JOHN MALAM
John Malam has written more than 200 non-fiction books for children. He is a National Literacy Trust Reading Champion, recognised for his work in encouraging children, particularly boys, to engage with books.
As a children's non-fiction author, John’s school visits are very different from those of fiction authors or poets. He offers a variety of sessions, suitable for R, KS1, KS2, and KS3:
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R, Y1, Y2
John offers age- and interest-related readings -- fiction for R and Y1; biography for Y1 and Y2.
Y3 to Y9
John offers a talk -- 'The Journey of a Non-Fiction Book', describing the process of creating an information book, from first ideas to printed pages. Who does what, when, how, and why.
Y5 to Y9
John offers a role-play workshop in which children act out the roles of key people in the publishing process to create their own non-fiction books. It's all about co-operative learning and teamwork.
John’s visits are inspirational, motivational, and fun. To quote a Y6 child: "I was having so much fun, I didn't realise I was learning anything, but I was."
John is experienced at working with children of all abilities, including SEN, MLD, and G&T. He is CRB cleared, with an Enhanced Disclosure certificate., and has Public Liability insurance cover for visits to schools.
John lives in Cheshire and prefers to visit schools in these areas:
North-West region (Cheshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside); Midlands (Derbyshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, West Midlands); West Yorkshire, North Wales. He will also consider other areas.
Websites
John Malam’s personal website with full details of his school visits:
www.johnmalam.co.uk
John Malam’s National Literacy Trust Reading Champion profile:
JohnMalam.pdf - National Literacy Trust
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"John Malam visited Byley Primary School for a one day workshop to demonstrate the procedures involved in producing an information book. He worked with both Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils. We were impressed by his professional approach and his ability to quickly relate to both children and adults during his presentations and practical workshops. He was well organised and prepared. All activities and resources were very suitable for the pupils. The children were enthusiastic and during the workshop tasks used co-operation and teamwork skills throughout the session. We feel that the children benefited greatly from the experience and are now more aware of the complexities of producing information books."
Myrfyn Davies, Class Teacher, Byley Primary School.
"We were delighted with the workshop. It involved the students taking on different roles; those of author, editor, designer and illustrator. This gave a very interesting framework to the workshop and, as it was designed specifically for the production of an information book, it gave a good insight into the process. The students had to make real decisions about the content, layout and design of their books and this resulted in lively discussion and the occasional tricky negotiation. John was calm, assured, and kept the pace of the workshop moving. He related very well to the students and the feedback afterwards from them was most encouraging. I have no hesitation in recommending him to other schools and/or librarians."Hilary McKenzie, Librarian, The Cardinal Wiseman School.
"John worked with groups of our Year 8 students. It was an extremely exciting experience for them. The sessions were workshop based, giving each student responsibility whilst working as a team. The sessions were lively, each was different and the students were excited with the book they had produced at the finish. John was very adept at dealing with the mixture of students he was given. He could talk to them and get the response needed. His instructions and explanations were clear. >From the time I contacted him to the time he left us, he was always amenable, worked well with us at school as part of the team and he adapted his workshop to our time schedules. I would recommend any school/colleague to have him work with them."
Josephine Stanley, Independent Learning Centre Manager, Bexhill High School.
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