Category: Reading

In my quest to continue book explorations, I wanted to make sure that students became experts on at least one author.  While I like the aspect of a book report in how it opens up new author and genre opportunities for the kids, I am not a fan of the way I have used book reports in the past.  So I wanted my students to do an author study instead.

I opened this up for discussion today so that the students could share their input and they came up with the following requirements for how to become an expert on a particular author:

• Pick a good author, can be someone yo have read before.
• You should figure out the type of author and their particular writing style.
• You should read and remember a biography of the author.
• We should skip Rick Riordan, since so many students wanted to do him.
• If you choose an author of picture books, you must read 7-10 picture books.
• If you choose an author of chapter books, you must read 2-3 books or more.
• You may work by yourself or with a partner.
• If you work with a partner, you should both read the same books and discuss them.
• We will have 6 weeks to do this project.

 We also discussed how the students would prove that they had indeed become an expert on.  The student ideas were:

• Do a report
• Some type of poster
• 2-3 glogs
• A book
• ABC book
• Film an interview
• Create a documentary about the author
• Skype in pretending to be the author
• Skit/sketch about important part of the author’s life
• Timeline with books and biography
• Dress up and pretend you are the author

I now have a master list of who the students are researching, we have gotten books from the library and the students are giving me a thumbs up as for the excitement about the project.  Time in class will be given to read and research but students must manage their time appropriately for our deadline of February 21st. 

I will be creating a biography sheet for those students that need it, and the rest have been instructed to use their reading notebooks to gather all of their information.  I cannot wait to share more resources and their projects!

Here is a student’s take on what it means to do an author study.

This was written by The 2 Sisters in their weekly email, which I receive, and it struck a chord with me because I have certainly done this to my students.  What a wonderful opportunity for me to reflect on my own reading program.

Are Our Tasks Related to Reading Worthy of the Treasure Tub?

All three of our girls were home for a few days during the holidays.  What a special time we had reconnecting, playing games, cooking, eating and even cleaning out their old bedroom closets.  Old clothes were tossed, traded and made fun of.   Books and music were sorted through.  Then each girl pulled out their large plastic treasure tub filled with sacred mementos from grades K-12. 

Our oldest daughter fished out a stack of worksheets that caught my eye.  When she passed them over I discovered they were supplementary ditto’s to be used in conjunction with reading The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner.  It was an impressive little tome of comprehension questions, word searches, vocabulary to be defined, crossword puzzles, etc….and a note on top in her teacher’s neat handwriting that said, “I hope your work on this packet will encourage you to read more Boxcar Books.” 

So I had to ask, “Did you read more of that series?”  Her immediate reply was an enhanced grimace, “Never read another one!”  The worksheets were tossed in the recycle bin…and the work, which she didn’t value then or now, had the exact opposite effect of the one her teacher had intended. 

My friend’s children read every book in the series and had many adventures with neighbors in the backyard playing Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny.  They endeavored to solve mystery after mystery, whether in text or in play. Of course, they were never asked to do a “packet”.  

My poor girl had to look up furious, handkerchief, and clothespin and use them all in a sentence. She had to unscramble words like railroad, merchant and clues.  No wonder she never read another one. 

If we want the next generation to love reading for gaining knowledge and providing entertainment, we have to be careful about the tasks we demand they do around books.  Do we have well intentioned supplementary materials that are robbing our students of the joy of books?

What will your students…and ours….find in their treasure tubs 20 years from now?