Ideas to Prepare for a Guest Speaker

• Provide enough time (but not TOO much) for your speaker.

• Give a purpose for bringing the speaker into your classroom (the WHY of the Visit).

• "SELL IT!" -- excite your kids about the speaker and his/her presentation.

• Give some background information about the speaker.

• Prepare questions for the speaker (and help kids understand what questions NOT to ask).

• Give some information about the topic-but not TOO much! (Don't "steal the speaker's thunder.')

• Don't schedule a test on the day of your speaker.

• Review behavior rules and "politeness."

• Help your students understand it is a privilege for them to have this quest visit

• Have a SPECIAL BULLETIN BOARD devoted to your quest speakers.

• Have a STUDENT WELCOMING COMMITTEE greet your quest!! WOW!!

QUESTIONS for YOU to THINK about:

• Should you quiz/test students on material presented by a speaker?

• What are some ways to follow-up after the speaker has departed. [Hint: CONTENT-RICH]

VERY, VERY IMPORTANT - REMEMBER TO PREPARE THE SPEAKER FOR YOUR CLASS

• If you invite Parents or other people to speak to your class, help them to understand
some basic ideas about teaching.

• Tell them your classroom rules.

• Give them a seating chart.

• Explain to them about attention span.

• Request that they bring hands-on items which kids can handle (SAFELY!).

• Talk to them about time restrictions.

• They can be GREAT for your class WITH YOUR HELP.

If you are hiring a professional speaker, CHECK REFERENCES!!

A printable pdf version of this page is available here.