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An afternoon with Michael Rosen
- One hour “Reading for Pleasure” Keynote
- One Hour “What does it mean to understand a story or non-fiction?” Workshop
- Booksigning
Join us for an afternoon with celebrated children’s author and Professor of Children’s Literature Michael Rosen!
Michael will begin the afternoon with 'Reading for Pleasure' - his interactive checklist of ways of engaging whole schools (and parents) in reading books – with evidence of how beneficial this is.
This will be followed by his one hour workshop 'What does it mean to ‘understand’ a story or non fiction' This session is about interpretation. How do we understand fiction? Is it the SATs way? Retrieval, inference, chronology and presentation? Or is there a deeper way but which is in fact, easier to do?
Michael will close the session with a booksigning. Books available to purchase on the day!
For the workshop, delegates are asked to bring along a copy of “Where The Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak
- Facilitator
- Venue & Travel Information
Michael Rosen
Michael Rosen is one of Britain’s best loved writers and performance poets for children and adults. His first degree was from Wadham College, Oxford and he went on to study for an MA and a PhD. He is currently Professor of Children’s Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London where he co-devised and teaches an MA in Children’s Literature.
Michael is also a popular broadcaster and has presented BBC Radio 4’s acclaimed programme about language, “Word of Mouth” since 1998, as well as regularly presenting documentary programmes for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 3, including the Sony Gold Award-winning “On Saying Goodbye”.
Michael has published in the region of 200 books for children and adults, including “The Sad Book” with Quentin Blake (Walker Books) - a meditation on bereavement written after the loss of his son, Eddie; “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” with Helen Oxenbury (Walker Books) - made into an animated film for Channel 4 broadcast Christmas Day 2016 - and “A Great Big Cuddle” with Chris Riddell (Walker Books) . His poetry for adults includes “Don’t Mention the Children” (Smokestack) and “Selected Poems” (Penguin). Non-fiction work for adults includes “Good Ideas: How to Be Your Child’s (and Your Own) Best Teacher” (John Murray), “The Disappearance of Emile Zola, Love, Literature and the Dreyfus Case” (Faber), and his memoir “So They Call You Pisher!” (Verso).
He has written a book for children and teachers on writing poetry ‘What is Poetry?’ (Walker Books) and has done three booklets for teachers on writing and reading. These are available through his website www.michaelrosen.co.uk . He writes up a monthly news page on the website and a blog for teachers giving ideas for writing.
Michael writes a monthly open “letter” to the Secretary of State for Education in The Guardian where he critiques Government policy on schools from the standpoint of a parent. He visits schools, teachers’ conferences and university teacher training departments where he is in demand to give performances, workshops and keynote addresses. He also appears regularly at literary festivals all over the UK and Ireland.
Michael has received several honorary awards, including degrees from the Open University, the University of Exeter, the University of London Institute of Education and the University of East London/Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust. For outstanding contribution to children’s literature he received the Eleanor Farjeon Award and was Children’s Laureate 2007-2009. In recognition of his contribution to the profile of French culture in the UK, he was made Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
His YouTube Channel ‘Kids’ Poems and Stories with Michael Rosen’ has had over 55 million views.