Last week the class completed an author study.
We read a variety of books by the author, Chris Van Allsburg.
We read a variety of books by the author, Chris Van Allsburg.
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| By Tim Pierce (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons |
We looked at the illustrations and the various types of drawings. Some illustrations had color, while others were black and white using pen and paper.
We marveled at the beautiful drawings made by Chris Van Allsburg, and also enjoyed looking out for hidden clues. We often found Fritz, the author's dog, in many of his books either as a character or in the background. We also saw identical images in various books. For example, we saw the train from The Polar Express in Jumanji, or the kitchen from Two Bad Ants in the book Ben's Dream.
After we discussed each story, students picked their favorite one to re-tell and summarize. A summary is a paragraph, re-telling the main events of a story. Students each worked in their Google Classroom and brainstormed their summary on a Google Doc. Students focused on the main characters (who was the story about), what the main character wanted, or what goal they had (what is happening), what was the main problem, how did the character try to solve the problem, and finally, what was the outcome or the solution to the problem.
See some examples below:
Here students are hard at work writing their summary brainstorm ideas:
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| All Photos by Ms. Tulbure |
Next, students picked a project to show their summary creatively. Students could choose between using an iPad and working on Poplet, Facetalker, or Educreations.
Below are some examples of Poplet in action:
Students could also use Google Drive and write a summary in their Google Docs or create a presentation using Google Slides.
Here students are working on Google Docs and Google Slides:
Students could also write their summary interactively using PowToon on their Acer.
What fun we had learning both to summarize and also using technology to further our learning and imaginations!
What was your favorite author study project?
Are there other apps or programs that you would like to try to show your learning?
What was your favorite Chris Van Allsburg book and why?
Literature Led Technology Fun!
ReplyDeleteDear Bloggers,
This is Anya. I am excited to tell you my favorite Chris Van Allsburg book because I loved the book he wrote called Jumanji.I didn’t know Chris wrote Jumanji. Jumanji is a book about two kids that found a board game, and it is deadly. So, they roll the dice and whatever it lands on, the thing that it says, it comes out of the board and the only way to put the creatures back is to finish the game! I liked the lion part, and the flood part. I had a great time learning about him. When we read his book in the anthology, I didn’t think it could get any better! I like Chris’ books because he always ends with a surprise or a twist! What’s your favorite author? If you have one, what’s your favorite book in the series? Have fun reading!
Sincerely,
Anya
Hi! My name is Maya. Just stop to think about your favorite author, and your favorite book.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite author is Dan Gutman, but my favorite book is Charlotte’s Web, which is written by E.B White.
Charlotte’s Web is my favorite book because Wilbur [pig] always meets new people. I have a connection: Wilbur is making new friends and I am too! We are both making new friends.
Dan Gutman is my favorite author because his books are both funny and silly. For example of the most funniest book that I have read in one of the series that he writes called My Weird School the funniest book is called Mr. Tony is Full of Bologna. In my opinion that’s the funniest book.
Who is your favorite author and why? What is your favorite book and why? Is your favorite book written by your favorite author?
Sincerely,
Maya
Dear bloggers,
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Chris Van Allsburg book is the garden of Abdul Gasazi, although we did not have the option to have our summary about that book, so I did Jumanji instead. I did not have time to read the book that I missed so I had to make a different decision. We got the option to make a seesaw, google slide, google doc or type a summary. It was pretty fun though. What was your favorite Chris Van Allsburg book? What kind of summary did you make?
Warmly Audrey D.