*Author or Author/Illustrator Study (40 points)
Your Mission: For the author/illustrator study you and a partner will select an author and/or illustrator (many are both) from the list provided by your instructor.
The Requirements: You and your partner will complete the following tasks:
¨ Read at least 3-6 books (depending on length) written and/or illustrated by this person.
¨ If your author/illustrator is the recipient of a Caldecott or Newberry medal or honor book, or has won another award, be sure that you read the award book(s).
¨ Locate at least 3 references about the author/illustrator’s life and work. You are required to use at least one print resource. Something about the Author (IMC Ref 928 S696) and Children’s Literature Review (IMC Ref 028 52 C536) are good sources. These are biographies and autobiographies about many children’s authors and illustrator’s available in the IMC biography section. Feel free to also use other print resources or websites that you know to be reliable.
*Using your research, you and your partner will create a PowerPoint presentation or other professional presentation to share with the class.
You presentation should include the following:
¨ Biographical Information related to the person’s career (a timeline would be appropriate here)
¨ Genre, subjects, themes, or concepts addressed by the author/illustrator
¨ Description of what makes this person’s work distinctive
¨ Writing style and/or artistic style and media
¨ Creative display of books by the author/illustrator
¨ Most important awards this person has received
¨ Comprehensive list of all books by newer authors OR a selected list of an experienced author’s most noteworthy books
¨ An overview of one book with specific teaching suggestions by each person
¨ References (At least 3)
Be excited and proud of the work you have done for this presentation. As a teacher you must be prepared to engage your students at all times. Being excited about a topic is the best way to get your students excited too. Choose an author/illustrator that you want to spend time with and get to know.
*Part of being a teacher is collaborating with other teachers. You will need other people to rely on and two heads really are better than one! Keeping this is mind, each pair will develop a hand out or brochure for the rest of the class. Please include the following information:
¨ Picture of the author/illustrator
¨ Brief profile of interesting facts about the author/illustrator
¨ Comprehensive list of all books by newer authors OR a selected list of an experienced author’s most noteworthy books
¨ Meaningful quotations from the author reflecting his/her craft
¨ Additional information or graphics for added interest
¨ Related websites
¨ Bibliography of sources of information (include at least one print resource)
¨ Teaching connections for the book presented by each partner in the presentation
¨ Any other helpful information you found while you researched
*Both the presentation and the brochure/hand out will be done with your partner. Individually you will create a literary critique for a book your author has written or illustrated. This critique will not be a part of your presentation; it will be turned in individually. Your critique will include the following information:
¨ To begin your literary critique you will need an introduction explaining your reasons for choosing this author/illustrator – both aesthetic and efferent. Answer the question: Why do I like this author’s work?
¨ Explain how this author contributes to children’s education and the field of children’s literature.
¨ Provide a brief summary of the book, including the major elements of the story – characters, setting, plot, theme, etc. If it is an informational text, highlight the important features of the text.
¨ Include a brief explanation of the genre of the book. Use your Temple text as a reference for writing this explanation.
¨ Comment on the criteria for a good book – again use your Temple text and the IMC handout to help you. You will continue by highlighting why this book appeals to you – what elements do you consider to be the book’s strengths?; what elements are the book’s weaknesses? You should be focusing on character development, the plot, the mood, the illustrations, the author’s craft – his or her ability to weave a story with vivid descriptions and vocabulary, etc. We will be discussing these elements throughout the semester.
¨ Describe how you would use this book in the classroom. Be specific with describing what you could do with this book. Also, be specific with which parts of the book allow for the best classroom connections and be sure to point those parts out by page number. Spend time envisioning how you would use this book and try to develop a description of how it would play out in a classroom. Again, we will be doing this with all of the books we read this semester, so it will become more natural over time.
When you have completed this assignment, you will have turned in the following:
¨ Your presentation on a disc or other format
¨ A literary critique
¨ A brochure/ hand-out
The following websites will guide you to authors and illustrators and their websites:
Children’s Authors and Illustrators
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/authors.html
The Assessment: (40 points)
_____/5 Biographical information is up-to-date, informative and connected to the author/illustrator’s career._____/5 The author/illustrator’s work is described thoroughly – mention of the author/illustrator’s style, genre, distinctive characteristics, and awards make up part of the presentation.
_____/5 Presentation and book display is well organized and informative.
_____/5 Each partner overviews one book by offering a quick summary with specific teaching suggestions.
_____/10 The brochure is well-developed and complete. All necessary information can be easily found and used.
_____/10 Literary critique is well-written and complete. The author has thoughtfully planned their critique and has delved deeper into questions and thoughts on the author’s style and design. Specific critiques are made and citations from the book are used to provide support and justification.