equipment. Please be sure that the room is ready and that a responsible person in the office knows the location of the program. Our presenter will not have sufficient time to move furniture and otherwise ready the area.
12. If we use a classroom for the programs can our students be in the room while it is set up? No, because it will delay the set up, and the students will know ahead of time some of the surprises. Please arrange for the students to wait elsewhere until the program starts. Use this time for pinning name tags, etc. Our staff member will also need time at the end of the day to remove the equipment without delay. If the program is in a general purpose room, please arrange for the after school use to be delayed until our equipment is removed.
13. Is it necessary for the teacher to be present throughout the programs? Yes, some school staff member should be in the room at all times. Our presenter will be fully occupied in an exciting and motivating program for your students. The teacher will want to know how children react to the program and events. If children are inattentive and disruptive the teacher will be present to handle the problem. If it is not possible for the teacher to be present throughout the full time, please arrange for another staff member to be in the room.
15. Why are name tags so important in this program? Unlike many school assemblies or field trips, your students will all actively participate throughout the program. It is essential that our presenter be able to call on students by name. It is important that the tags be large, the printing be easily read, and the tags be secured with pins. Please do not use yarn or string to hang the tags around the necks of the students. They tend to flip around and become unreadable. Please be sure to have the pinned name tags on the students when they line up for the program. Each team should be identified with a different light colored tag. Explain to the students that the tags should be worn in plain sight and kept on throughout the program!
16. Are costumes a good idea? We have found that even simple costumes enable students to get enthused about their participation. We encourage the use of costumes.
17. How should teams be organized? Teams should be of mixed ability and gender. Do not put all of the high acheivers on one team or all girls, etc. If certain students are talkative when together, split them into different teams. Select the leader for his/her ability to lead and generate enthusiasm among team members.
18. What should I do to assure that my students get the most from our program? Prepare them in advance. Enthuse them about the big event! Invite parents! Encourage costumes. Announce the event with a classroom or office poster! Invite the press to cover the excitement. (Many newspapers and even television news have covered our programs all over California and Oregon.) Place it on the school web site! Appoint a student enthusiasm and publicity committee.
19. When do I start preparing and how? Open the kit now and preview what you will be doing. Allow two weeks for preparation, memorization, and creative ideas from students. Each program is the result of many years of practical classroom experience in hundreds of schools. Be sure to assign all parts and double up on some if you do not have enough students.
Additional FAQs for Teachers Having The Presentations
Can I have more than 35 students in the presentation?
No you can not. These are all inclusive, workshop style presentations. They have been created to include all students in active participation so it is not possible to have more than 35.
Do my students need to know all about the subjects of the presentations to have the program?
It is not necessary for your students to be versed in the material before the presentation. In fact, teachers have told us how wonderful the presentations are when they are early in the school year, enabling them to "recall" certain events from the program. They will, however, need to know the information in the Teacher Preparation Booklet that you assign to them. This kit is sent to you well in advance of the presentation.
How do I assign the cards to the students?
No two students should have the same card. For example: In the Walk Through California presentation, the Expert Word Card Volcano is given to ONE student. When the presenter calls that word, only one student will give the definition. In the Walk Through The American Revolution, Walk Through The Ancient World and Walk With Lewis & Clark, ONE Character is assigned to ONE student. There should not be two students portraying Ben Franklin at the same time for example. Please note that some cards are easier to read than others. If there are more students than there are students, it is necessary to "double up" with the students having more than one card, but again, not the same as another student. Assign them according to the students reading level. (This will not be noticeable during the presentation.) If you have many ESL and/or learning disabled students in your class who have problems reading, you may contact us to receive the Easy Reading versions of the cards for each presentation.
More specific questions about individual presentations regarding the assignment of cards:
In the American Revolution program, I have assigned a student to George Washington and he is on the Blue team. They are doing the Battle Of Trenton and he will play the part of Gen. Washington. But the Red team is doing the Battle Of Yorktown which again includes Washington. How is that suppose to work?
The Battle Scenes are a separate entity in which the team decides who portrays who. It is not necessary for the student with the George Washington Character Card to play Washington in a Battle Scene. The team can bring props or extra pieces of costume to make this work.
In the Ancient World program do I assign the Egyptian characters to the Egypt team and so forth? What about the Expert Cards?
Yes, you need to assign Egyptian characters to the Egypt team, Greek characters to Greece and the Roman characters to team Rome. The Expert Cards can be assigned to any team regardless of the subject. That way we have participation from all teams at all times.
(These answers would also apply to the Lewis & Clark presentation.)
Do the students need to memorize the cards?
It is best if the students DO memorize the cards they are given. It makes the presentation run smoothly and makes it more fun. Also, it will enable your students to practice oral presentation skills.
If the students memorized their cards, do they need to bring them to the presentation?
Yes. In case they forget the content of their card, they will have it to read from it, so make sure they bring the card with them . Sometimes they get a little nervous. By having the card with them, they can still participate with confidence.
Should I have copies of the cards ready on the day of the presentation?
Be sure you keep a copy of the cards ready in case the students loose them. Before going into the presentation ask them if any need a copy and have them ready to hand out during the presentation as well.
Should the students be in costume?
It is always fun and exciting to dress up for an occasion and the "Walk Throughs" are no exception. For Walk Through California they can dress as California Indians, gold miners, cowboys, Mexican soldiers, Spanish padres and explorers. They could also come as famous people from California's history. For the other presentations they can dress as the character that has been assign to them. If they do not have a character, dress in the theme of their team or for the period. Let them get creative with their costume and encourage parent participation. We will soon have a link with suggestions from teachers and parents on how to make costumes.
What do I need to have prepared before the presentation and what do I need to bring the day of the presentation?
This varies depending on the presentation you are having. Here is a "Things To Remember" list for some of the presentations. Click on the presentation you are having.
Preparation for:
Name tags will be needed for all presentations. For an example, please click on the presentation you are having above. Please use safety pins or straight pins to pin the name tags on the students shirts. Do not use string. The cards will flip around and not be able to read. Also do not use tape, because the tags will fall off during the presentations. Use a light colored paper and a black marker to write the student's name. Make sure that it can be read from across the room. Do not let the students make their own tags.
Does a teacher need to be present during the presentation?
Yes. A teacher needs to be present at the presentation at all times. The class will respond to their teacher on any control issue. Plus, the teacher will enjoy watching the students participate. You will want to review and follow through on the experience.
If you have any questions about the presentations, please contact us by clicking here and submit your question or call us at 714-247-2250.
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