Bring Gary Raham to Your School!
Gary Raham—a former high
school and junior high science teacher—is the author and illustrator of five
books, including The Deep Time Diaries, a time travel adventure used to
teach Earth science and creative writing in several Colorado schools. He is an
experienced speaker, whose lively presentations showcase his work as a writer, paleoartist, and amateur paleontologist. Gary's interactive
presentations emphasize the integrated nature of creativity in both the arts
and sciences and urge students to follow their curiosity and their dreams.
Home: Wellington, CO
Travels to: Gary will travel anywhere he is invited!
Gary is the author of: The Deep Time Diaries (Fulcrum Publishing); Dinosaurs in the Garden
(Plexus Publishing); Explorations in Backyard
Biology (Teacher Ideas Press); Sillysaurs: Dinosaurs That Could Have
Been! (Biostration); and Teaching Science Fact with
Science Fiction (Teacher Ideas Press).
Rates
Half-Day Visit (1 presentation and
book signing or Q&A session): $375 plus travel expenses
One-Day Visit (3 presentations
and a book signing or Q&A session): $600 plus travel expenses
Teacher Clinics (12 person minimum;
25 person maximum): $100/teacher plus travel expenses
Click here to get started on planning your visit!
Biography
Gary Raham is a freelance
science writer and illustrator who has published in a
variety of markets for both children and adults. He has written for Cricket,
Highlights , Read, and Writing! magazines as well as Discovery Channel Books. Gary has five
book titles to his credit, including The Deep Time Diaries, a time
travel adventure used to teach Earth science and creative writing in several
Colorado schools. His video script, “Fossils: Uncovering Clues to the Past,”
won an Award of Excellence (1st Place) at the Denver Video Festival in 1993.
Raham also received the Colorado Authors’ League Top Hand Awards for his
non-fiction children’s articles in 2001 and 2005.
Gary has also provided
illustrations for a variety of markets, including Visible Productions, the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, Colorado State University, Larimer County, Scott
Resources, the City of Ft. Collins, Grolier, Inc., Fulcrum Publishing,
Publications International Ltd., and Highlights. He specializes in
natural history, biomedical, and paleontological
subjects.
Gary is an experienced
speaker, whose lively presentations showcase his work as a writer, paleoartist, and amateur paleontologist. He has made yearly
presentations at CCIRA and Colorado Science Conventions and made NSTA
presentations at both regional and national conferences, including NSTA
national in Atlanta in 2004. For four years he has co-taught popular summer
courses in nature journaling at the Denver Botanic Gardens. As a ten-year
veteran of the city of Ft. Collins' master naturalist program, he has led many
groups of adults and children on nature journaling hikes.
Gary taught high school
and junior high science for two years before pursuing his writing and
illustrating interests, yet science education remains a strong interest. While
serving a three-year term (2000–2003) as the Regional Advisor for the Rocky
Mountain chapter of the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators,
he helped encourage writers and illustrators to share their talents with
children.
Event Descriptions
Confessions of a Time
Traveler
This presentation offers an exploration of deep time
and the science of paleontology from the perspective of a writer, paleoartist, and teacher. This lively, interactive
presentation includes many visuals of fossils, original artwork, and images
from paleontological digs. Gary emphasizes the
integrated nature of creativity in both the arts and sciences and urges
students to follow their curiosity and their dreams. Suitable for a variety of
group sizes, grades 4–8.
Drawing on Nature
An activity for classroom-sized student groups that
introduces the joys of sketching in nature for both pleasure and knowledge.
Students learn artist tricks of the trade, including ways to banish that pesky
internal critic as well as techniques for creating and maintaining a
naturalist's journal. Presentation can be adapted for most grade levels. Most effective as a spring program.
Teaching Science Fact
with Science Fiction:
In this presentation for teachers, Gary demonstrates ways to use the literature
of science fiction as a cross disciplinary tool in science and English. As a
former high school and middle school science teacher, Gary has collaborated
with several teachers in northern Colorado to develop innovative ways to use
science fiction as a hook to get students interested in science. Gary's
presentation incorporates his science fiction book, The Deep Time Diaries , which
is currently used by several schools in the Poudre
School District of northern Colorado to teach Earth science standards to 8th
graders. The presentation provides additional ideas and sample curricula based
on his book, Teaching Science Fact with Science Fiction.
Drawing on Nature in
the Classroom
For several years Gary has co-taught a popular course at the Denver Botanic
Gardens featuring techniques for getting kids interested in science through
nature journaling. Intended for elementary teachers, this one-day course
provides excellent methods for overcoming drawing and writing angst and offers
teachers exciting projects to give their students in both the field and
classroom. Many of these activities are based on research that Gary compiled
when writing Explorations in Backyard Biology: Drawing on Nature in the
Classroom.
Sample Illustration
© Gary Raham.
Testimonials
“Gary was so
well-prepared, and he captivated my students' attention right from the get-go.
I would highly recommend Gary to other educators.”
—Jeannie Craft, Irish Elementary School, Fort Collins,
CO
“Gary is a master
scientist as well as an accomplished author and illustrator, and he always
prepares his lessons taking into account my needs as a teacher to teach
standards and content while at the same time bringing a 'real-world'
perspective to the lesson.”
—Victoria Jordan, Science Department Chair, Wellington
Junior High School, Wellington, CO
“Gary was warm, easy to
work with, and cares a great deal about his subject area. After the session
they clustered around him to squeeze in just a few more eager questions.”
—Jude Blum, Librarian/Technology Coordinator, Logan
School for Creative Learning, Denver, CO
“Not only was the science
you presented interesting, factual, and based on true field experiences, but
you also inspired my class to be better field journalists.”
—Jamie Newton, Logan School for Creative Learning,
Denver, CO
“Gary was extremely
capable in terms of interacting with the children, rather than just presenting.
The students gained substantive information both about his subject area and his
writing techniques. This enrichment of the curriculum pursued in their
classroom has obviously been a very meaningful experience.”
—Logan School for Creative Learning, Denver, CO
“Very
Valuable! Inspiring--especially to my young artists!”
—Third Grade Teacher, Estes Park Elementary School,
Estes Park, CO
“This presentation was
valuable on many levels: writing, illustrating, science, and history! Excellent!”
—Fourth Grade Teacher, Estes Park Elementary School,
Estes Park, CO
If you are interested
in booking an event with Gary Raham, please fill out the Speaker Visit Query
form or contact our Author Appearance Manager at 800-338-2232, ext. 105, or
admin@authorsinschools.com.
We look forward to working with you.